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{{short description|American politician and diplomat (born 1943)}} | |||
{{Infobox Senator | name=John Forbes Kerry | |||
{{For|the sixteenth-century English politician|John Kerry (MP)}} | |||
| nationality=american | |||
{{pp-semi-indef}} | |||
| image name=John F. Kerry.jpg | |||
{{pp-move}} | |||
| jr/sr and state=Junior Senator, ] | |||
{{Use American English|date=September 2019}} | |||
| party=] | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}} | |||
| term=January ]–present | |||
{{Infobox officeholder | |||
| preceded=] | |||
| image = John Kerry portrait of Climate Envoy (cropped).jpg | |||
| succeeded=Incumbent (2009) | |||
| caption = Kerry in 2021 | |||
| date of birth=], ] | |||
| office = 68th ] | |||
| place of birth=], ] | |||
| president = ] | |||
| dead=alive | |||
| deputy = ]<br />] (acting)<br />] | |||
| date of death= | |||
| term_start = February 1, 2013 | |||
| place of death= | |||
| term_end = January 20, 2017 | |||
| spouse=(1) ], divorced; | |||
| predecessor = ] | |||
(2) ] | |||
| successor = ] | |||
| office1 = ] | |||
| status1 = | |||
| president1 = ] | |||
| deputy1 = | |||
| term_start1 = January 20, 2021 | |||
| term_end1 = March 6, 2024 | |||
| predecessor1 = ''Office established'' | |||
| successor1 = ] (Senior Advisor) | |||
| jr/sr2 = United States Senator | |||
| state2 = ] | |||
| term_start2 = January 2, 1985 | |||
| term_end2 = February 1, 2013 | |||
| predecessor2 = ] | |||
| successor2 = ] | |||
{{collapsed infobox section begin |last=yes |Committee chairmanships | |||
|titlestyle = border:1px dashed lightgrey;}}{{Infobox officeholder |embed=yes | |||
| office1 = Chair of the ] | |||
| term_start1 = January 6, 2009 | |||
| term_end1 = February 1, 2013 | |||
| predecessor1 = Joe Biden | |||
| successor1 = ] | |||
| office2 = Chair of the ] | |||
| term_start2 = January 3, 2007 | |||
| term_end2 = January 3, 2009 | |||
| predecessor2 = ] | |||
| successor2 = ] | |||
| term_start3 = June 6, 2001 | |||
| term_end3 = January 3, 2003 | |||
| predecessor3 = ] | |||
| successor3 = ] | |||
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}}} | |||
| office3 = 66th ] | |||
| governor3 = ] | |||
| term_start3 = January 6, 1983 | |||
| term_end3 = January 2, 1985 | |||
| predecessor3 = ] | |||
| successor3 = ] | |||
| birth_name = John Forbes Kerry | |||
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1943|12|11}} | |||
| birth_place = ], U.S. | |||
| awards = ] (2024) | |||
| death_date = | |||
| death_place = | |||
| party = ] | |||
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|]|1970|1988|reason=div}}|{{marriage|]|1995}}}} | |||
| children = {{Hlist|]|]}} | |||
| parents = ]<br />] | |||
| relatives = ] | |||
| occupation = {{hlist|Politician|diplomat|businessman|activist}} | |||
| signature = John Kerry Signature2.svg | |||
| allegiance = United States | |||
| branch = ] | |||
| serviceyears = 1966–1978 | |||
| rank = ] | |||
| unit = {{ubl|{{USS|Gridley|DLG-21}}|Coastal Squadron 1}} | |||
| commands = {{ubl|PCF-44|PCF-94}} | |||
| battles = {{tree list}} | |||
* ]{{WIA}} | |||
** ] | |||
{{tree list/end}} | |||
| alma_mater = {{ubl|] (])|] (])}} | |||
| mawards = {{ubl|]|] (with ])|] (3)|]}} | |||
| module = {{Listen|pos=center|embed=yes|filename=John Kerry voice.ogg|title=John Kerry's voice|type=speech|description=John Kerry speaks on the ]<br />Recorded August 26, 2013}} | |||
}} | }} | ||
'''John Forbes Kerry''' (born ], ]) is the junior ] from ]. In ], he made an ] for the United States ] as the ] nominee. He was ] by ] President ]. | |||
'''John Forbes Kerry''' (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the ] from 2013 to 2017 in the ] of ]. A member of the ] and of the ], he previously represented ] in the ] from 1985 to 2013 and later served as the first ] from 2021 to 2024. Kerry was the Democratic nominee for ] in the ], losing to then-incumbent president ]. | |||
== Early life and education == | |||
Kerry grew up in ] and ] In 1966, after graduating from ], he enlisted in the ], ultimately attaining the rank of ]. During the ], Kerry served a brief tour in ]. While commanding a ], he sustained three wounds in combat with the ], for which he earned three ] medals. Kerry was also awarded the ] and the ] for conduct in separate military engagements. After completing his active military service, Kerry returned to the United States and became an outspoken ]. He gained national recognition as an anti-war activist, serving as a spokesperson for the ] organization. Kerry testified in the ] before the ], where he described the United States government's policy in Vietnam as the cause of ]. | |||
Kerry was born at the ] in ], ] outside ]. His father, ], a ] ] ], had been undergoing treatment there for ]. | |||
In 1972, Kerry entered electoral politics as a Democratic candidate for the ] in ], losing to Republican ] in the general election. He subsequently worked as a ] host and as the executive director of an advocacy organization while attending law school. After a period in private legal practice, he was ] the 66th ] in 1982. In ] to the ]. In ], Kerry won the Democratic presidential nomination alongside Senator ]. He lost the ] and the popular vote by slim margins, winning 251 electors to Bush's 286 and 48.3% of the popular vote to Bush's 50.7%. | |||
Kerry's family returned to their home state of ] shortly after his birth. His family was ], and as a child John served as an ]. | |||
In January 2013, Kerry was nominated by President Obama to succeed Secretary of State ], and was subsequently confirmed by his Senate colleagues.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gordon |first=Michael R. |date=January 29, 2013 |title=Kerry Sails Through the Senate as Secretary of State |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/us/politics/senate-panel-approves-kerry-for-secretary-of-state.html |access-date=August 27, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He was U.S. secretary of state throughout the second term of the ] from 2013 to 2017. During his tenure, he initiated the ] and negotiated agreements restricting the ], including the 2013 ] and the 2015 ]. In 2015, Kerry signed the ] on ] on behalf of the United States. | |||
===Family background=== | |||
Kerry was the second child of Richard John Kerry and ]. He has three siblings: Margery (]), Diana (]) and Cameron (]). | |||
In January 2021, Kerry returned to government, becoming the first person to hold the position of ], under President ]. On March 6, Kerry left this position to work on ].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Boyle |first1=Louise |title=John Kerry exits as special climate envoy – but he isn't done with politics quite yet |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/john-kerry-biden-election-2024-climate-b2507568.html |website=The Independent |language=en |date=7 March 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shapiro |first1=Ari |last2=Troop |first2=William |last3=McNamee |first3=Kai |title=U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry is giving up the job title — but not the fight |url=https://www.npr.org/2024/03/07/1236316313/climate-envoy-john-kerry-joe-biden |website=NPR}}</ref> Kerry was awarded the ] by Biden in May 2024.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/05/03/politics/biden-medal-of-freedom/index.html |title=Biden presents Medal of Freedom to key political allies, civil rights leaders, celebrities and politicians |first=Michael |last=Williams |publisher=] |date=May 3, 2024 |access-date=May 3, 2024}}</ref> | |||
A misconception some Americans have is that John Forbes Kerry is related to ] publisher ] and his son ], the latter of whom twice sought the Republican presidential nomination. In fact, the two Forbes clans are not related. | |||
Another misconception regarding Kerry's upbringing is that his ] was ]. In truth, the ] family enjoyed a great fortune, but Kerry's parents themselves were upper-]. Although Kerry attended ] schools in ] and ], the tuition was paid by a wealthy great-aunt, as Richard Kerry's salary could not accommodate the schools attended by the Kerry children. However, Kerry did mix and mingle with the ]. Summers were spent at the ] in ], and Kerry enjoyed much greater extravagance there than he had come to know in Massachusetts. | |||
==Early life and education (1943–1966)== | |||
Kerry is a distant cousin of ] ], though there appears to be some dispute regarding exactly how related they are . | |||
John Forbes Kerry was born on December 11, 1943, at ] in ].<ref name=bioguide>{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=K000148|title=KERRY, John Forbes, (1943–)|work=Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date=December 8, 2019|archive-date=March 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331002204/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=k000148|url-status=live}}</ref> He is the second of four children born to ], a U.S. diplomat and lawyer, and ], a nurse and social activist. His father was raised ] (John's paternal grandparents were ] ] immigrants who converted to Catholicism) and his mother was ]. He was raised with an elder sister Margaret, a younger sister Diana, and a younger brother ]. The children were raised in their father's Catholic faith, and John served as an ].<ref name=ReligionBackground>{{cite web|last=Caldwell|first=Deborah|title=Not a Prodigal Son|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/News/Politics/2004/08/Not-A-Prodigal-Son.aspx|publisher=beliefnet.com|access-date=December 23, 2012|archive-date=June 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617193055/http://www.beliefnet.com/news/politics/2004/08/not-a-prodigal-son.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Kerry was originally considered a ],<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Army Brats Soar |url=http://www.ausa.org/publications/armymagazine/archive/2014/Documents/11November14/SteeleBrats_November2014.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402124238/http://www.ausa.org/publications/armymagazine/archive/2014/Documents/11November14/SteeleBrats_November2014.pdf |magazine=Army Magazine |date=November 11, 2014 |access-date=July 2, 2016 |archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> until his father was discharged from the ] in 1944.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Brinkley |first=Douglas |title=Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War |date=September 21, 2004 |publisher=William Morrow |isbn=9780060565299 |location=New York, NY |publication-date=September 21, 2004 |pages=18–39 |language=English}}</ref> Kerry lived in ] his first year and ] afterwards before moving to the ] neighborhood of ] at age seven, when his father took a position in the ]'s Office of General Counsel and soon became a ] in the ]'s Bureau of ] Affairs.<ref name="father knows">{{cite magazine|last=Foer|first=Franklin|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/kerrys-world-father-knows-best/|title=Kerry's World: Father Knows Best|date=March 2, 2004|magazine=The New Republic|publisher=CBSNews.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040305034328/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/03/02/opinion/main603542.shtml|archive-date=March 5, 2004|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{sfn|Kerry|2018|pp=11-12}}<ref name="citm-pt1"/> | |||
====Maternal family background==== | |||
John Kerry's maternal grandfather, ], was born in ], ], where the Forbes family of ] and ] accumulated a fortune in the ] and China trade. Forbes married ], who came from a family with deep roots in New England history. Through her, John Kerry is related to four Presidents, including George W. Bush (ninth cousin, twice removed), and to many of the royal houses of Europe. | |||
As members of the ] and Dudley–Winthrop families, his maternal extended family enjoyed great wealth.<ref name="news.google.com">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KrRAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5080,615343|title='Outsider' label follows Kerry in Massachusetts despite years in office|newspaper=News-Sentinel|date=July 6, 2004|access-date=September 23, 2018|archive-date=November 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124213631/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=KrRAAAAAIBAJ&pg=5080%2C615343|url-status=live}}</ref> Kerry's parents themselves were ], and a wealthy grand-aunt paid for him to attend elite ]<ref name="ReligionBackground"/> such as ] in Switzerland.{{sfn|Kerry|2018|p=18}} Through his maternal ancestry, Kerry also descends from Rev. James McGregor who was among the first 500 ] immigrants to ] in the 18th century.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lewis|first=Dave|title=300 Years of Scots-Irish Immigration to U.S.|year=2018|work=]|url=https://irishamerica.com/2018/01/300-years-of-scots-irish-immigration-to-u-s/|access-date=June 28, 2020|archive-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629034132/https://irishamerica.com/2018/01/300-years-of-scots-irish-immigration-to-u-s/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
====Paternal family background==== | |||
Kerry's paternal grandfather, ] (born Fritz Kohn), was born on ], ] in the town of ], ] (in what is now the ] of the ]), and grew up in ], ] (a small town near ]). His wife Ida (née Loewe) was born in ], ]. They were both ]-speaking ]s. But in 1901, Fritz Kohn converted from ] to ] and changed his name to Frederick Kerry. His wife Ida also converted at the same time. They then immigrated to the United States, arriving at ] in ]. They raised their three children, including John's father, as Catholics. A Czech historian believes that Ida was a descendant of Sinai Loew, one of three older brothers of Rabbi ] (]-], ]), a famous ], philosopher and ]ist known as the ] of ]. Two of Ida Kohn's siblings, Otto Loewe and Jenni Loewe, died in the Nazi ]s (] and ], respectively), after being deported from Vienna in 1942. Frederick Kerry himself committed ] in the ] in ] on ], ]. | |||
At the age of ten, Kerry's father took a position as the U.S. Attorney for Berlin. When Kerry was twelve, he crossed into the ] to visit ] and ride through the ]. If Kerry had been captured, it would have caused an international incident.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kranish |first1=Michael |last2=Mooney |first2=Brian |last3=Easton |first3=Nina J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PWPyKNSd4-EC |title=John F. Kerry The Boston Globe Biography |chapter=Chapter 2 - Youth |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PWPyKNSd4-EC |publisher=PublicAffairs |date=February 5, 2013 |isbn=978-1610393379 |access-date=November 19, 2021 }}</ref> | |||
Kerry's father, ], was born on ], ] in Massachusetts. After a stint in the ], he worked for the ] and served as an attorney for the ] in the ]. | |||
In 1957, his father was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in ], Norway, and Kerry was sent back to the United States to attend boarding school. He first attended the ] in ], and later ] in ], where he learned skills in ] and began developing an interest in ].<ref name="ReligionBackground"/> Kerry founded the ] Society at St. Paul's to debate the issues of the day; the Society still exists there.<ref name="navydove">{{cite news|first=Samuel Z.|last=Goldhaber|title=John Kerry: A Navy Dove Runs for Congress|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=352185|date=February 18, 1970|access-date=May 8, 2006|archive-date=April 25, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425112813/http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=352185|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="citm-pt1">{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Kranish|title=A privileged youth, a taste for risk|url=https://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061503.shtml|work=] |date=June 15, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030801233903/http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061503.shtml|archive-date=August 1, 2003|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> In 1960, while at St. Paul's, he played bass in a minor rock band called The Electras with six of his classmates.<ref name="wapo-electras">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/02/02/john-kerrys-record-one-you-can-dance-to/8470965c-a3fb-42b9-b21d-4256df6debc0/|title=John Kerry's Record: One You Can Dance To|first=David|last=Segal|date=February 2, 2004|newspaper=]|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124213702/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2004/02/02/john-kerrys-record-one-you-can-dance-to/8470965c-a3fb-42b9-b21d-4256df6debc0/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="mtv-electras">{{cite web|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1485690/john-kerrys-rock-star-past-the-story-of-the-electras/|title=John Kerry's Rock-Star Past: The Story Of The Electras|first=Nadira A.|last=Hira|date=March 11, 2004|website=]|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112022647/http://www.mtv.com/news/1485690/john-kerrys-rock-star-past-the-story-of-the-electras/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="guardian-electras">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/jun/21/us-politicians-bands-rock-music|date=June 21, 2017|title=Rocking the vote: US politicians and their musical side projects|first=Jake|last=Nevins|website=]|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-date=November 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201118023212/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2017/jun/21/us-politicians-bands-rock-music|url-status=live}}</ref> The band had about five hundred copies of one album printed in 1961, which they sold some of at dances at the school; it was made available on streaming platforms many years later.<ref name="wapo-electras"/><ref name="guardian-electras" /><ref name="itunes-album">{{Cite web|title=John Kerry and the Electras|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/john-kerry-and-the-electras/98907985|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124213654/https://music.apple.com/us/album/john-kerry-and-the-electras/98907985|archive-date=November 24, 2020|access-date=November 24, 2020|website=music.apple.com|date=September 2, 2004}}</ref><ref name="spotify-album">{{Cite web|date=2004|title=John Kerry and The Electras|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/0NSEMvYPtP9HpuRBuYqcY2|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191121130230/https://open.spotify.com/album/0NSEMvYPtP9HpuRBuYqcY2|archive-date=November 21, 2019|access-date=November 24, 2020|website=open.spotify.com}}</ref> | |||
In ], Richard Kerry met ], a member of the wealthy ]. One of 11 children, she studied to be a nurse, and served in the ] in ] during World War II (she also was a ] leader for 50 years). The couple married in ], ] in January 1941. | |||
], in August 1962]] | |||
===Childhood years=== | |||
In 1962, Kerry attended ], majoring in ] and residing in ].{{sfn|Kranish|Mooney|Easton|2013|p=35}} By that year, his parents returned to Groton.<ref name="citm-pt4"/>{{sfn|Kerry|2018|p=28}} While at Yale, Kerry briefly dated ], the younger half-sister of ] ]. Through Auchincloss, Kerry was invited to a day of sailing with then-President ] and his family.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/americas_john_kerry0s_life/html/3.stm|title=Brush with greatness|work=BBC News|access-date=July 7, 2018|archive-date=July 8, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708004155/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/04/americas_john_kerry0s_life/html/3.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Kerry has said that his first memory is from when he was three years old, of holding his crying mother's hand while they walked through the broken glass and rubble of her childhood home in ], ]. This visit came shortly after the United States had liberated Saint-Briac from the ] on ], ]. The family estate, known as ], had been occupied and used as a Nazi headquarters during the war. When the Germans fled, they bombed Les Essarts and burnt it down. | |||
Kerry played on the varsity ] team, earning his only letter in his senior year. He also played freshman and ] ] and, in his senior year, junior varsity ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron/kerry/040726|title=ESPN: Page 2 : Rink turns and big deals|date=July 26, 2004|work=ESPN|access-date=November 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040728030823/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron%2Fkerry%2F040726|archive-date=July 28, 2004|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity and took flying lessons.{{sfn|Kranish|Mooney|Easton|2013|pp=37, 43}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2003/02/14/kerry-66-he-was-going-to-be-president/|title=Kerry '66: 'He was going to be president'|work=Yale Daily News|date=February 14, 2003|access-date=August 27, 2015|archive-date=January 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115232216/http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2003/02/14/kerry-66-he-was-going-to-be-president/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The sprawling estate was rebuilt in ]. Kerry and his parents would often spend the summer holidays there. Kerry occupied his time there racing his cousins on bicycles and challenging relatives to games of ]. During these summers, he became good friends with his first cousin ], a future ] and ] leader in France who ran for ] in ]. | |||
