What You Didn't Know About Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.)

By Danielle Burton

Posted 11/10/06

Leahy graduated from St. Michael's College in 1961 and received his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center in 1964.

Leahy was first elected to the Senate in 1974. At 34, he was the youngest senator ever elected from Vermont. He has been re-elected five times.

Actively involved in Internet and technology issues, Leahy is often called the "cybersenator." In 1995, he became the second senator to put up a home page. In 2001, he wrote in FamilyPC magazine: "I'm addicted to the Internet. I admit it. It has transformed the way I work as a senator, communicate with my children, and keep tabs on news and cultural developments."

Leahy is a huge fan of the Batman comics. He had a small part in the 1997 Batman & Robin movie, he did a voiceover on an episode of the animated Batman series, and he wrote the foreword for a Batman commemorative book. Also, on one afternoon in July 2005, he was seen wheeling around outside his Senate office on a child's toy Batmobile (reportedly a present for his grandson). Leahy told staffers he thought he could "have some fun" if Chris Dodd (a Democratic senator in a nearby office) also got a Batmobile. They could "ride around zapping it and bad guys and exacting justice."

Leahy is also a huge Deadhead. Bob Weir and Mickey Hart (formerly of the Grateful Dead) have performed at Leahy fundraisers, where he has been known to join them onstage. His favorite tune of theirs is "Black Muddy River," and he often wears ties designed by Jerry Garcia. Leahy once actually introduced the late Garcia to Sen. Strom Thurmond when they were in the Senate dining room together.

Leahy was one of two senators to receive anthrax-laden letters post-9/11 (Majority Leader Tom Daschle was the other). Leahy's letter was discovered on Nov. 16, 2001, among a large amount of quarantined mail. The letter was opened by government scientists and found to be "virtually identical" to the one sent to Daschle.

Leahy is an amateur photographer who has taken photos of presidents, foreign heads of state, as well as rock stars during his Senate career. His work has appeared in U.S.News & World Report (a pic of Reagan's second inauguration), and earlier this year an exhibit of his work was held at St. Michael's.

Leahy met his wife, Marcelle Pomerleau, while in college. They have been married for over 40 years and have three children and four grandchildren. When not in Washington, Leahy lives with his family on a tree farm in Vermont. Furnishings in the home include a memento from the couple's courtship: a wooden bench from the college snack bar where they got to know each other.

Sources:

Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.)

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress

Carroll's Federal Directory, reproduced in Biography Resource Center

"Patrick Leahy" Biography Resource Center Online

Who's Who in American Politics, 2005–2006

FamilyPC magazine

Washington Post

Roll Call

Los Angeles Times

Burlington Free Press

Associated Press

CongressDaily