In his ] year, Kerry became the chairman of the Liberal Party of the ], and a year later he served as president of the union. Amongst his influential teachers in this period was Professor ], who was himself a former president of the Political Union.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417074624/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/education/27westerfield.html |date=April 17, 2009 }}. '']''. January 27, 2008.</ref> His involvement with the Political Union gave him an opportunity to be involved with important issues of the day, such as the ] and the ] program. He also became a ] of ], and traveled to Switzerland<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2007/01/22/at-50-aiesec-ponders-its-future|title=At 50, AIESEC ponders its future|publisher=Yale Daily News|date=January 22, 2007|access-date=March 12, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419033955/http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/university-news/2007/01/22/at-50-aiesec-ponders-its-future/|archive-date=April 19, 2010}}</ref> through ] Yale.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aiesec.org/AI|title=Welcome to AIESEC|publisher=Aiesec.org|access-date=March 12, 2010|archive-date=February 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100221214644/http://www.aiesec.org/ai|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yale.edu/aiesec|title=AIESEC Yale|publisher=Yale.edu|access-date=April 22, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217121541/http://www.yale.edu/aiesec/|archive-date=February 17, 2013}}</ref> | |||
Because Kerry's family moved often, he attended several schools as a child. Many years later, he said that "to my chagrin, and everlasting damnation, I was always moving on and saying goodbye. It kind of had an effect on you. It steeled you. There wasn't a lot of permanence and roots. For kids, not the greatest thing." At an early age he attended ] in Washington D.C. He then went to a ] ] at age 11 while his family lived in ]. When he visited home, he biked around the city, exploring the ruins of the former ] capital, and even sneaking into the ], until his father found out and grounded him. As a boy, Kerry often spent time alone. He biked through France, took a ferry from ] to ], and one time camped alone in ]. While attending the boarding school, Kerry saw the film '']'', which became his favorite movie. He later named his powerboat after the title character. | |||
Under the guidance of the speaking coach and history professor ], Kerry won many debates against other college students from across the nation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://images.library.yale.edu/madid/oneItem.aspx?id=1780700&q=john%20kerry%20debate&q1=&q2=&qc1=&qc2=&qf1=&qf2=&qn=&qo=&qm=&qs=&sid=&qx=|title=Yale Debate Team, 1965–1966, Yale University Manuscripts & Archives Digital Images Database, Yale University|publisher=Images.library.yale.edu|date=June 18, 2013|access-date=June 26, 2013|archive-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515120446/http://images.library.yale.edu/madid/oneItem.aspx?id=1780700&q=john%20kerry%20debate&q1=&q2=&qc1=&qc2=&qf1=&qf2=&qn=&qo=&qm=&qs=&sid=&qx=|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 1965, as the Vietnam War escalated, he won the Ten Eyck prize as the best ] in the junior class for a speech that was critical of U.S. ]. In the speech he said, "It is the spectre of Western ] that causes more fear among Africans and Asians than communism and thus, it is self-defeating."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2003/02/14/kerry-66-he-was-going-to-be-president|title=Kerry '66: 'He was going to be president'|access-date=December 22, 2012|last=Leibenluft|first=Jacob|date=February 14, 2003|publisher=Yale Daily News|archive-date=May 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515100620/http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2003/02/14/kerry-66-he-was-going-to-be-president/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Boarding school (1957-1962)=== | |||
] | |||
While his father was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in ], ], Kerry was sent to Massachusetts to attend boarding school. In ], he attended the Fessenden School in West Newton, a village in ], ]. There he met and became friends with Richard Pershing, grandson of the famed U.S. Gen. ]. | |||
Kerry graduated from Yale with a ] in 1966. Overall, he had below-average ], graduating with a cumulative average of 76 over his four years. His freshman-year average was a 71, but he improved to an 81 average for his senior year. He never received an "A" during his time at Yale; his highest grade was an 89.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kranish|first=Michael|date=June 7, 2005|title=Yale grades portray Kerry as a lackluster student|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/06/07/yale_grades_portray_kerry_as_a_lackluster_student/?page=full|newspaper=The Boston Globe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120815185643/http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2005/06/07/yale_grades_portray_kerry_as_a_lackluster_student/?page=full|archive-date=August 15, 2012|url-status=live|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> | |||
The following year, he enrolled at ] in ], and graduated from there in ]. His father's Foreign Service salary was not enough to pay the school's tuition; Kerry's childless great-aunt, ], then very much advanced in age, voluntarily covered the costs. At St. Paul's, Kerry felt like an outsider because he was a Catholic and liberal while most of his fellow students were ] ]s. | |||
==Military service (1966–1970)== | |||
Despite having difficulty fitting in, he made friends and developed his interests. He learned skills in ] and he became deeply interested in ]. In his free time, he enjoyed ] and ], which he played on teams captained by classmate ], the current director of the ]. Kerry also played ] for the prep school's band ], which produced an album in 1961. Only 500 copies were made. In 2004, one of the copies was auctioned on ] for $2,551. | |||
{{Main|Military career of John Kerry}} | |||
===Duty on USS ''Gridley''=== | |||
In ] Kerry founded the John Winant Society at St. Paul's to debate the issues of the day; the Society still exists there. In November of ], Kerry gave his first political speech, in favor of ]'s election to the ]. | |||
On February 18, 1966, Kerry enlisted in the Naval Reserve.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shultz (LCDR, USN)|first=R.J.|date=May 24, 1986|title=National Personnel Records Center|url=http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/Request_For_History_of_Service.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040723192004/http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/jkmilservice/Request_For_History_of_Service.pdf|archive-date=July 23, 2004|access-date=May 7, 2021|website=johnkerry.com/}}</ref> He began his active duty military service on August 19, 1966. After completing 16 weeks of ] at the U.S. Naval Training Center in ], Kerry received his officer's commission on December 16, 1966. During the 2004 election, Kerry posted his military records at his website, and permitted reporters to inspect his medical records. In 2005, Kerry released his military and medical records to the representatives of three news organizations, but has not authorized full public access to those records.<ref>{{cite news |first=Michael |last=Kranish |title=Kerry allows Navy release of military, medical records |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/06/07/kerry_allows_navy_release_of_military_medical_records/ |date=June 7, 2005 |work=The Boston Globe |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184426/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/06/07/kerry_allows_navy_release_of_military_medical_records/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Josh |last=Gerstein |title=Kerry Grants Three Reporters Broad Access to Navy Records |url=http://www.nysun.com/article/15790 |date=June 21, 2005 |access-date=July 30, 2006 |archive-date=June 23, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050623022455/http://www.nysun.com/article/15790 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
During his tour on the ] ] {{USS|Gridley|DLG-21|6}}, Kerry requested duty in South Vietnam, listing as his first preference a position as the commander of a ] (PCF), also known as a "Swift boat".<ref name="rqstswiftboat"> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214100804/http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/rqstswiftboat.pdf |date=February 14, 2012 }}. Retrieved November 4, 2009.</ref> These {{convert|50|ft|m|adj=on}} boats have ] ] and have little or no armor, but are heavily armed and rely on speed. "I didn't really want to get involved in the war," Kerry said in a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. "When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing."<ref name="citm-pt2">{{cite news|first=Michael |last=Kranish |title=Heroism, and growing concern about war |url=https://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml |work=] |date=June 16, 2003|access-date=July 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030801234002/http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061603.shtml|archive-date=August 1, 2003}}</ref> However, his second choice of billet was on a river patrol boat, or "]", which at the time was serving a more dangerous duty on the rivers of Vietnam.<ref name="rqstswiftboat" /> | |||
While living in the U.S., Kerry spent several summers at the Forbes family's estates on ] off ]. | |||
===Military honors=== | |||
===Encounters with President Kennedy (1962)=== | |||
During the night of December 2 and early morning of December 3, 1968, Kerry was in charge of a small boat operating near a peninsula north of ] together with a Swift boat (PCF-60). According to Kerry and the two crewmen who accompanied him that night, Patrick Runyon and William Zaladonis, they surprised a group of Vietnamese men unloading ]s at a river crossing, who began running and failed to obey an order to stop. As the men fled, Kerry and his crew opened fire on the sampans and destroyed them, then rapidly left. During this encounter, Kerry received a shrapnel wound in the left arm above the elbow. It was for this injury that Kerry received his first ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2004/04/17/kerry_purple/index.html |work=Salon |title=John Kerry's first Purple Heart |first=Douglas |last=Brinkley |access-date=January 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120630112006/http://www.salon.com/2004/04/17/kerry_purple/ |archive-date=June 30, 2012}}</ref> | |||
] ] ''Manitou'' with ] ] off ], ], on ], ].]] | |||
Kerry received his second Purple Heart for a wound received in action on the ] on February 20, 1969. The plan had been for the Swift boats to be accompanied by support helicopters. On the way up the Bo De, however, the helicopters were attacked. As the Swift boats reached the ], Kerry's boat was hit by a ] (rocket propelled grenade round), and a piece of ] hit Kerry's left leg, wounding him. Thereafter, enemy fire ceased and his boat reached the ] safely. Kerry continues to have shrapnel embedded in his left thigh because the doctors that first treated him decided to remove the damaged tissue and close the wound with ] rather than make a wide opening to remove the shrapnel.<ref name="Rasmussen1">{{cite web|url=http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/Doyle.pdf|title=Primary Sources: John Kerry's Vietnam Medals|first=Eric|last=Rasmussen|year=2004|work=Truth and Unfit for Command A Review|publisher=kerryvietnam.org|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203060951/http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/Doyle.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Although wounded like several others earlier that day, Kerry did not lose any time off from duty.<ref name="Rasmussen2">{{cite web|url=http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/SeaLords324.pdf|title=Primary Sources: John Kerry's Vietnam Medals|first=Eric|last=Rasmussen|year=2004|work=Truth and Unfit for Command A Review|publisher=kerryvietnam.org|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203000557/http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/SeaLords324.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Rasmussen3">{{cite web|url=http://www.kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/SeaLords312-316.pdf|title=Part I: John Kerry in Vietnam|first=Eric|last=Rasmussen|year=2004|work=Truth and Unfit for Command A Review|publisher=kerryvietnam.org|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=December 3, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203020420/http://www.kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/SeaLords312-316.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In ], Kerry volunteered for ]'s first ] campaign. That summer, he began dating Janet Jennings Auchincloss (now deceased), ]'s half-sister. Auchincloss invited Kerry to visit her family's estate, Hammersmith Farm in ]. It was there that Kerry met President Kennedy for the first time. | |||
====Silver Star==== | |||
When Kerry told Kennedy that he was about to enter ], Kennedy grimaced because he had gone to rival school ]. Kerry later recalled, "He smiled at me, laughed and said, 'Oh, don't worry about it. You know I'm a Yale man too now.'" According to Kerry, "The President uttered that famous comment about how he had the best of two worlds now: a Harvard education and Yale degree," in reference to the honorary degree he had received from Yale a few months earlier. Later that day, a White House photographer snapped a photo of Kerry sailing with Kennedy and his family in ]. They met again a few weeks later at the ] race off the coast of Rhode Island. | |||
Eight days later, on February 28, 1969, came the events for which Kerry was awarded his ]. On this occasion, Kerry was in tactical command of his Swift boat and two other Swift boats during a combat operation. Their mission on the Duong Keo River included bringing an underwater demolition team and dozens of South Vietnamese Marines to destroy enemy ]s, structures and bunkers as described in the story ''The Death Of PCF 43''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mwweb.com/ndc/SwiftBoats/pcf43.htm |title=LTJG Peter N. Upton, ''The Death Of PCF 43'' |publisher=Mwweb.com |date=April 12, 1969 |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=January 17, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117093016/http://www.mwweb.com/ndc/SwiftBoats/pcf43.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Running into heavy small arms fire from the river banks, Kerry "directed the units to turn to the beach and charge the ] positions" and he "expertly directed" his boat's fire causing the enemy to flee while at the same time coordinating the insertion of the ninety South Vietnamese troops (according to the original medal citation signed by Admiral ]). Moving a short distance upstream, Kerry's boat was the target of a B-40 rocket round; Kerry charged the enemy positions and as his boat ] and ], a Viet Cong ("VC") insurgent armed with a rocket launcher emerged from a ] and ran. While the boat's gunner opened fire, wounding the VC in the leg, and while the other boats approached and offered cover fire, Kerry jumped from the boat to pursue the VC insurgent, subsequently killing him and capturing his loaded rocket launcher.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/jksilverstar.pdf |title=Silver Star Medal – John F. Kerry |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=October 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001023757/http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/jksilverstar.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Rasmussen4>{{cite web|url=http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/SeaLords270.pdf|title=Primary Sources: John Kerry's Vietnam Medals|first=Eric|last=Rasmussen|year=2004|work=Truth and Unfit for Command A Review|publisher=kerryvietnam.org|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304152505/http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/SeaLords270.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Rasmussen5>{{cite web|url=http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/Silver_Star.pdf|title=Primary Sources: John Kerry's Vietnam Medals|first=Eric|last=Rasmussen|year=2004|work=Truth and Unfit for Command A Review|publisher=kerryvietnam.org|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304153351/http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/Silver_Star.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Kerry's commanding officer, ] George Elliott, stated to ] in 2003 that he did not know whether to court-martial Kerry for beaching the boat without orders or give him a medal for saving the crew. Elliott recommended Kerry for the Silver Star, and Zumwalt flew into An Thoi to personally award medals to Kerry and the rest of the sailors involved in the mission. The Navy's account of Kerry's actions is presented in the original ] signed by Zumwalt. The engagement was documented in an after-action report, a press release written on March 1, 1969, and a historical summary dated March 17, 1969.<ref name=Rasmussen6>{{cite web|url=http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/Monthly_Historical_Summary.pdf|title=Primary Sources: John Kerry's Vietnam Medals|first=Eric|last=Rasmussen|year=2004|work=Truth and Unfit for Command A Review|publisher=kerryvietnam.org|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=March 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304152152/http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/Monthly_Historical_Summary.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Yale University (1962-1966)=== | |||
] team at ] as #14.]] | |||
] team.]] | |||
In ], Kerry entered Yale University. There he majored in ] and graduated with a ] in ]. He also played on the ], ], ], and ]; in addition, he took flying lessons. To earn extra money during the summers, he loaded trucks in a grocery warehouse and sold encyclopedias door to door. | |||
====Bronze Star==== | |||
In his ] year, Kerry became president of the Yale Political Union. His involvement with the Political Union gave him an opportunity to be involved with important issues of the day, such as the ] and Kennedy's ] program. He was also inducted into the ]. | |||
On March 13, 1969, on the Bái Háp River, Kerry was in charge of one of five Swift boats that were returning to their base after performing an ] mission to transport South Vietnamese troops from the garrison at ] and ] advisors for a raid on a Vietcong camp located on the Rach Dong Cung canal. Earlier in the day, Kerry received a slight shrapnel wound in the buttocks from blowing up a rice bunker. Debarking some but not all of the passengers at a small village, the boats approached a fishing ]; one group of boats went around to the left of the weir, hugging the shore, and a group with Kerry's PCF-94 boat went around to the right, along the shoreline. A mine was detonated directly beneath the lead boat, PCF-3, as it crossed the weir to the left, lifting PCF-3 "about 2–3 ft out of water".<ref name=Rasmussen7>{{cite web|url=http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/SeaLords358.pdf|title=Primary Sources: John Kerry's Vietnam Medals|first=Eric|last=Rasmussen|year=2004|work=Truth and Unfit for Command A Review|publisher=kerryvietnam.org|access-date=September 5, 2013|archive-date=December 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206150647/http://kerryvietnam.org/PDFs/SeaLords358.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
], a ] advisor who was aboard Kerry's PCF-94, was knocked overboard when, according to witnesses and the documentation of the event, a mine or rocket exploded close to the boat. According to the documentation for the event, Kerry's arm was injured when he was thrown against a bulkhead during the explosion. PCF 94 returned to the scene and Kerry rescued Rassmann who was receiving sniper fire from the water. Kerry received the ] with ] for "heroic achievement", for his actions during this incident; he also received his third Purple Heart.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/jkbronzestar.pdf |title=Bronze Star Medal – John F. Kerry |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=October 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001023800/http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/jkbronzestar.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Under the guidance of the speaking coach and history professor Rollin Osterweis, Kerry won dozens of debate contests against other college students from across the nation. In March ], as the ] escalated, he won the Ten Eyck prize as the best ] in the junior class for a speech that was critical of U.S. ]. In the speech he said, "It is the specter of Western ] that causes more fear among Africans and Asians than communism, and thus it is self-defeating." | |||
===Return from Vietnam=== | |||
Over four years, Kerry maintained a 76 grade average and received an 81 average in his senior year. Under Yale's grading system in effect at the time, grades between 90 and 100 equaled an A, 80-89 a B, 70-79 a C, 60 to 69 a D, and anything below that was a failing grade. He received four D's in his freshman year out of 10 courses, but improved his average in later years. In addition to Kerry's four D's in his freshman year, he received one D in his sophomore year. He did not fail any courses. Because of his public speaking skills, he was chosen to give the class oration at graduation. At the last moment, he rewrote his speech from the version that had already been published. The speech he delivered was a broad criticism of American foreign policy, including the Vietnam war, in which he would soon see combat. | |||
After Kerry's third qualifying wound, he was entitled per Navy regulations to reassignment away from combat duties. Kerry's preferred choice for reassignment was as a military aide in Boston, ] or ]<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120313014954/http://files.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/thricewnd.pdf |date=March 13, 2012 }}, Official Record Copy via ''findlaw.com'', March 2, 1969.</ref> On April 11, 1969, he reported to the ]-based Atlantic ], where he would remain on active duty for the following year as a personal aide to an officer, Rear Admiral Walter Schlech. On January 1, 1970, Kerry was temporarily promoted to full ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.johnkerry.com/about/Temporary_Orders_and_Ranks.pdf |title=Temporary Orders and Ranks (Internet Archive mirror) |access-date=September 8, 2006 |author=United States Navy |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040426002850/http://www.johnkerry.com/about/Temporary_Orders_and_Ranks.pdf |archive-date=April 26, 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Kerry had agreed to an extension of his active duty obligation from December 1969 to August 1970 in order to perform Swift Boat duty.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kerry|first=John F.|date=February 10, 1968|title=Request for Vietnam Duty|url=http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/rqstswiftboat.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214100804/http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/rqstswiftboat.pdf|archive-date=February 14, 2012|access-date=August 4, 2007|website=fl1.findlaw.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kerry|first=John F.|date=November 21, 1969|title=Request for early release from Active Duty|url=http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/releaseactduty.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120214100627/http://fl1.findlaw.com/news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/jkerry/releaseactduty.pdf|archive-date=February 14, 2012|access-date=August 4, 2007|website=fl1.findlaw.com}}</ref> John Kerry was on active duty in the United States Navy from August 1966 until January 1970. He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve until February 1978.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archive.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/09/10/critics_countered_on_kerry_record_of_inactive_service/|title=Critics countered on Kerry record of inactive service|work=The Boston Globe|date=September 10, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040912022753/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/articles/2004/09/10/critics_countered_on_kerry_record_of_inactive_service/|archive-date=September 12, 2004|access-date=July 7, 2018|last=Kranish|first=Michael|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==="Swiftboating" controversy=== | |||
==Military service (1966-1970)== | |||
{{Main|John Kerry military service controversy}} | |||
Kerry served as a Lieutenant in the ] during the ], during the period from ] to ]. His last tour in ] was four months as officer in charge of a ] in 1969. Kerry received several combat medals during this tour, including the ], ], and three ]s. Kerry's military record received considerable attention during his political career, especially during his unsuccessful ]. | |||
With the continuing ] that had surrounded the military service of ] since the ] (when he was accused of having used his father's political influence to gain entrance to the ], thereby protecting himself from conscription into the ], and possible service in the ]), John Kerry's contrasting status as a decorated Vietnam War veteran posed a problem for Bush's re-election campaign, which Republicans sought to counter by calling Kerry's war record into question. As the presidential campaign of 2004 developed, approximately 250 members of a group called ] (SBVT, later renamed Swift Vets and POWs for Truth) opposed Kerry's campaign. The group held press conferences, ran ads and endorsed a book questioning Kerry's service record and his military awards. The group included several members of Kerry's unit, such as Larry Thurlow, who commanded a swift boat alongside of Kerry's,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5765243 |title='Hardball with Chris Matthews' for August 19 |publisher=] |date=August 19, 2004 |access-date=April 22, 2013 |archive-date=March 4, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150304184306/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/5765243 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Stephen Gardner, who served on Kerry's boat.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,599034,00.html | magazine=Time | first=Douglas | last=Brinkley | title=The Tenth Brother | date=March 9, 2004 | access-date=February 8, 2011 | archive-date=August 17, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130817045815/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,599034,00.html | url-status=dead }}</ref> The campaign inspired the widely used political pejorative '"]," to describe an unfair or untrue political attack.<ref name="Casey">{{cite journal |url=http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=/journals/dissent/v056/56.2.casey.html |title=No redemption song: The Case of Bill Ayers |last=Casey |first=Leo |date=Spring 2009 |journal=Dissent |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |volume=56 |number=2 |pages=107–111 |issn=0012-3846 |doi=10.1353/dss.0.0041 |s2cid=143605641 |quote=In recent elections, the patriotism and good names of Democratic war hero candidates, from John Kerry to Max Cleland, had been impugned so successfully that a neologism for such smears—to 'swift boat'—was coined out of the assault on Kerry. |access-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304121603/http://muse.jhu.edu/login?uri=%2Fjournals%2Fdissent%2Fv056%2F56.2.casey.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Most of Kerry's former crewmates have stated that SBVT's allegations are false.<ref>* {{cite news |first=Zachary |last=Coile |title=Vets group attacks Kerry; McCain defends Democrat |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/08/06/MNGUT83SS41.DTL |work=] |date=August 6, 2004 |archive-date=March 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328140333/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2004%2F08%2F06%2FMNGUT83SS41.DTL |url-status=live }} | |||
* {{cite news |first=Kate |last=Zernke |title=Kerry Pressing Swift Boat Case Long After Loss |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/washington/28kerry.html |work=] |date=May 28, 2006 |access-date=May 4, 2014 |archive-date=May 22, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140522072117/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/washington/28kerry.html |url-status=live }} | |||
* {{cite news |first=Mary Ann |last=Akers |title=John Kerry's Vietnam Crew Mates Still Fighting Swift Boating |url=http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/06/john_kerrys_vietnam_crew_mates.html |newspaper=] |date=June 20, 2008 |archive-date=February 23, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130223120550/http://voices.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2008/06/john_kerrys_vietnam_crew_mates.html |url-status=dead }} | |||
* {{cite news |first=Scot |last=Lehigh |title=Kerry comrades have credibility on their side |url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/08/20/kerry_comrades_have_credibility_on_their_side/ |work=The Boston Globe |date=August 20, 2004 |access-date=May 4, 2014 |archive-date=April 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405140803/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/president/kerry/articles/2004/08/20/kerry_comrades_have_credibility_on_their_side/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==Anti-war activism (1970–1971)== | |||
===Commission, training, and tour of duty on the USS ''Gridley''=== | |||
{{Main|Vietnam Veterans Against the War}} | |||
] | |||
After returning to the United States, Kerry moved to ] and joined the ] (VVAW).{{sfn|Kerry|2018|pp=124, 133}}<ref name=Fire>{{cite book | last1=O'Donnell |first1=Lawrence |date=2017 |title=Playing with Fire – The 1968 Elections and the Transformation of American Politics |edition=1st |publisher=] |page=6 |isbn=9780399563140}}</ref> Then numbering about 20,000,<ref>{{cite news |first=Jerry |last=Lembcke |title=Still a Force for Peace |url=http://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=378 |date=Fall 2003 |access-date=August 24, 2004 |archive-date=October 20, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041020052416/http://www.vvaw.org/veteran/article/?id=378 |url-status=live }}</ref> VVAW was considered by some (including the administration of President ]) to be an effective, if controversial, component of the antiwar movement.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brian |last=Williams |author-link=Brian Williams |title=Nixon targeted Kerry for anti-war views |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4534274 |access-date=November 10, 2019 |archive-date=August 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806134857/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/4534274 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Kerry participated in the "]" conducted by VVAW of U.S. atrocities in Vietnam, and he appears in a film by that name that documents the investigation.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hornaday |first=Ann |date=December 9, 2005 |title='Winter Soldier': Cold Days in Hell |newspaper=] |language=en-US |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/08/AR2005120801996.html |access-date=August 8, 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> According to Nixon Secretary of Defense ], "I didn't approve of what he did, but I understood the protesters quite well", and he declined two requests from the Navy to court martial Reserve Lieutenant Kerry over his antiwar activity.<ref>{{cite news |title=Roots of John Kerry's secretary of state ambition lie in wake of 2004 defeat |first1=Tracy |last1=Jan |first2=Bryan |last2=Bender |url=https://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/12/21/roots-john-kerry-secretary-state-ambition-lie-wake-defeat/qE3obS65phxPdk6qlOdjGP/story.html |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=December 21, 2012 |access-date=January 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230190821/http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2012/12/21/roots-john-kerry-secretary-state-ambition-lie-wake-defeat/qE3obS65phxPdk6qlOdjGP/story.html |archive-date=December 30, 2012 |quote=Just three months after losing his campaign to be president |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
On April 22, 1971, Kerry appeared before a U.S. Senate committee hearing on proposals relating to ending the war. The day after this testimony, Kerry participated in a demonstration with thousands of other veterans in which he and other Vietnam War veterans threw their medals and service ribbons over a fence erected at the front steps of the ] building to dramatize their opposition to the war. Jack Smith, a ], read a statement explaining why the veterans were returning their military awards to the government. For more than two hours, almost 1,000 angry veterans tossed their medals, ribbons, hats, jackets, and military papers over the fence. Each veteran gave his or her name, hometown, branch of service and a statement. Kerry threw some of his own decorations and awards as well as some given to him by other veterans to throw. As Kerry threw his decorations over the fence, his statement was: "I'm not doing this for any violent reasons, but for peace and justice, and to try and make this country wake up once and for all."<ref>{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Oliphant |author-link=Thomas Oliphant (journalist) |title=I watched Kerry throw his war decorations |url=https://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/04/27/i_watched_kerry_throw_his_war_decorations/ |work=The Boston Globe |date=April 27, 2004 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124213703/http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/04/27/i_watched_kerry_throw_his_war_decorations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
On ], ], Kerry enlisted in the ]. He began his active duty military service on August 19. After completing sixteen weeks of ] at the U.S. Naval Training Center in ], ], he received his commission on December 16. | |||
Kerry was arrested on May 30, 1971, during a VVAW march to honor American ] held captive by ]. The march was planned as a multi-day event from ] to Boston, and while in ], participants tried to camp on the village green. At 2:30{{spaces}}a.m., local and state police arrested 441 demonstrators, including Kerry, for trespassing. All were given the ] and were hauled away on school buses to spend the night at the Lexington Public Works Garage. Kerry and the other protesters later paid a $5 fine, and were released. The mass arrests caused a community backlash and ended up giving positive coverage to the VVAW.<ref>Elise Lemire, Battle Green Vietnam: The 1971 March on Concord, Lexington, and Boston (Penn Press, 2021).</ref><ref>Against the Vietnam War: Writings by Activists, Mary Susannah Robbins, pp. 78–90.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kranish |first=Michael |date=June 17, 2003 |title=John Kerry: A Candidate in the Making |url=http://archive.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061703.shtml |access-date=April 11, 2021 |newspaper=The Boston Globe}}</ref> | |||
On ], ] Kerry began a ten-week Officer Damage Control Course at the Naval Schools Command on ], California. On March 22, he reported to the U.S. Fleet Anti-Air Warfare Training Center for training as a Combat Information Center Watch Officer. | |||
==Early political career (1972–1985)== | |||
Kerry's first tour of duty was as an ] on the ] ] ]. On ], ], the ''Gridley'' set sail for a Western Pacific deployment. The next day, Kerry requested duty in ], listing as his first preference a position as the commander of a ] (PCF), also known as a "Swift boat." These 50-foot boats have ] ]s and have little or no armor, but are heavily armed and rely on speed. (Kerry's second choice was to be an officer in a river patrol boat, or "]", squadron.) "I didn't really want to get involved in the war," Kerry said in a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. "When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing." | |||
===1972 congressional election=== | |||
The ''Gridley'' traveled to several places, including ] in ], ] in the ], and the ] off North Vietnam. The executive officer of the ''Gridley'' has described the deployment: "We deployed from San Diego to the Vietnam theatre in early 1968 after only a six-month turnaround and spent most of a four month deployment on rescue station in the Gulf of Tonkin, standing by to pick up downed aviators. It was a fairly grueling tour of duty. Our helicopter was shot up trying to rescue a downed pilot and the door gunner was killed. The crew performed well and John Kerry's performance in all aspects of his duty was outstanding." The ship departed for the U.S. on May 27 and returned to port at ], ] on June 6. Ten days after returning, on June 16, Kerry was promoted to the rank of ]. On June 20, he left the ''Gridley'' for special Swift boat training at the Naval Amphibious Base in ]. | |||
In 1970, Kerry had considered running for Congress in the Democratic primary against hawkish Democrat ] of ], but deferred in favor of ], a Jesuit priest and anti-war activist, who went on to defeat Philbin.<ref name="citm-pt4">{{cite news |first=Brian C.|last=Mooney |title=First campaign ends in defeat |url=https://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061803.shtml |work=] |date=June 18, 2003 |access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031002060303/http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061803.shtml|archive-date=October 2, 2003}}</ref> In February 1972, Kerry's wife bought a house in ], with Kerry intending to run against the ] aging thirteen-term incumbent Democrat, ].<ref name="citm-pt4"/> The couple never moved in. After Republican Congressman ] of the neighboring ] announced his retirement and then resignation to become ] at the ], the couple instead rented an apartment in ], so that Kerry could run to succeed him.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> | |||
Including Kerry, the Democratic primary race had 10 candidates, including attorney ], State Representative Anthony R. DiFruscia, John J. Desmond and ]. Kerry ran a "very expensive, sophisticated campaign", financed by out-of-state backers and supported by many young volunteers.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> DiFruscia's campaign headquarters shared the same building as Kerry's. On the eve of the September 19 primary, police found Kerry's younger brother ] and campaign field director Thomas J. Vallely, breaking into where the building's telephone lines were located. They were arrested and charged with "] with the intent to commit ]", but the charges were dropped a year later. At the time of the incident, DiFruscia alleged that the two were trying to disrupt his get-out-the vote efforts. Vallely and Cameron Kerry maintained that they were only checking their own telephone lines because they had received an anonymous call warning that the Kerry lines would be cut.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> | |||
===Kerry's tour of duty as commander of a Swift boat=== | |||
], ]. The first line reads, "I request duty in Vietnam."]] | |||
Despite the arrests, Kerry won the primary with 20,771 votes (27.56%). Sheehy came second with 15,641 votes (20.75%), followed by DiFruscia with 12,222 votes (16.22%), Desmond with 10,213 votes (13.55%) and Kennedy with 5,632 votes (7.47%). The remaining 10,891 votes were split amongst the other five candidates, with 1970 nominee Richard Williams coming last with just 1,706 votes (2.26%).<ref name="citm-pt4"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=1972 U.S. House Democratic Primary: 5th Congressional District |url=https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/view/116721/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts}}</ref> | |||
On ], ], Kerry reported for duty at Coastal Squadron 1 in ] in ]. Kerry took part in ], the brainchild of ] ]. The goal was to project a U.S. military presence more aggressively into an area that had long been a ] stronghold. As part of that plan, the Swift boats were assigned to patrol the narrow waterways &mdash; inlets, canals, and coves &mdash; of the ] ], to monitor enemy movements, interdict enemy river-based supply lines, invite attack and otherwise draw out hostile forces. | |||
In the general election, Kerry was initially favored to defeat the Republican candidate, former State Representative ], and conservative Democrat Roger P. Durkin, who ran as an Independent. A week after the primary, one poll put Kerry 26-points ahead of Cronin.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> His campaign called for a national health insurance system, discounted prescription drugs for the unemployed, a jobs program to clean up the ] and rent controls in Lowell and ]. A major obstacle, however, was the district's leading newspaper, the ] '']''. The paper editorialized against him. It also ran critical news stories about his out-of-state contributions and his "]", because he had only moved into the district in April. Subsequently, released "Watergate" Oval Office tape recordings of the Nixon White House showed that defeating Kerry's candidacy had attracted the personal attention of President Nixon.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/24/politics/campaign/echoes-of-a-1972-loss-haunt-a-2004-campaign.html|title=Echoes of a 1972 Loss Haunt a 2004 Campaign|first=Todd|last=Purdum|work=]|date=September 24, 2004|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-date=July 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160717162650/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/24/politics/campaign/echoes-of-a-1972-loss-haunt-a-2004-campaign.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Kerry himself asserts that Nixon sent operatives to Lowell to help derail his campaign.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> | |||
During his tour of duty as an Officer in Charge of Swift boats, Kerry led five-man crews on patrols into enemy-controlled areas. His first command was Swift boat PCF-44, from ], ] to ], ], when the crew was disbanded. They were based at Coastal Division 13 at Cat Lo from December 13 to January 6. Otherwise, they were stationed at Coastal Division 11 at An Thoi. On January 30, Kerry took charge of PCF-94 and its crew, which he led until he departed An Thoi on March 26 and the crew was disbanded. | |||
The race was the most expensive for Congress in the country that year<ref name="citm-pt4"/> and four days before the general election, Durkin withdrew and endorsed Cronin, hoping to see Kerry defeated.<ref>{{cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=November 6, 1972 |title=Durkin Pulls Out of Race in Effort to Defeat Kerry |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19721106&id=TZwrAAAAIBAJ&pg=5949,837728 |newspaper=Nashua Telegraph |location=Nashua, NH |page=8 |access-date=September 23, 2018 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124213644/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2209&dat=19721106&id=TZwrAAAAIBAJ&pg=5949%2C837728 |url-status=live }}</ref> The week before, a poll had put Kerry 10 points ahead of Cronin, with Durkin at 13%.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> In the final days of the campaign, Kerry sensed that it was "slipping away" and Cronin emerged victorious by 110,970 votes (53.45%) to Kerry's 92,847 (44.72%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1972 U.S. House General Election: 5th Congressional District |url=https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/view/117000/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts}}</ref> After his defeat, Kerry lamented in a letter to supporters that "for two solid weeks, called me un-American, New Left antiwar agitator, unpatriotic, and labeled me every other 'un-' and 'anti-' that they could find. It's hard to believe that one newspaper could be so powerful, but they were."<ref name="citm-pt4"/> He later felt that his failure to respond directly to ''The Sun''{{'}}s attacks cost him the race.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> | |||
====First Purple Heart==== | |||
During the night of ], ] and early morning of December 3, Kerry was in charge of a small boat operating in and around a peninsula north of ] together with a Swift boat (PCF-60). Kerry's boat surprised a group of men unloading ]s at a river crossing, who began to run. When the men refused to obey an order to stop running, Kerry and his crew of two enlisted men opened fire, destroyed the sampans, and took off. During this encounter, Kerry suffered a ] wound in the left arm above the elbow. The shrapnel was removed and the wound was treated with ] antibiotic and bandaged. Kerry returned to duty the next day on a regular Swift boat patrol. Kerry was awarded his first ] for this injury. | |||
===Law career=== | |||
====Meeting with Zumwalt and Abrams==== | |||
After Kerry's 1972 defeat, he and his wife bought a house in the ] section of ],<ref>{{cite web|first=Chris|last=Tierney|place=Lowell, Massachusetts|work=The Sun|url=https://www.lowellsun.com/2014/06/28/remember-when-john-kerry/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728182945/http://www.lowellsun.com/lifestyles/ci_26053096/remember-when|archive-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=live|title=Remember When?|date=June 28, 2014|access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref><ref name="citm-pt4"/> entering a decade which his brother Cameron later called "the years in exile".<ref name="citm-pt4"/> He spent some time working as a fundraiser for the ] (CARE), an international humanitarian organization.<ref>ProCon.org, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112051234/http://alternativeenergy.procon.org/view.source.php?sourceID=009841 |date=November 12, 2012 }}, retrieved July 28, 2014.</ref> In September 1973, he entered ].<ref name="citm-pt4" /> While studying, Kerry worked as a talk radio host on ] and, in July 1974, was named executive director of Mass Action, a Massachusetts advocacy association.<ref name="citm-pt4"/><ref>John J. Mullins, Associated Press, Lowell Sun, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115232215/https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/48135750/ |date=January 15, 2016 }}, October 26, 1975.</ref> | |||
At the time, the U.S. military command in Vietnam had an established policy of "]s": areas in which soldiers were to shoot anyone moving around after curfew, without first making sure that they were hostile. Such encounters could result in the deaths of innocent civilians. Kerry has stated that he never thought he or his crew were at fault: "There wasn't anybody in that area that didn't know you don't move at night, that you don't go out in a sampan on the rivers, and there's a curfew." Nevertheless, he soon concluded that the policy should be changed. | |||
Kerry received his ] (]) from Boston College in 1976.<ref>Boston College Office of news and Public Affairs, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728191756/http://www.bc.edu/content/bc/offices/pubaf/news/2014-may-jun/secretary-of-state-kerry-addresses-boston-college-class-of-2014.html |date=July 28, 2014 }}, May 19, 2014.</ref> While in law school he had been a student prosecutor in the office of the ] of ], ].<ref>{{cite web|first=Meghan E.|last=Irons|work=The Boston Globe|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/01/31/john-kerry-farewell-tour-visits-where-middlesex-office/053Lm9AJ7P8kZhZukjl2BI/story.html|title=John Kerry Visits Mass. for Farewell Tour|date=January 31, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064026/http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/01/31/john-kerry-farewell-tour-visits-where-middlesex-office/053Lm9AJ7P8kZhZukjl2BI/story.html|archive-date=March 4, 2016|access-date=November 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> After passing the bar exam and being admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1976, he went to work in that office as a full-time prosecutor and moved to ].<ref name="crime fighting">{{cite web|first=James|last=Rainey|work=Los Angeles Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-prosecutor18jul18-story.html|title=Kerry's Crime-Fighting Early Days|date=July 18, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140813164702/http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-prosecutor18jul18-story.html|archive-date=August 13, 2014|access-date=November 29, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Kerry|2018|p=139}} | |||
On ], ], Kerry and several other officers had an unusual meeting in ] with ] ], the commander of U.S. Naval forces in Vietnam, and ] ] ], the overall commander of U.S. forces in Vietnam. Kerry and the other officers reported that the "free-fire" policy was alienating the Vietnamese and that the Swift boats' actions were not accomplishing their ostensible goal of interdicting Viet Cong supply lines. According to some who retell the story, Kerry and the other visiting officers' concerns were dismissed with what amounted to a pep talk. One of the other officers who participated later recalled, "We all looked at each other and thought, 'What is this crap?'" Kerry later said that the Saigon meeting left him "more depressed than when I came." | |||
In January 1977, Droney promoted him to First Assistant District Attorney, essentially making Kerry his campaign and media surrogate because Droney was afflicted with ] (ALS, or ]'s Disease). As First Assistant, Kerry tried cases, which included winning convictions in a high-profile rape case and a murder. He also played a role in administering the office, including initiating the creation of special white-collar and organized crime units, creating programs to address the problems of rape and other crime victims and witnesses, and managing trial calendars to reflect case priorities.<ref name=ktrials>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2004/05/10/kerrys-trials|title=Kerry's Trials: What the Candidate Learned as a Lawyer|magazine=The New Yorker|first=Jeffrey|last=Toobin|date=May 10, 2004|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040603040618/http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040510fa_fact1|archive-date=June 3, 2004|url-status=live}}</ref> It was in this role in 1978 that Kerry announced an investigation into possible criminal charges against then Senator ], regarding "misstatements" in his first divorce trial.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/images/day5/01.htm |title=/ Photo gallery |publisher=Boston.com |date=June 16, 1978 |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=April 18, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418091326/http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/images/day5/01.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The inquiry ended with no charges being brought after investigators and prosecutors determined that Brooke's misstatements were pertinent to the case, but were not material enough to have affected the outcome.<ref>United Press International, Galveston Daily News, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017165809/http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/16988434/ |date=October 17, 2015 }}, August 2, 1978.</ref> | |||
====Second Purple Heart==== | |||
Kerry received his second Purple Heart for action on the Bo De river on ], ]. The plan had been for the Swift boats to be accompanied by support helicopters. On the way up the Bo De, however, the helicopters were attacked. They returned to their base to refuel and were unable to return to the mission for several hours. Kerry recorded the situation in his notebook: "We therefore had a choice: to wait for what was not a confirmed return by the helos give any snipers more time to set up an ambush for our exit or we could take a chance and exit immediately without any cover. We chose the latter." | |||
Droney's health was poor and Kerry had decided to run for his position in the 1978 election should Droney drop out. However, Droney was re-elected and his health improved; he went on to re-assume many of the duties that he had delegated to Kerry.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> Kerry thus decided to leave, departing in 1979 with assistant DA Roanne Sragow to set up their own law firm.<ref name="citm-pt4"/><ref name=ktrials/> Kerry also worked as a commentator for ] and co-founded a bakery, Kilvert & Forbes Ltd., with businessman and former ] aide K. Dun Gifford.<ref name="citm-pt4"/> | |||
As the Swift boats reached the Cua Lon river, Kerry's boat was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade round, and a piece of hot shrapnel hit Kerry's left leg. Thereafter, they had no more trouble, and reached the ] safely. Kerry still has shrapnel in his left thigh because the doctors tending to him decided to remove the damaged tissue and close the wound with ]s rather than make a wide opening to remove the shrapnel. Kerry received his second Purple Heart for this injury, but he did not take any time off from duty. | |||
===Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts=== | |||
====Silver Star==== | |||
In the ], ] ] declined to seek a third term, instead deciding to run for ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pbn.com/stories/Thomas-P-ONeill-III,2751|title=Thomas P. O'Neill, III|publisher=Providence Business News|first=Michael|last=Pare|date=December 6, 1999|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-date=May 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509022719/http://pbn.com/stories/Thomas-P-ONeill-III,2751|url-status=live}}</ref> Kerry declared his candidacy, entering the primary election alongside Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs ], State Senator ], State Representative ], and ].<ref>Stuart E. Weisberg, , 2009, p. 170.</ref> | |||
], ]. Top, from left: Del Sandusky, John Kerry, Gene Thorson, Thomas Belodeau. Bottom, from left: Mike Medeiros and Fred Short.]] | |||
Only eight days later, on February 28, came the incident for which Kerry was awarded the ]. On this occasion, Kerry was in tactical command of his Swift boat and two others. Their mission included bringing a demolition team and dozens of South Vietnamese soldiers to destroy enemy ]s, structures and bunkers. Along the Bay Hap river, they ran into an ambush. Kerry directed the boats "to turn to the beach and charge the Viet Cong positions" and he "expertly directed" his boat's fire and coordinated the deployment of the South Vietnamese troops, according to Admiral ]'s original ]. | |||
Kerry won the nomination with 325,890 votes (29%) to Murphy's 286,378 (25.48%), Rotondi's 228,086 (20.29%), Nickinello's 150,829 (13.42%) and Pines' 132,734 (11.81%).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1982 Lieutenant Governor Democratic Primary |url=https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/view/91823/ |access-date=June 2, 2022 |website=Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts}}</ref> In the concurrent gubernatorial primary, former Governor ] defeated O'Neill and incumbent Governor ].<ref>Katie Zezima, ''The New York Times'', {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103073845/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/19/obituaries/19king.html?ref=michaelsdukakis |date=November 3, 2012 }}, September 19, 2006.</ref> The Dukakis and Kerry ticket defeated the Republican ticket of ] and ] in the ] by 1,219,109 votes (61.92%) to 749,679 (38.08%).<ref>Marie Marmo Mullaney, , 1994, pp. 177-178.</ref><ref>Stan Grossfeld, ''The Boston Globe'', {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304220458/http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/images/day5/02.htm |date=March 4, 2016 }}, 1982.</ref> | |||
After the South Vietnamese troops and a team of three U.S. Army advisors that were with them had disembarked at the ambush site, Kerry's boat and another headed up river to look for the fleeing enemy. The two boats came under fire from a Viet Cong B-40 ], shattering the crew cabin windows of PCF-94. Kerry ordered the boats to turn and charge the second ambush site. As they reached the shore, a Viet Cong soldier jumped out of the brush, carrying a loaded B-40 launcher. With the enemy soldier only a short distance away from the boat and crew, forward gunner Tommy Belodeau shot him in the leg with the boat's 7.62x51 caliber ] ]. "Tommy in the pit tank winged him in the side of the legs as he was coming across," Fred Short said. "But the guy didn't miss a stride. I mean, he did not break stride." Belodeau's machine gun jammed after he fired, and while fellow crewmate Michael Medeiros attempted to fire, he was unable to do so. Kerry leaped ashore and, followed by Medeiros, pursued the man and killed him. The medal citation notes that Kerry "then led an assault party and conducted a sweep of the area" until the enemy had "been completely routed." The mission was judged highly successful for having destroyed numerous targets and confiscated substantial combat supplies while sustaining no casualties. | |||
As Lieutenant Governor, Kerry led meetings of the ].<ref>Bruce L. Brager, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200804015726/https://books.google.com/books?id=vRXWAjKKyycC&q=%22executive+council%22 |date=August 4, 2020 }}, 2005, p. 78.</ref> Dukakis also delegated other tasks to Kerry, including serving as the state's liaison to the Federal government of the United States.<ref> NBC News. Associated Press. , August 9, 2004.</ref> He was also active on environmental issues, including combating ].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a970/esq0604-june-kerry/|title=The Misunderestimation of John Kerry|magazine=Esquire|first=Charles P.|last=Pierce|date=January 29, 2007|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-date=April 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401154518/http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a970/esq0604-june-kerry/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Kerry's commanding officer, ] George Elliott, joked that he didn't know whether to court-martial him for beaching the boat without orders or give him a medal for saving the crew. Elliott recommended Kerry for the Silver Star, and Zumwalt flew into An Thoi to personally award medals to Kerry and the rest of the sailors involved in the mission. The Navy's account of Kerry's actions is presented in the original ] signed by Zumwalt. In addition, the after-action reports for this mission are available, along with the original press release written on March 1, a historical summary dated March 17, and more. | |||
===1984 U.S. Senate election=== | |||
Sources close to Kerry say the incident had a profound effect on him: "It's the reason he gets so angry when his patriotism is challenged. It was a traumatic experience that's still with him, and he went through it for his country." It affects the way Kerry lives his life every day, the source said, since "he knows he very well would not be alive today had he not taken the life of another man never ever met." | |||
{{Main|1984 United States Senate election in Massachusetts}} | |||
] | |||
The junior U.S. senator from Massachusetts, ], announced in 1984 that he would be stepping down for health reasons.<ref>Paul Duke Jr., Harvard Crimson, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730004551/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1984/2/14/richardson-to-run-for-tsongas-seat/ |date=July 30, 2014 }}, February 14, 1984.</ref> Kerry ran, and as in his 1982 race for Lieutenant Governor, he did not receive the endorsement of the party regulars at the state Democratic convention.<ref>George B. Merry, Christian Science Monitor, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730005743/http://www.csmonitor.com/1984/0611/061134.html |date=July 30, 2014 }}, June 11, 1984.</ref> Congressman ], a favorite of ] ] ], was the early favorite to win the nomination, and he "won broad establishment support and led in early polling".<ref>Paul Duke Jr., Harvard Crimson, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730014941/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1984/2/7/shannon-bid-for-senate-seat-threatens/ |date=July 30, 2014 }}, February 7, 1984.</ref><ref name=Kornacki>Kornacki, Steve (February 7, 2011) {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010150159/https://www.salon.com/news/politics/hillary_rodham_clinton/index.html?story=%2Fpolitics%2Fwar_room%2F2011%2F02%2F07%2Fjohn_kerry_secretary_state |date=October 10, 2017 }}, '']''.</ref> Again as in 1982, however, Kerry prevailed in a close primary.<ref>Martin F. Nolan, San Francisco Chronicle, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730005501/http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/Can-t-kiss-off-Kerry-He-s-a-hardscrabble-2397571.php#page-2 |date=July 30, 2014 }}, April 4, 2004.</ref> | |||
In his general election campaign, Kerry promised to mix liberalism with tight budget controls. He defeated Republican ] despite a nationwide landslide for the re-election of Republican President ], for whom Massachusetts voted by a narrow margin.<ref>Paul Duke Jr., Harvard Crimson, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140730013330/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1984/10/2/republican-stars-shine-on-ray-shamie/ |date=July 30, 2014 }}, October 2, 1984.</ref><ref>Dan Payne, Salon.com, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810060613/http://www.salon.com/2004/04/13/kerry_27/ |date=August 10, 2014 }}, April 13, 2004.</ref> In his victory speech, Kerry asserted that his win meant that the people of Massachusetts "emphatically reject the politics of selfishness and the notion that women must be treated as second-class citizens".<ref>Fox Butterfield, ''The New York Times'', {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820004804/http://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/07/us/1984-election-each-state-has-its-own-battles-democrat-victor-massachusetts.html |date=August 20, 2016 }}, November 7, 1984.</ref> | |||
====Bronze Star and third Purple Heart==== | |||
]. For his service during the ], Kerry also received the ] and three ]s.]] | |||
] Gene Thorson, David Alston, Thomas Belodeau, and Del Sandusky, Kerry's second-in-command. The fifth crewman, Michael Medeiros, took the photograph.]] | |||
On March 13, five Swift boats were returning to base together on the Bay Hap river from their missions that day. A mine detonated directly beneath one of the boats (PCF-3), lifting it into the air. Shortly thereafter, another mine exploded near Kerry's boat (PCF-94). ], a ] advisor who was sitting on the deck of the pilothouse eating a chocolate chip cookie, was knocked overboard. Just afterwards, the boat came under attack from both sides of the bank. Rassmann dived to the bottom of the river. Coming back up for air, the enemy repeatedly fired at him. Rassmann was heading to the north bank, expecting to be taken prisoner, when Kerry realized he was gone and came back for him. | |||
Tsongas resigned on January 2, 1985, one day before the end of his term. Dukakis appointed Kerry to fill the vacancy, giving him ] over other new senators who were sworn in on January 3, the scheduled start of their new terms.<ref>Associated Press, Bangor Daily News, {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906003253/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2457&dat=19850102&id=9hE9AAAAIBAJ&sjid=fS4MAAAAIBAJ&pg=3705,343878 |date=September 6, 2015 }}, January 2, 1985.</ref> | |||
The Navy's account of Kerry's actions is presented in his medal citation: | |||
==U.S. Senate (1985–2013)== | |||
:''Lt. Kerry directed his gunners to provide ], while from an exposed position on the bow, his arm bleeding and in pain, with disregard for his personal safety, he pulled the man aboard. Lt. Kerry then directed his boat to return and assist the other damaged craft and towed the boat to safety. Lt. Kerry's calmness, professionalism and great personal courage under fire were in keeping with the highest traditions of the US Naval Service.'' (]) | |||
{{See also|Sponsorship of legislation by John Kerry}} | |||
===Iran–Contra hearings=== | |||
PCF-94 received special recognition from ] ], the commander of Task Force 115 (which included Coastal Division 11), on March 14 in his weekly report to his men: | |||
{{Main|Kerry Committee report}} | |||
On April 18, 1985, a few months after taking his Senate seat, Kerry and Senator ] of ] traveled to ] and met the country's president, ]. Although Ortega had won internationally certified elections, the trip was criticized because Ortega and his ] ] government had strong ties to ] and the ] and were accused of human rights abuses. The Sandinista government was opposed by the ] ]-backed rebels known as the ]. While in Nicaragua, Kerry and Harkin talked to people on both sides of the conflict. Through the senators, Ortega offered a cease-fire agreement in exchange for the U.S. dropping support of the Contras. The offer was denounced by the ] administration as a "] initiative" designed to influence a House vote on a $14{{spaces}}million Contra ], but Kerry said "I am willing{{spaces}}... to take the risk in the effort to put to test the good faith of the Sandinistas." The House voted down the Contra aid, but Ortega flew to Moscow to accept a $200{{spaces}}million loan the next day, which in part prompted the House to pass a larger $27{{spaces}}million aid package six weeks later.<ref name="citm-pt6">{{cite news |first=John Aloysius |last=Farrell |title=With probes, making his mark |url=https://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/062003.shtml |work=] |date=June 20, 2003|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030621071459/http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/062003.shtml|archive-date=June 21, 2003 |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> | |||
] | |||
:''Special recognition is due to the following unit this week, for exceptional performance: To PCF 94 for providing extraordinary assistance to PCF 3 which was seriously damaged by a mine explosion while proceeding down the Bay Hap . PCF 94 picked up the MSF advisor out of the water and towed PCF 3 out of the danger area. PCF 43, 51, and 23 all assisted in suppression of automatic weapons and small arms fire, evacuation of wounded in action, and damage control effort on PCF 3.'' | |||
Meanwhile, Kerry's staff began their own investigations and, on October 14, issued a report that exposed illegal activities on the part of ] ], who had set up a private network involving the ] and the CIA to deliver military equipment to right-wing Nicaraguan rebels (Contras). In effect, North and certain members of the President's administration were accused by Kerry's report of illegally funding and supplying armed militants without the authorization of Congress. Kerry's staff investigation, based on a year-long inquiry and interviews with fifty unnamed sources, is said to raise "serious questions about whether the United States has abided by the law in its handling of the contras over the past three years".<ref>{{cite news |date=October 15, 1986 |title=White House Official Linked To Arms Deliveries to Contras |newspaper=] |page=6 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A0DE3D71339F936A25753C1A960948260 |access-date=February 9, 2017 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124213634/https://www.nytimes.com/1986/10/15/world/white-house-official-linked-to-arms-deliveries-to-contras.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The ] found that "the Contra drug links included{{spaces}}... payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies."<ref name="report">{{cite web |url=http://www.pinknoiz.com/covert/contracoke.html |title=Selections from the Senate Committee Report on Drugs, Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy chaired by Senator John F. Kerry |access-date=April 21, 2006 |archive-date=February 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203075627/http://www.pinknoiz.com/covert/contracoke.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The U.S. State Department paid over $806,000 to known drug traffickers to carry humanitarian assistance to the Contras.<ref name="white">{{cite book |last=Cockburn |first=Alexander |author2=Jeffrey St Clair |date=October 1, 1999 |title=Whiteout: The CIA, Drugs and the Press |url=https://archive.org/details/whiteoutciadrugs00cock |url-access=registration |publisher=Verso |isbn=1-85984-258-5}}</ref> Kerry's findings provoked little reaction in the media and official Washington.<ref name="react">{{cite magazine |first=David |last=Corn |author-link=David Corn |date=July 16, 2001 |title=Defining John Kerry |magazine=The Nation |url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010716/dcorn/2 |url-access=subscription |access-date=April 22, 2006 |archive-date=October 16, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016212145/http://www.thenation.com/doc/20010716/dcorn/2 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
After the dazed and injured crew of PCF-3 had been rescued, PCFs 43 and 23 left the scene to evacuate the four most seriously wounded sailors. PCFs 51 and 94 remained behind and helped salvage the stricken boat together with a damage-control party that had been immediately dispatched to the scene. | |||
The Kerry report was a precursor to the ]. On May 4, 1989, North was convicted of charges relating to the Iran/Contra controversy, including three felonies. On September 16, 1991, however, North's convictions were overturned on appeal.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Johnston |date=December 24, 1992 |title=Bush Pardons 6 In Iran Affair, Aborting A Weinberger Trial; Prosecutor Assails 'Cover-Up' Bush Diary at Issue 6-Year Inquiry Into Deal of Arms for Hostages All but Swept Away |newspaper=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/991224onthisday_big.html |access-date=February 9, 2017 |archive-date=July 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722020738/http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/991224onthisday_big.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Kerry was wounded twice that day, and he would receive his third Purple Heart. His injuries included shrapnel wounds in his left upper ] and contusions on his right ] from hitting the bulkhead when the mine exploded near his boat. | |||
===George H. W. Bush administration=== | |||
===Return from Vietnam=== | |||
On November 15, 1988, at a businessmen's breakfast in ], Massachusetts, Kerry made a joke about then-] ] and his running mate, saying "if Bush is shot, the ] has orders to shoot ]." He apologized the following day.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/11/16/Kerry-kids-about-shooting-Quayle/9227595659600/ |title=Kerry kids about shooting Quayle |publisher=UPI |date=November 16, 1988 |access-date=September 29, 2023}}</ref> | |||
On ], ], shortly after Kerry's third wound, ] Charles Horne, the commander of Coastal Squadron 1, filed a request for Kerry's reassignment to the U.S. He was entitled to this early departure from Vietnam (subject to approval by the Bureau of Naval Personnel), because those who had been wounded three times, "regardless of the nature of the wound or treatment required ... will not be ordered to serve in Vietnam and contiguous waters or to duty with ships or units which have been alerted for movement to that area." According to the Navy regulation that governed this (BUPERS Instruction 1300.39), the request for the "thrice-wounded reassignment" was required no matter what. If Kerry wanted to stay, he was required to file a second, written request to waive the reassignment. | |||
During their investigation of General ], the ''de facto'' ruler of ], Kerry's staff found reason to believe that the ]-based ] (BCCI) had facilitated Noriega's drug trafficking and ]. This led to a separate inquiry into BCCI, and as a result, banking regulators shut down BCCI in 1991. In December 1992, Kerry and Senator ], a Republican from Colorado, released ''The BCCI Affair'', a report on the BCCI scandal. The report showed that the bank was crooked and was working with ], including ]. It blasted the ], the ], the ], the ], as well as influential ] and the CIA.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0409.sirota.html |title=Follow the Money |last=Sirota |first=David |author2=Baskin, Jonathan |date=September 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040911081424/http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0409.sirota.html |archive-date=September 11, 2004}}</ref> | |||
On March 26, after a final patrol at night on March 25, Kerry was transferred to Cam Ranh Bay to await his orders. He was there for five or six days and left Vietnam in early April. On April 11, he reported to the ]-based Atlantic ], where he would remain on active duty for the following year as a personal aide to an officer, Rear Admiral ]. On January 1, ] Kerry was promoted to full ]; on January 3, he requested discharge. He was released from active duty on March 1. | |||
Kerry was criticized by some Democrats for having pursued his own party members, including former ] ], although Republicans said he should have pressed against some Democrats even harder. The BCCI scandal was later turned over to the ]'s office.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/19rogers.htm |title=The BCCI Affair – 19 Ed Rogers and Kamal Adham |publisher=Fas.org |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=December 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224193511/http://www.fas.org/irp/congress/1992_rpt/bcci/19rogers.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
All told, John Kerry was on active duty in the U.S. Navy for three years and eight months, from August 1966 until March 1970. He continued to serve in the Navy Reserves until February, 1978. He lost five close friends in the war, including Yale classmate Richard Pershing, who was ] on ], ]. | |||
===Precursors to presidential bid=== | |||
===Criticism of military service and awards=== | |||
{{See also|1996 United States Senate election in Massachusetts|2000 United States presidential election}} | |||
Critics have questioned several aspects of Kerry's military service. | |||
In 1996, Kerry faced a difficult re-election fight against Governor ], a popular Republican incumbent who had been re-elected in 1994 with 71% of the vote. The race was covered nationwide as one of the most closely watched Senate races that year. Kerry and Weld held several debates and negotiated a campaign spending cap of $6.9{{spaces}}million at Kerry's ] townhouse. Both candidates spent more than the cap, with each camp accusing the other of being first to break the agreement.<ref>{{cite news |last=Rimer |first=Sara |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C02E5D91130F936A15753C1A960958260 |title=Promises Yield to Old-Fashioned Politics |newspaper=The New York Times |date=October 25, 1996 |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=November 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111131042/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/10/25/us/promises-yield-to-old-fashioned-politics.html |url-status=live }}</ref> During the campaign, Kerry spoke briefly at the ]. Kerry won re-election with 52 percent to Weld's 45 percent.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-picks-john-kerry-to-play-romney-in-mock-debate-rehearsals/2012/06/18/gJQABEctlV_story.html|title=Obama picks John Kerry to play Romney in mock debate rehearsals|newspaper=The Washington Post|first1=Philip|last1=Rucker|first2=Dan|last2=Balz|date=June 18, 2012|access-date=September 1, 2017|archive-date=August 3, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803055442/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-picks-john-kerry-to-play-romney-in-mock-debate-rehearsals/2012/06/18/gJQABEctlV_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
As the presidential campaign of 2004 developed, around 200 Vietnam-era veterans formed the group ] (SBVT) and held press conferences, ran ads, and endorsed a book ''Unfit for Command'' questioning Kerry's service record and his military awards. Several SBVT members were in the same unit with Kerry, but only one, Stephen Gardner, served on the same boat. Other SBVT members included two of Kerry's former commanding officers, Grant Hibbard and George Elliott. Hibbard and Elliott have alleged, respectively, that Kerry's first Purple Heart and Silver Star were undeserved. In addition, members of SBVT have questioned his other medals and his truthfulness in testimony about the war. Defenders of John Kerry's war record, including nearly all of his surviving former crewmates, have charged that organizers of SBVT had close ties to the Bush presidential campaign and that the accusations were false and politically motivated. For more detail on this, see ]. | |||
In the 2000 presidential election, Kerry found himself close to being chosen as the vice presidential running mate.<ref>{{cite news |first=Joe |last=Battenfeld |title=Kerry's stock rises in VP sweepstakes |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LOCAL/northeast/07/14/boh.kerry.veep/index.html |date=July 14, 2000 |work=CNN |access-date=September 9, 2005 |archive-date=September 11, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050911144921/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/LOCAL/northeast/07/14/boh.kerry.veep/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==Anti-Vietnam War activism (1970-1971)== | |||
]'' with the VVAW.]] | |||
A release from the presidential campaign of presumptive Democratic nominee ] listed Kerry on the short list to be selected as the vice-presidential nominee, along with North Carolina Senator ], Indiana Senator ], Missouri Congressman ], New Hampshire Governor ] and Connecticut Senator ].<ref>{{cite news | url =http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Gore-Trims-VP-List-To-Six-Senators-Have-Inside-2745572.php | title =Gore Trims VP List To Six – Senators Have Inside Track / Bradley could be 'wild card' pick | newspaper =] | date =August 4, 2000 | access-date =January 9, 2013 | first =Ceci | last =Connolly | archive-date =May 16, 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130516174921/http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Gore-Trims-VP-List-To-Six-Senators-Have-Inside-2745572.php | url-status =live }}</ref> Gore ultimately chose Lieberman. | |||
===Joining the Vietnam Veterans Against the War=== | |||
Once back in the United States, Kerry joined the ] (VVAW). Numbering about 20,000 , VVAW was considered by some (including the administration of President ]) to be an effective component of the antiwar movement. VVAW's members, including Kerry, could speak with personal knowledge about what they had seen in Vietnam. Beyond such specifics, however, they were seen as having "paid their dues" in Vietnam, and therefore being entitled to at least a respectful hearing. Americans who opposed the war were grateful for VVAW's work. Many Vietnam veterans saw the organization as giving voice to the views of the common soldier in exposing official deceit. Many other veterans, however, such as those who in 2004 formed Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, deeply resented the VVAW's activities, feeling that their own military service was being attacked or cheapened. | |||
==="You get stuck in Iraq" controversy=== | |||
===Testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee=== | |||
On October 30, 2006, Kerry was a headline speaker at a campaign rally being held for Democratic ] ] at ] in ]. Speaking to an audience composed mainly of college students, Kerry said, "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."<ref name=botched>{{cite news |last=Ryan |first=Andrew |title=Kerry says he "botched joke" and lashes out at GOP |work=] |date=October 31, 2006 |url=https://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2006/10/kerry_says_he_b.html |access-date=January 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061119132504/http://www.boston.com/news/globe/city_region/breaking_news/2006/10/kerry_says_he_b.html |archive-date=November 19, 2006 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
] on April 22, 1971.]] | |||
On ], ], Kerry became the first Vietnam veteran to testify before Congress about the war, when he appeared before a Senate committee hearing on proposals relating to ending the war. Wearing green ] and service ribbons, he spoke for nearly two hours with the ] in what has been named the ], after the Chairman of the proceedings, Senator J.W. Fulbright. Kerry began with a prepared speech, in which he presented the conclusions of the ], where veterans had described personally committing or witnessing war crimes. Kerry did not say he had seen them himself. He also addressed the problems faced by returning veterans. | |||
The day after he made the remark, leaders from both sides of the political spectrum criticized Kerry's remarks, which he said were a botched joke. Republicans including President George W. Bush, Senator ] and then-Speaker of the House ], said that Kerry's comments were insulting to American military forces fighting in Iraq. Democratic Representative ] called on Kerry to apologize.<ref>{{cite news |last=Runningen|first=Roger| url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSkiYG2_QwvM | title =Kerry Events Cut as Democrats Criticize Iraq Remark | publisher =Bloomberg News| date =November 1, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402194319/https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aSkiYG2_QwvM|archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref> | |||
Most of his testimony addressed the larger policy issues. Kerry expressed his view that the war was essentially a ] and that nothing in Vietnam was a realistic threat to the United States. He argued that the real reason for the continued fighting was political purposes: "Someone has to die so that ] won't be, and these are his words, 'the first President to lose a war.'" That conclusion led him to ask: "How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" | |||
Kerry initially stated: "I apologize to no one for my criticism of the president and of his broken policy".<ref name=botched /> Kerry also responded to criticism from George W. Bush and ].<ref>{{cite web |title=Statement of John Kerry Responding to Republican Distortions, Pathetic Tony Snow Diversions and Distractions |publisher=Friends of John Kerry |date=October 31, 2006 |url=http://www.johnkerry.com/news/releases/release.html?id=33 |access-date=January 11, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061229143547/http://www.johnkerry.com/news/releases/release.html?id=33 |archive-date=December 29, 2006}}</ref> | |||
Senator Fulbright asked Kerry if he supported any of the proposals before the committee. Kerry responded that, based on his conversations in Paris with both Communist delegations to the peace talks (North Vietnamese and Viet Cong), he agreed with Senator ] that, if the United States set a date for its withdrawal, it could then obtain the release of its prisoners of war. | |||
] in ], January 2011.]] | |||
===The protest at the U.S. Capitol=== | |||
Kerry said that he had intended the remark as a jab at President Bush, and described the remarks as a "botched joke",<ref>{{cite news |last=Sandalow |first=Marc |title='Botched joke' feeds a frenzy among Dems, GOP and media |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=November 2, 2006 |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/NEWS-ANALYSIS-Kerry-s-gibe-GOP-reaction-stir-2484750.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080112054601/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2006%2F11%2F02%2FKERRY.TMP |archive-date=January 12, 2008 |access-date=July 7, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> having inadvertently left out the key word "us" (which would have been, "If you don't, you get ''us'' stuck in Iraq"), as well as leaving the phrase "just ask President Bush" off of the end of the sentence. In Kerry's prepared remarks, which he released during the ensuing media frenzy, the corresponding line was "...{{spaces}}you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush". He also said that from the context of the speech which, prior to the "stuck in Iraq" line, made several specific references to Bush and elements of his biography, that Kerry was referring to President Bush and not American troops in general.<ref>{{cite news |last=Zernike |first=Kate |title=Flubbed Joke Makes Kerry a Political Punching Bag, Again |work=] |date=November 1, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/us/politics/02kerry.html |access-date=July 7, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108014741/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/02/us/politics/02kerry.html |archive-date=November 8, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The day after this testimony, Kerry participated in a demonstration with 800 other veterans in which he and other veterans threw their medals and ribbons over a fence at the front steps of the ] building to dramatize their opposition to the war. Jack Smith, a ], read a statement explaining why the veterans were returning their military awards to the government. For more than two hours, angry veterans tossed their medals, ribbons, hats, jackets, and military papers over the fence. Each veteran gave his or her name, hometown, branch of service and a statement. As Kerry threw his ribbons and the medals of two other absent veterans over the fence, his statement was: "I'm not doing this for any violent reasons, but for peace and justice, and to try and make this country wake up once and for all." Some have questioned whether he gave up his own medals or just the ribbons during the demonstration at the Capitol; see ] for a full discussion. | |||
After two days of media coverage, citing a desire not to be a diversion, Kerry apologized to those who took offense at what he called the misinterpretation of his comment.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stout |first=David |title=Kerry Apologizes for Iraq Remark |work=] |date =November 1, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/washington/01cnd-kerry.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307112639/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/washington/01cnd-kerry.html|archive-date=March 7, 2008 |access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> | |||
===Media appearances=== | |||
Because Kerry was a decorated veteran who took a stand against the government's official position, he was frequently interviewed by broadcast and print media. He was able to use these occasions to bring the themes of his Senate testimony to a wider audience. | |||
===Afghanistan and Pakistan=== | |||
For example, Kerry appeared more than once on '']'' on ] television. On one Cavett program (June 30, 1971), in debating ], Kerry argued that some of the policies instituted by the U.S. military leaders in Vietnam, such as free-fire zones and burning noncombatants' houses, were contrary to the ]. In the '']'' newspaper (June 6, 1971), he recounted how he and other Swift boat officers had become disillusioned by the contrast between what the leaders told them and what they saw: "That's when I realized I could never remain silent about the realities of the war in Vietnam." | |||
], John Kerry, and ] in Kunar Province in Afghanistan, February 20, 2008]] | |||
A ''Washington Post'' report in May 2011 stated that Kerry "has emerged in the past few years as an important envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan during times of crisis", as he undertook another trip to the two countries. The killing of ] "has generated perhaps the most important crossroads yet", the report continued, as the senator spoke at a press conference and prepared to fly from ] to Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news|last=Partlow|first=Joshua|title=Kerry: U.S. relationship with Pakistan at 'critical moment'|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kerry-us-relationship-with-pakistan-at-critical-moment/2011/05/15/AFnx4D4G_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 15, 2011|date=May 15, 2011|archive-date=November 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112103748/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kerry-us-relationship-with-pakistan-at-critical-moment/2011/05/15/AFnx4D4G_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Among matters discussed during the May visit to Pakistan, under the general rubric of "recalibrating" the bilateral relationship, Kerry sought and retrieved from the Pakistanis the tail-section of the ] which had had to be abandoned at ] during the bin Laden strike.<ref>{{cite news|last=Brulliard|first=Karin|title=Pakistan to return U.S. helicopter tail, Kerry says|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/sen-john-kerry-arrives-in-pakistan-for-meetings-that-could-sway-future-us-aid-prospects/2011/05/16/AFJJIZ4G_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=May 17, 2011|date=May 17, 2011|archive-date=November 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102063349/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/sen-john-kerry-arrives-in-pakistan-for-meetings-that-could-sway-future-us-aid-prospects/2011/05/16/AFJJIZ4G_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2013, Kerry met with Pakistan's army chief ] to discuss the peace process with the ] in Afghanistan.<ref name="Kumar Sen">{{cite news|last=Kumar Sen|first=Ashish|title=Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Pakistani army chief to discuss Taliban|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/25/secretary-state-john-kerry-meets-pakistani-army-ch/|newspaper=]|access-date=March 26, 2013|archive-date=March 26, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326025022/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/25/secretary-state-john-kerry-meets-pakistani-army-ch/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Voting record=== | |||
On ]'s ] in ], Kerry was asked whether he had personally committed atrocities in Vietnam. He responded: | |||
====Overall==== | |||
Most analyses place Kerry's voting record on the left within the Senate Democratic caucus.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021071039/http://www.factcheck.org/how_liberal_is_john_kerry.html |date=October 21, 2012 }} FactCheck.org. Retrieved January 28, 2013.</ref> During the 2004 presidential election he was portrayed as a staunch ] by conservative groups and the Bush campaign, who often noted that in 2003 Kerry was rated the top Senate liberal by '']''. However, that rating was based only upon voting on legislation within that past year. In fact, in terms of career voting records, the ''National Journal'' found that Kerry is the 11th most liberal member of the Senate. Most analyses find that Kerry is at least slightly more liberal than the typical Democratic Senator. Kerry has stated that he opposes privatizing ], supports ] rights for adult women and minors, supports ], opposes ] except for ], supports most ], and is generally a supporter of trade agreements. In some of these, as in the case of abortion, Kerry distinguishes his personal views as in line with his Catholic faith, but believes that separation of church and state demands that he not legislate his religious beliefs upon those who do not share those beliefs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Olsen|first=Compiled by Ted|title=Why Kerry Is Sincere When He Says He Believes Life Begins at Conception|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/julyweb-only/7-5-31.0.html|access-date=June 23, 2020|website=ChristianityToday.com|date=July 2004 |language=en|archive-date=June 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200624160947/https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/julyweb-only/7-5-31.0.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Kerry supported the ] and ] status for China, but opposed the ].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Joel |date=2004-09-29 |title=Kerry's Top Ten Flip-Flops - CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kerrys-top-ten-flip-flops/ |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=www.cbsnews.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kerry Statement on CAFTA |url=https://www.iatp.org/news/kerry-statement-on-cafta |access-date=2024-06-22 |website=www.iatp.org |language=en}}</ref> | |||
In July 1997, Kerry joined his Senate colleagues in voting against ratification of the ] on ] without greenhouse gas emissions limits on nations deemed developing, including India and China.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00205 |title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote |publisher=Senate.gov |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=February 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070202105434/https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=105&session=1&vote=00205 |url-status=live }}</ref> Since then, Kerry has attacked President Bush, charging him with opposition to international efforts to combat global warming.<ref name="pariah">{{cite news |title=Kerry says U.S. 'a sort of international pariah' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-01-27-kerry-us-policy_x.htm |newspaper=] |date=January 27, 2007 |access-date=September 1, 2017 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124213653/https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-01-27-kerry-us-policy_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
:''"There are all kinds of atrocities, and I would have to say that, yes, yes, I committed the same kind of atrocities as thousands of other soldiers have committed in that I took part in shootings in free fire zones. I conducted harassment and interdiction fire. I used 50 calibre machine guns, which we were granted and ordered to use, which were our only weapon against people. I took part in search and destroy missions, in the burning of villages. All of this is contrary to the laws of warfare, all of this is contrary to the Geneva Conventions and all of this is ordered as a matter of written established policy by the government of the United States from the top down. And I believe that the men who designed these, the men who designed the free fire zone, the men who ordered us, the men who signed off the air raid strike areas, I think these men, by the letter of the law, the same letter of the law that tried Lieutenant Calley, are war criminals."'' | |||
In the 2004 United States presidential campaign, Kerry's critics often cited this statement. In a 2004 interview, again on Meet The Press, Kerry explained that he regrets using the phrase "war criminals". | |||
On October 1, 2008, Kerry voted for ], also known as the ] bailout.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00212 |title=U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote |publisher=Senate.gov |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=March 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100309170437/https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=2&vote=00212 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
] ] during a protest rally at ]'s ] in the summer of 1971.]] | |||
].]] | |||
=== |
====Iraq==== | ||
] | |||
Kerry's prominence also made him a frequent leader and spokesman at antiwar events around the country in 1971. One of particular note was Operation POW, organized by the VVAW in Massachusetts. The protest got its name from the group's concern that Americans were prisoners of the Vietnam War, as well as to honor American POWs held captive by ]. | |||
In the lead up to the ], Kerry said on October 9, 2002; "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." Bush relied on that resolution in ordering the ]. Kerry also gave a January 23, 2003, speech to ] saying "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator; leading an oppressive regime he presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real." Kerry did, however, warn that the administration should exhaust its diplomatic avenues before launching war: "Mr. President, do not rush to war, take the time to build the coalition, because it's not winning the war that's hard, it's winning the peace that's hard."<ref>{{cite news |title=Kerry Makes It Official |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kerry-makes-it-official/ |publisher=] |date=September 2, 2003 |access-date=October 21, 2005 |archive-date=February 9, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050209024140/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/09/02/politics/main571162.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
After the invasion of Iraq, when no ] were found, Kerry strongly criticized Bush, contending that he had misled the country: "When the President of the United States looks at you and tells you something, there should be some trust."<ref>{{cite news |title=Bush defends Iraq war in face of WMD findings |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/27/sprj.nirq.bush/ |work=CNN|date=January 28, 2004 |access-date=October 26, 2004 |archive-date=October 11, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041011123224/http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/01/27/sprj.nirq.bush/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The event sought to tie antiwar activism to patriotic themes. Over the ] weekend, veterans and other participants marched from ] to a rally on ]. The plan was to invoke the spirit of the ] and ] by spending successive nights at the sites of the ] and the ], culminating in a Memorial Day rally with a public reading of the ]. | |||
====Libya==== | |||
The second night of the march, ], was the occasion for Kerry's only arrest, when the participants tried to camp on the village green in ]. At 2:30 a.m. on ], local and state police awoke and arrested 441 demonstrators, including Kerry, for trespassing. All were given the ] and were hauled away on school buses to spend the night at the Lexington Public Works Garage. Kerry and the other protestors later paid a $5 fine and were released. At the time, ] kept $100 under her pillow in case she needed to bail her husband out of jail if he was arrested at a protest. The mass arrests caused a community backlash and ended up giving positive coverage to the VVAW. | |||
In 2011, Kerry supported ].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-usa-kerry/kerry-warns-u-s-against-failing-to-act-on-libya-idUSTRE72F98D20110316 |title=Kerry warns U.S. Against failing to act on Libya |newspaper=Reuters |date=March 16, 2011 |access-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705121356/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-usa-kerry/kerry-warns-u-s-against-failing-to-act-on-libya-idUSTRE72F98D20110316 |url-status=live |last1=Alexander |first1=David }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-usa-senate-idUSTRE75R42E20110628|title=Senate panel approves Libya mission|date=June 28, 2011|work=Reuters|access-date=November 2, 2019|language=en|archive-date=November 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102174641/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-usa-senate-idUSTRE75R42E20110628|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Leadership=== | |||
Despite his important role in Operation POW and other VVAW events, as time went on Kerry found that VVAW was becoming more radical. Kerry was trying to moderate the group, to push it in the direction of nonviolence and working within the system. Other members, however, were more militant. Kerry eventually quit the organization over this difference in approach. Some have raised questions about exactly when Kerry left VVAW; see ] for a full discussion. | |||
Kerry chaired the ] from 1991 to 1993. The committee's report, which Kerry endorsed, stated there was "no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fas.org/irp/congress/1993_rpt/pow-exec.html |title=Report of the Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs |publisher=] |date=January 13, 1993 |access-date=January 3, 2008 |archive-date=October 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010150311/https://fas.org/irp/congress/1993_rpt/pow-exec.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1994 the Senate passed a resolution, sponsored by Kerry and fellow Vietnam veteran ], that called for an end to the existing trade embargo against Vietnam; it was intended to pave the way for normalization.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E3DC1639F93BA15752C0A962958260 |title=Senate Urges End to U.S. Embargo Against Vietnam |author=Greenhouse, Steven |work=] |date=January 28, 1994 |access-date=January 6, 2008 |archive-date=March 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080325201708/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A02E3DC1639F93BA15752C0A962958260 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 1995, President ] normalized diplomatic relations with the country of Vietnam.<ref name="time072495">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983202,00.html |title=Good Morning, Vietnam |author=Walsh, James |magazine=] |date=July 24, 1995 |access-date=January 5, 2008 |archive-date=August 12, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812014021/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983202,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
Kerry was the chairman of the ] from 1987 to 1989. He was reelected to the Senate in ], ] (after winning re-election against the then-] Republican ]), ], and ]. In January 2009, Kerry replaced ] as the chairman of the ].<ref name="boston.com">{{cite news| url = http://archive.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/11/20/kerry_poised_to_cap_long_journey/?page=full| title = Kerry poised to cap long journey| first = Bryan| last = Bender| date = November 20, 2008| newspaper = ]|access-date=July 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110205728/http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/2008/11/20/kerry_poised_to_cap_long_journey/?page=full|archive-date=November 10, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==Early career (1972-1985)== | |||
===Campaigning for Congress (1970s)=== | |||
In the early ], Kerry wanted to extend his political work beyond protesting. Although some antiwar activists were dismissive of electoral politics, Kerry's choice was to run for the ]. Although his activism had brought him national recognition, he had no strong ties to any particular congressional district in Massachusetts. | |||
As a role model for campus leaders across the nation and strong advocate for global development, Kerry was honored by the Millennium Campus Network (MCN) as a in 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/lifestyle/blogs/thenextgreatgeneration/2011/09/global_generation_awards_honor.html |title=Global Generation Awards Honor Gen Y's Humanitarian Heroes – The Next Great Generation |publisher=Boston.com |date=September 19, 2011 |access-date=April 22, 2013 |first=Alex |last=Pearlman |archive-date=April 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405140150/http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/blogs/thenextgreatgeneration/2011/09/global_generation_awards_honor.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2011/09/20/dushku_honored_at_global_generation_awards/ |title=Dushku honored at Global Generation Awards |publisher=Boston.com |date=September 20, 2011 |access-date=April 22, 2013 |first1=Mark |last1=Shanahan |first2=Meredith |last2=Goldstein |archive-date=April 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405140938/http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2011/09/20/dushku_honored_at_global_generation_awards/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
He was then living in ], where he considered running in ]. Early in that election, however, there was an agreement among the prospective antiwar candidates that all would participate in a caucus to unite behind a single Democratic ] challenger to the pro-war incumbent, ]. In the caucus, Kerry placed second to Father ], a ] priest. Kerry accordingly supported Drinan, who won the seat. | |||
===Committee assignments=== | |||
In ], Kerry had no reason to challenge Drinan. In February, Kerry's wife, ], bought a house in ]. Residence there would have enabled Kerry to run against a different incumbent, ]. Instead of moving to Worcester, however, the couple rented an apartment in ]. The incumbent in that district, ], was a Republican who was thought to be retiring. | |||
During his tenure, Kerry served on four Senate committees and nine subcommittees: | |||
* ''']''' | |||
** ] | |||
** ] (chairman) | |||
** ] | |||
** ] | |||
** ] | |||
** ] | |||
* ''']''' | |||
** ] | |||
** ] | |||
** ] | |||
* ''']''' (Chairman 2009–2013) | |||
* ''']''' | |||
* '''Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe''' | |||
* ''']''' | |||
===Caucus memberships=== | |||
Kerry entered the Democratic primary against nine other candidates. His campaign headquarters and one of his opponents', state Representative ] of ], were in the same building. On the eve of the September primary, Kerry's younger brother Cameron and campaign field director ], both then 22 years old, were found in the basement, where telephone lines were located. They were arrested and charged with "breaking and entering with the intent to commit grand larceny," but the case was dismissed about a year later by superior court. DiFruscia charged that they were trying to disrupt his get-out-the vote efforts. Vallely and Cameron Kerry maintained that they were only checking their own telephone lines because they had received an anonymous call warning that the Kerry lines would be cut. Cameron Kerry, saying that the police arrived with suspicious alacrity, concluded that political opponents had set him up. "It was an impulsive, rash thing that we did and that John Kerry ended up having to deal with", he added. | |||
* Congressional Bicameral High-Speed and Intercity Rail Caucus | |||
* Congressional Internet Caucus | |||
* Congressional Vietnam-Era Veterans Caucus (Co-chair) | |||
* ] | |||
* Senate Prosecutors Caucus (Co-chair) | |||
* ] | |||
===Seniority=== | |||
Although Kerry's campaign was hurt by the election-day report of the arrest, he still won the primary by a comfortable margin over state Representative Paul J. Sheehy. DiFruscia placed third. Kerry lost in Lawrence and Lowell, his chief opponents' bases, but placed first in 18 of the district's 22 towns. | |||
{{Main|Seniority in the United States Senate}} | |||
From the beginning of the ] until his resignation, Kerry ranked as the 7th most senior U.S. Senator. Due to the ] of Ted Kennedy's service, Kerry was the most senior ''junior Senator'' in the ]. On Tuesday, August 25, 2009, Kerry became the senior senator from Massachusetts following Ted Kennedy's death. | |||
===Sponsorship of legislation=== | |||
In the general election, Kerry was initially favored to defeat the Republican candidate, former state Representative ], and an independent, Roger P. Durkin. A major obstacle, however, was the district's leading newspaper, the ] ''Lowell Sun''. The paper editorialized against him. It also ran critical news stories about his out-of-state contributions and his "]", because he had moved into the district only in April. The final blow came when, four days before the election, Durkin withdrew in favor of Cronin. Cronin won the election. | |||
{{update|section|date=January 2023}} | |||
Areas of concern in the bills Kerry introduced into the Senate included ] concerns, ], ], ]s' and ], and marine resource protection. A full list of Kerry's sponsored legislation was available on his . | |||
During his Senate career, Kerry was primary sponsor of the following bills (excluding resolutions and amendments sponsored). This table does not count bills which Kerry co-sponsored. | |||
===Career in law and politics (1972-1985)=== | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto; text-align:center;" | |||
After Kerry's 1972 defeat, he and his wife bought a house in Lowell. He spent some time working as a fundraiser for the ] (CARE), an international humanitarian organization. He decided that the best way for him to continue in public life was to study law. In September ], he entered ] at ]. In July ], while attending ], Kerry was named executive director of Mass Action, a Massachusetts advocacy association. | |||
|- | |||
! Session | |||
! Years | |||
! Bills Sponsored | |||
! Signed into law | |||
|- | |||
| 99th | |||
| 1985–86 | |||
| 15 | |||
| 0 | |||
|- | |||
| 100th | |||
| 1987–88 | |||
| 21 | |||
| {{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} | |||
|- | |||
| 101st | |||
| 1989–90 | |||
| 44 | |||
| 0 | |||
|- | |||
| 102nd | |||
| 1991–92 | |||
| 28 | |||
| ] | |||
|- | |||
| 103rd | |||
| 1993–94 | |||
| 27 | |||
| ], ] | |||
|- | |||
| 104th | |||
| 1995–96 | |||
| 32 | |||
| 0 | |||
|- | |||
| 105th | |||
| 1997–98 | |||
| 19 | |||
| 0 | |||
|- | |||
| 106th | |||
| 1999–00 | |||
| 33 | |||
| ] | |||
|- | |||
| 107th | |||
| 2001–02 | |||
| 81 | |||
| ], ], ] | |||
|- | |||
| 108th | |||
| 2003–04 | |||
| 30 | |||
| ] | |||
|} | |||
A chronological list of various bills and resolutions sponsored by Kerry follows. | |||
He received his ] (J.D.) degree in ]. While in law school he had been a student prosecutor in the office of the ] of ], John J. Droney. After passing the bar exam and being admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1976, he went to work in that office as a full-time prosecutor. | |||
* A concurrent resolution condemning ]'s support for terrorist activities. Measure passed Senate, amended. ]. | |||
In January ], Droney promoted him to First Assistant District Attorney. In that position, Kerry balanced two key roles. First, he tried cases and won convictions in both a high-profile rape case and a murder. Second, he played a role in administering the office of the district attorney by initiating the creation of special white-collar and organized crime units, creating programs to address the problems of rape and other crime victims and of witnesses, and managing trial calendars to reflect case priorities. | |||
* A resolution relating to declassification of Documents, Files, and other materials pertaining to ]s and ]. Agreed to without amendment. 100th Congress. | |||
* A bill to authorize appropriations to carry out the National Sea Grant College Program Act, and for other purposes. Signed by President. | |||
* A bill to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit certain transactions with respect to managed accounts. Referred to committee. ]. | |||
* A bill to authorize appropriations for the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and to improve the program to reduce the incidental taking of marine mammals during the course of commercial fishing operations, and for other purposes. Became public law #103-238. ]. | |||
* A bill to amend the Small Business Act to enhance the business development opportunities of small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and for other purposes. Referred to committee. 103rd Congress. | |||
* A bill to designate a portion of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Passed without objection. ]. | |||
* A bill to amend the Small Business Act with respect to the women's business center program. Became Public Law #106-165. 106th Congress. | |||
* A bill to authorize the Small Business Administration to provide financial and business development assistance to military reservists' small businesses, and for other purposes. Referred to committee. ]. | |||
* A bill to amend the Small Business Act with respect to the microloan program, and for other purposes. Ordered to be Reported. ]. | |||
* A bill to reauthorize the Small Business Technology Transfer Program, and for other purposes. Became Public Law #107-50. 107th Congress. | |||
* A bill to provide assistance to small business concerns adversely impacted by the ] against the United States on September 11, 2001, and for other purposes. Referred to committee. 107th Congress. | |||
* A bill to provide emergency assistance to nonfarm-related small business concerns that have suffered substantial economic harm from drought. Referred to committee. ]. | |||
*The ''Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development'' (BUILD) Act, described by the ] as its "most expensive bill of the Week" when it was introduced into the Senate in 2011.<ref>National Taxpayers Union Foundation, , published July 26, 2011, accessed January 22, 2023</ref> | |||
==2004 presidential campaign== | |||
In ], Kerry resigned from the District Attorney's office to set up a private law firm with another former prosecutor. He also joined with a friend to open a small cookie and muffin shop in Boston's Quincy Market area. The partners named it "Kilvert & Forbes" after their mothers' maiden names. Kerry sold his interest in the business in ]. (The store still exists today as "Maggie's Sweets." The current owners, Carol Troxell and Sara Youngelson, supplied 1,000 gift bags of "John Kerry ]"&mdash;made with Kerry's mother's original recipe&mdash;to the media walkthrough at the ].) | |||
{{Main|John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign}} | |||
{{Further|2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries|2004 United States presidential election|2004 United States election voting controversies}} | |||
] crossing ] on the ] during the 2004 campaign]] | |||
In the 2004 Democratic ], John Kerry defeated several Democratic rivals, including Sen. ] (D-North Carolina), former Vermont Governor ] and retired ] General ]. His victory in the Iowa caucuses is widely believed to be the tipping point where Kerry revived his sagging campaign in New Hampshire and the February 3, 2004, primary states like Arizona, South Carolina and New Mexico. Kerry then went on to win landslide victories in Nevada and Wisconsin. Kerry thus won the Democratic nomination to run for President of the United States against incumbent George W. Bush. On July 6, 2004, he announced his selection of ] as his running mate. Democratic strategist ], who was Kerry's 2004 campaign adviser, wrote an article in ] claiming that after the election, Kerry had said that he wished he had never picked Edwards, and that the two have since stopped speaking to each other.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Shrum |first=Robert |url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1626498-2,00.html |title=Kerry's Regrets About John Edwards |magazine=] |date=May 30, 2007 |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=October 11, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011170220/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1626498-2,00.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In a subsequent appearance on ABC's ''This Week'', Kerry refused to respond to Shrum's allegation, calling it a "ridiculous waste of time".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/13/kerry-disregards-bob-shru_n_81260.html |title=Kerry Disregards Bob Shrum Book: "Ridiculous Waste Of Time" |publisher=HuffPost |date=January 13, 2008 |access-date=March 12, 2010 |first=Nico |last=Pitney |archive-date=April 6, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090406220942/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/01/13/kerry-disregards-bob-shru_n_81260.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Although his private law practice was a success, Kerry was still interested in public office. He decided to re-enter electoral politics by running for ] of Massachusetts. He won a narrow victory in the ] Democratic primary. The ticket, with ] as the gubernatorial candidate, won the general election without difficulty. | |||
]]] | |||
The position of Lieutenant Governor carried few inherent responsibilities. Dukakis, however, delegated additional matters to Kerry. In particular, Kerry's interest in environmental protection led him to become heavily involved in the issue of ]. His work contributed to a ] resolution in ] that was a precursor to the 1990 amendments to the federal ]. | |||
During his bid to be elected president in ], Kerry frequently criticized President ] for starting the ].<ref>, ], July 29, 2004. "Saying there are weapons of mass destruction in Iraq doesn't make it so. Saying we can fight a war on the cheap doesn't make it so. And proclaiming mission accomplished certainly doesn't make it so."</ref> While Kerry had initially voted in support of authorizing President Bush to use force in dealing with ], he voted against an $87{{spaces}}billion supplemental appropriations bill to pay for the subsequent war. His statement on March 16, 2004, "I actually did vote for the $87{{spaces}}billion before I voted against it", helped the Bush campaign to paint him as a ] and has been cited as contributing to Kerry's defeat.<ref name="baroneandcohen">{{cite book|first1=Michael|last1=Barone|first2=Richard E.|last2=Cohen|title=The Almanac of American Politics 2010|location=Washington, D.C.|publisher=National Journal Group|year=2009|page=|isbn=978-0-89234-120-7|author-link=Michael Barone (pundit)|quote=Bush's job approval hovered under 50%, and he trailed Kerry in polls for much of the seven-month campaign. Kerry performed well in debates, being judged the winner in snap polls in all three. Yet he lost. One reason may have been encapsulated by his March 16 defense of his 2003 vote against the supplemental appropriation for Iraq: 'I actually did vote for the $87{{spaces}}billion before I voted against it.' The Bush campaign painted Kerry as a flip-flopper.|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780892341207/page/731}}</ref> | |||
On November 3, 2004, Kerry conceded the race. Kerry won 59.03 million votes, or 48.3 percent of the popular vote; Bush won 62.04 million votes, or 50.7 percent of the popular vote. Kerry carried states with a total of 252 ]. One Kerry elector voted for Kerry's running mate, Edwards, so in the final tally Kerry had 251 electoral votes to Bush's 286.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2004/federalelections2004.pdf |title=Election and voting information |access-date=March 1, 2015 |archive-date=May 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506060546/http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2004/federalelections2004.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Until ]'s loss in ], he was the most recent Democrat to lose the popular vote in a presidential election.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trump set to be the first Republican candidate to win the popular vote in 20 years|url=https://www.axios.com/2024/11/06/trump-popular-vote-republican-candidates|website=Axios|date=November 6, 2024|accessdate=November 6, 2024|author=Rubin, April}}</ref> | |||
One of the U.S. Senators from Massachusetts, ], announced in 1984 that he would be stepping down for health reasons. Kerry decided to run for the seat. As in his 1982 race for Lieutenant Governor, he did not receive the endorsement of the party regulars at the state Democratic convention. Again as in 1982, however, he prevailed in a close primary. In his campaign he promised to mix liberalism with tight budget controls. As the Democratic candidate he was elected to the Senate despite a nationwide landslide for the re-election of Republican president ]. In his acceptance speech, Kerry asserted that his win meant that the people of Massachusetts "emphatically reject the politics of selfishness and the notion that women must be treated as second-class citizens." Kerry was sworn in as a U.S. Senator in January ]. | |||
==Subsequent presidential-election activities== | |||
==Service in the U.S. Senate (1985-present)== | |||
] in ], ]]] | |||
] | |||
Immediately after the 2004 election, some Democrats mentioned Kerry as a possible contender for the 2008 Democratic nomination. His brother had said such a campaign was "conceivable", and Kerry himself reportedly said at a farewell party for his 2004 campaign staff, "There's always another four years".<ref>{{cite news |first=Glen |last=Johnson |title=Kerry run in '08 called conceivable |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/11/09/kerry_run_in_08_called_conceivable/ |work=] |date=November 9, 2004 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924152325/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/11/09/kerry_run_in_08_called_conceivable/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===Meeting with Ortega=== | |||
On ], ], a few months after taking his Senate seat, Kerry and Senator ] of ] traveled to ] and met the country's president, ]. Though Ortega was democratically elected, the trip was criticized because Ortega and his ] ] government had strong ties to ] and the ]. The Sandinista government was opposed by the ] ]-backed rebels known as the ]. While in Nicaragua, Kerry and Harkin talked to people on both sides of the conflict. Through the senators, Ortega offered a cease-fire agreement in exchange for the US dropping support of the Contras. The offer was denounced by the ] administration as a "] initiative" designed to influence a House vote on a $14 million Contra ], but Kerry said "I am willing...to take the risk in the effort to put to test the good faith of the Sandinistas." The House voted down the Contra aid, but Ortega flew to ] to accept a $200 million loan the next day, an act which in part prompted the House to pass a larger $27 million aid package six weeks later. | |||
Kerry established a separate ], Keeping America's Promise, which declared as its mandate "A Democratic Congress will restore accountability to Washington and help change a disastrous course in Iraq",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.keepingamericaspromise.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061116051342/http://www.keepingamericaspromise.com/ |archive-date=November 16, 2006 |title=Keeping America's Promise |publisher=Keepingamericaspromise.com |date=July 5, 2007 |access-date=March 12, 2010}}</ref> and raised money and channeled contributions to Democratic candidates in state and federal races.<ref>{{cite news |first=Glen |last=Johnson |title=Kerry creates PAC to back candidates |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/12/05/kerry_creates_pac_to_back_candidates/ |work=] |date=December 5, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050128194628/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/12/05/kerry_creates_pac_to_back_candidates/|archive-date=January 28, 2005|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> Through Keeping America's Promise in 2005, Kerry raised over $5.5{{spaces}}million for other Democrats up and down the ballot. Through his campaign account and his political action committee, the Kerry campaign operation generated more than $10{{spaces}}million for various party committees and 179 candidates for the U.S. House, Senate, state and local offices in 42 states focusing on the midterm elections during the 2006 election cycle.<ref>{{cite news |first=Brain C. |last=Mooney |title=Kerry's barnstorming sparks talk of a run |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/10/09/kerrys_barnstorming_sparks_talk_of_a_run/ |work=] |date=October 9, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724211845/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/10/09/kerrys_barnstorming_sparks_talk_of_a_run/|archive-date=July 24, 2008|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> "Cumulatively, John Kerry has done as much if not more than any other individual senator", Hassan Nemazee, the national finance chairman of the ] said.<ref>{{cite news |first=Rick |last=Klein |author2=Kranish, Michael |title=Kerry is pressured to share campaign wealth |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/10/21/kerry_is_pressured_to_share_campaign_wealth/ |work=] |date=October 21, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207093333/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/10/21/kerry_is_pressured_to_share_campaign_wealth/?page=2 |archive-date=December 7, 2008 |access-date=July 7, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Iran-Contra hearings=== | |||
In April ], Kerry and Senator ], a Democrat from ], proposed that hearings be conducted by the ] regarding charges of ] involvement in ] and ] ]. Sen. ] of ], the Republican chairman of the committee, agreed to conduct the hearings. | |||
On January 10, 2008, Kerry endorsed Illinois Senator ] for president.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/10/kerry.obama/index.html |title=Kerry endorses Obama over '04 running mate |publisher=CNN |date=January 10, 2008 |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=April 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409001821/http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/10/kerry.obama/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He was mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate for Senator Obama, although fellow Senator ] was eventually chosen. After Biden's acceptance of the vice presidential nomination, speculation arose that John Kerry would be a candidate for ] in the Obama administration.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hosenball|first=Mark|title=A Bid for an Obama Cabinet|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/141512|work=Newsweek|date=June 23, 2008|access-date=November 9, 2008|archive-date=October 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081026080646/http://www.newsweek.com/id/141512|url-status=live}}</ref> However, Senator ] was offered the position.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/11/hillary-clint-3.html |title=Hillary Clinton reportedly accepts Barack Obama's Cabinet offer |publisher=Latimesblogs |date=November 21, 2008 |access-date=March 12, 2010 |archive-date=December 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205155449/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/11/hillary-clint-3.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Meanwhile, Kerry's staff began their own investigations, and on ] issued a report which exposed illegal activities on the part of ] ], who had set up a private network involving the ] and the ] to deliver military equipment to right-wing Nicaraguan rebels (Contras). In effect, North and certain members of the President's administration were accused by Kerry's report of illegally funding and supplying armed militants without the authorization of Congress. | |||
During the 2012 Obama reelection campaign, Kerry participated in one-on-one debate prep with the president, impersonating the Republican candidate ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/164617347/likely-suspects-guessing-obama-s-second-term-cabinet |title=Likely Suspects: Guessing Obama's Second-Term Cabinet |first=Padmananda |last=Rama |publisher=NPR via northcountrypublicradio.org |date=November 8, 2012 |access-date=November 9, 2012 |archive-date=November 11, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111024245/http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/npr/164617347/likely-suspects-guessing-obama-s-second-term-cabinet |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
These parties were said to be involved in shipping cocaine and marijuana to the United States, with the profits from the sales going to pay for the Contra weaponry. The investigation, Kerry's report said, raised "serious questions about whether the United States has abided by the law in its handling of the contras over the past three years." The Kerry report generated a firestorm of controversy and marked the beginning of years of investigations, hearings, and televised proceedings, which altogether, were referred to by some as the ]. On ], ], North was convicted of charges relating to the Iran/Contra controversy, including three felonies. On ], ], however, North's convictions were overturned on appeal because North's testimony before Congress under immunity may have affected testimony in the trial. | |||
==Secretary of State (2013–2017)== | |||
===Other investigations=== | |||
{{Main|Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration|List of international trips made by John Kerry as United States Secretary of State}} | |||
] on February 1, 2013.]] | |||
], 2013]] | |||
===Nomination and confirmation=== | |||
Kerry's inquiry eventually widened, expanding its focus from the Contras to U.S. involvement in ], ], the ], ], and ]. In ], he released a report that slammed the Reagan administration for neglecting and undermining ] while pursuing other objectives in foreign policy. The report contended that the U.S. government "turned a blind eye" in the ] to the corruption and drug dealings of CIA-backed ]nian dictator ], who had assisted the Contras. Kerry's report concluded that the CIA and the ] had known that "individuals who provided support for the contras were involved in ]...and elements of the contras themselves knowingly received financial and material assistance from drug traffickers." While some critics attacked him as being a "]," the CIA inspector general released a pair of reports that confirmed Kerry's findings ten years later. | |||
On December 15, 2012, several news outlets reported that President ] would nominate Kerry to succeed ] as ],<ref name=ABC01>{{cite web |first=Jake |last=Tapper |url=https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/12/john-kerry-to-be-nominated-to-be-secretary-of-state-sources-say/ |title=John Kerry to Be Nominated to Be Secretary of State, Sources Say |work=ABC News |date=December 15, 2012 |access-date=December 15, 2012 |archive-date=December 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216055321/http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/12/john-kerry-to-be-nominated-to-be-secretary-of-state-sources-say/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="kerryhuff">{{cite news |url= https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/john-kerry-secretary-of-state_n_2306877.html |title= John Kerry To Get Secretary Of State Nomination, Reports ABC |work= Huffington Post |date= December 15, 2012 |access-date= December 15, 2012 |first= Paige |last= Lavender |archive-date= December 16, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121216072907/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/15/john-kerry-secretary-of-state_n_2306877.html |url-status= live }}</ref> after ], widely seen as Obama's preferred choice, withdrew her name from consideration citing a politicized confirmation process following criticism of her response to the ].<ref>{{cite web |url= http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15888883-exclusive-susan-rice-drops-out-of-running-for-secretary-of-state-cites-very-politicized-confirmation-process |title= Susan Rice drops out of running for secretary of state, cites 'very politicized' confirmation process |publisher= NBC News |date= December 12, 2012 |access-date= December 16, 2012 |archive-date= January 26, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180126053320/http://rockcenter.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/13/15888883-exclusive-susan-rice-drops-out-of-running-for-secretary-of-state-cites-very-politicized-confirmation-process |url-status= live }}</ref> On December 21, Obama proposed the nomination,<ref>{{cite news |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/22/us/politics/kerry-is-pick-for-secretary-of-state-official-says.html |title= Kerry Is Pick for Secretary of State, Official Says |newspaper= ] |date= December 21, 2012 |access-date= December 21, 2012 |last= Landler |first= Mark |author-link= Mark Landler |archive-date= December 21, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121221170415/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/22/us/politics/kerry-is-pick-for-secretary-of-state-official-says.html |url-status= live }}</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210225713/https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/12/21/remarks-president-nomination-senator-john-kerry-secretary-state |date=February 10, 2021 }}, ''The ]'', December 21, 2012.</ref> which received positive commentary. His confirmation hearing took place on January 24, 2013, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the same panel where he first testified in 1971.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2013/01/16/senator-john-kerry-confirmation-hearing-serve-secretary-state-scheduled-for-next-week/hgbzMfe7cvhff9qELYNMLJ/story.html|title=Senator John Kerry's confirmation hearing to serve as U.S. Secretary of State scheduled for next week|work=The Boston Globe|date=January 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118153314/http://www.boston.com/politicalintelligence/2013/01/16/senator-john-kerry-confirmation-hearing-serve-secretary-state-scheduled-for-next-week/hgbzMfe7cvhff9qELYNMLJ/story.html|archive-date=January 18, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo46636 |title=Nomination of John F. Kerry to be Secretary of State: Hearing Before the Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, January 24, 2013 |access-date=June 25, 2017 |archive-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124213655/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-113shrg86451/pdf/CHRG-113shrg86451.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The committee unanimously voted to approve him on January 29, 2013, and the same day the full Senate confirmed him on a vote of 94–3.<ref>{{cite news |last=Curry |first=Tom |title=Senate votes to confirm Kerry as secretary of state |url=http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/29/16758482-senate-votes-to-confirm-kerry-as-secretary-of-state |access-date=January 29, 2013 |newspaper=NBC News |date=January 29, 2013 |archive-date=May 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510143303/http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/29/16758482-senate-votes-to-confirm-kerry-as-secretary-of-state |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Senate Roll Call Vote |url= https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00005 |access-date= April 3, 2013 |date= January 29, 2013 |archive-date= March 3, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130303140609/http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=113&session=1&vote=00005 |url-status= live }}</ref> In a letter to Massachusetts Governor ], Kerry announced his ] effective February 1.<ref>{{cite news |last= Kerry |first= John |title= Letter to Deval Patrick |url= http://cache.boston.com/multimedia/2013/01/29kerry/resignation_letter.pdf |access-date= January 30, 2013 |newspaper= boston.com |date= January 29, 2013 |archive-date= October 2, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131002101244/http://cache.boston.com/multimedia/2013/01/29kerry/resignation_letter.pdf |url-status= live }}</ref> | |||
===Tenure=== | |||
The subcommittee's investigation into the connection with drug trafficking included an examination of the role of ], a veteran CIA agent and personal friend of George H. W. Bush. Rodriguez's business partner, Gerald | |||
Kerry was sworn in as Secretary of State on February 1, 2013.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Klapper |first1=Bradley |last2=Lee |first2=Matthew |date=February 1, 2013 |title=Clinton out, Kerry in as secretary of state |agency=Associated Press |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-interview-clinton-raps-benghazi-critics |url-status=usurped |access-date=February 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204020316/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-interview-clinton-raps-benghazi-critics |archive-date=February 4, 2013}}</ref> | |||
Latchinian, was convicted of a conspiracy to smuggle $10 million worth of cocaine. Felix Rodriguez had met with a money launderer named Ramon Milian Rodriguez (not related to him). Milian Rodriguez testified that, at the meeting, Felix Rodriguez accepted his offer to provide $10 million in drug money to the Contras. Felix Rodriguez, at a closed subcommittee hearing, denied this version and countered that he had not only rejected the offer but had reported it to the CIA and the FBI. Given this conflict between the two accounts of what happened, Kerry, as the subcommittee chair, arranged for Ramon Milian Rodriguez to be given a ] test. He flunked it. The subcommittee then granted Felix Rodriguez his request to give public testimony, at which time "Senator Kerry stated that he did not believe Ramon Milian Rodriguez' version of the meeting was truthful." Regardless of Rodriguez's role, however, a convicted leader of the ]n drug cartel testified at the 1991 trial of ] that the cartel had donated $10 million to the Contras. | |||
While serving as the Secretary of State, Kerry spoke in the French language on several occasions in his official capacity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYSYjLtDYLc|title=Secretary Kerry Comments on the Attack in Paris (French)|date=January 7, 2015 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref><ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023233621/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-usa-kerry/kerry-delivers-a-love-letter-to-france-in-french-idUSBRE98701U20130908 |date=October 23, 2021 }}, '']'', 2013.</ref> | |||
===Kerry and the George H.W. Bush administration=== | |||
On ], ], at a businessmen's breakfast in ], Massachusetts, Kerry made a joke about ] ] and his running mate, saying "if Bush is shot, the ] has orders to shoot ]." He apologized the following day. | |||
After six months of rigorous diplomacy within the ], Kerry was able to have Israeli and ] negotiators agree to start the ]. Senior U.S. officials stated the two sides were able to meet on July 30, 2013, at the State Department without American ] following a dinner the previous evening hosted by Kerry.<ref>{{cite news|title=Middle East Peace Talks To Resume|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/middle-east-peace-talks_n_3674741.html|access-date=July 30, 2013 | work=Huffington Post|date=July 30, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802142620/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/30/middle-east-peace-talks_n_3674741.html|archive-date=August 2, 2013}}</ref> | |||
During their investigation of Noriega, Kerry's staff found reason to believe that the ]-based ] (BCCI) had facilitated Noriega's drug trafficking and ]. This led to a separate inquiry into BCCI, and as a result, banking regulators shut down BCCI in ]. In December ], Kerry and Senator ], a Republican from ], released ''The BCCI Affair'', a report on the BCCI scandal. The report showed that the bank was crooked and was working with ], including ]. It blasted the ], the ], the ], the ], as well as influential ]s and the CIA. | |||
] in 2014. Syrian rebels ] from the United States.]] | |||
One of the Bush administration figures criticized for his handling of BCCI was ] who, in his then-role as ], was criticized about slow performance regarding the investigation. Kerry himself was criticized in some circles for not pressing harder against certain Democrats, and he was also criticized by some Democrats for pursuing his own party members, including former ] ]. The BCCI scandal was later turned over to the ] District Attorney's office. | |||
] and ] during the announcement of the ], July 14, 2015]] | |||
On September 27, 2013, he met with the ]ian ] ] during the ] and Iran summit, which eventually led to the ] nuclear agreement. It was the highest-level direct contact between the United States and Iran in the last six years, and made him the first U.S. Secretary of State to have met with his Iranian counterpart since 1979 ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/diplomats-hail-iranian-attitude-nuke-talks-220409043.html|title=Diplomats hail new Iranian attitude in nuke talks|date=September 27, 2013|work=Yahoo News|access-date=January 14, 2017|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202255/http://news.yahoo.com/diplomats-hail-iranian-attitude-nuke-talks-220409043.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.yahoo.com/u-iran-voice-optimism-caution-rare-encounter-002840696.html|title=U.S., Iran voice optimism and caution after rare encounter|date=September 27, 2013|work=Yahoo News|access-date=January 14, 2017|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092416/http://news.yahoo.com/u-iran-voice-optimism-caution-rare-encounter-002840696.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/09/214827.htm|title=Remarks After the P-5+1 Ministerial on Iran|access-date=May 22, 2019|archive-date=February 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211182135/https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/09/214827.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Before the ] election, Kerry was considered a potential running mate of ] before he chose ] ] ]. | |||
] since 1945.]] | |||
===2000 Presidential Election=== | |||
] meet with Russian President ] to discuss Syria, September 29, 2015.]] | |||
] | |||
In the State Department, Kerry quickly earned a reputation "for being aloof, keeping to himself, and not bothering to read staff memos". Career State Department officials complained that power became too centralized under Kerry's leadership, which slowed department operations when Kerry was on frequent overseas trips. Others in State described Kerry as having "a kind of diplomatic attention deficit disorder" as he shifted from topic to topic instead of focusing on long-term strategy. When asked whether he was traveling too much, he responded, "Hell no. I'm not slowing down." Despite Kerry's early achievements, morale at State was lower than under Hillary Clinton, according to department employees.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rohde|first=David|date=November 20, 2013|title=How John Kerry Could End Up Outdoing Hillary Clinton|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/12/john-kerry-will-not-be-denied/354688/|newspaper=The Atlantic|access-date=March 8, 2017|archive-date=March 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302014151/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/12/john-kerry-will-not-be-denied/354688/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, after Kerry's first six months in the State Department, a Gallup poll found he had high approval ratings among Americans as Secretary of State.<ref>{{cite news|last=Arkin|first=James|date=September 16, 2013|title=Poll: John Kerry's approval tops President Obama's|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/john-kerry-approval-rating-poll-96842.html|newspaper=Politico|access-date=December 7, 2013|archive-date=December 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131216213516/http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/john-kerry-approval-rating-poll-96842.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After a year, another poll showed Kerry's favorability continued to rise.<ref>{{cite news|last=Swift|first=Art|date=March 5, 2014|title=Secretary of State Kerry's Favorability Rising in the U.S.|url=http://www.gallup.com/poll/167741/secretary-state-kerry-favorability-rising.aspx|access-date=February 25, 2015|archive-date=February 25, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150225171822/http://www.gallup.com/poll/167741/secretary-state-kerry-favorability-rising.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Less than two years into Kerry's term, the Foreign Policy Magazine's 2014 Ivory Tower survey of international relations scholars asked, "Who was the most effective U.S. Secretary of State in the past 50 years?"; John Kerry and ] tied for 11th place out of the 15 confirmed Secretaries of State in that period.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kamen|first=Al|date=February 5, 2015|title=Scholars votes put Kerry dead last in terms of effectiveness|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2015/02/05/scholars-rank-kerry-dead-last-in-terms-of-effectiveness/|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=September 1, 2017|archive-date=September 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903230950/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/wp/2015/02/05/scholars-rank-kerry-dead-last-in-terms-of-effectiveness/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Maliniak|first=Daniel|date=February 5, 2015|title=The Best International Relations Schools in the World|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/03/top-twenty-five-schools-international-relations/|newspaper=Foreign Policy|access-date=March 8, 2017|archive-date=July 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150729093926/http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/02/03/top-twenty-five-schools-international-relations/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In the ] presidential elections, Kerry again found himself close to being chosen as the vice presidential running mate . | |||
In January 2014, having met with Vatican Secretary of State ] ], Kerry said: "We touched on just about every major issue that we are both working on, that are issues of concern to all of us. First of all, we talked at great length about Syria, and I was particularly appreciative for the Archbishop's raising this issue, and equally grateful for the Holy Father's comments{{snd}}the Pope's comments yesterday regarding his support for the Geneva{{spaces}}II process. We welcome that support. It is very important to have broad support, and I know that the Pope is particularly concerned about the massive numbers of displaced human beings and the violence that has taken over 130,000 lives."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://m.state.gov/md219654.htm|title=Remarks After Meeting With Secretary of State of the Holy See Pietro Parolin|work=state.gov|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203112534/http://m.state.gov/md219654.htm|archive-date=February 3, 2014}}</ref> | |||
A release from the presidential campaign of presumptive Democratic nominee ] listed Kerry on the short list to be selected as the vice-presidential nominee, along with North Carolina Senator ], Indiana Senator ], Missouri Congressman ], New Hampshire Governor ], and Connecticut Senator ]. | |||
Kerry expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself during the ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/after-airstrikes-kill-dozens-in-gaza-kerry-backs-israels-right-to-defend-itself/ |title=After airstrikes kill dozens in Gaza, Kerry backs Israel's right to defend itself |date=July 20, 2014 |work=The Times of Israel |access-date=October 7, 2016 |archive-date=October 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010012615/http://www.timesofisrael.com/after-airstrikes-kill-dozens-in-gaza-kerry-backs-israels-right-to-defend-itself/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Gore eventually selected Lieberman as the nominee, but Kerry continued to campaign on behalf of the Gore-Lieberman campaign through Election Day. | |||
Kerry said the United States supported the ] because ], an ally, was threatened "very directly" by the takeover of neighboring Yemen by the ], but noted that the United States would not reflexively support Saudi Arabia's proxy wars against Iran.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-us.html |title=Quiet Support for Saudis Entangles U.S. in Yemen |work=The New York Times |date=March 13, 2016 |access-date=February 9, 2017 |archive-date=May 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510230515/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/14/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-us.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===Kerry and Iraq=== | |||
On December 28, 2016, soon after ] passed 14–0 with the U.S. abstaining, Kerry joined the rest of the ] in strongly criticizing Israel's ] in a speech.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Sanger | first1=David E. | title=Kerry Rebukes Israel, Calling Settlements a Threat to Peace | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/us/politics/john-kerry-israel-palestine-peace.html | date=December 28, 2016 | newspaper=] | access-date=January 7, 2017 | archive-date=January 6, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106223154/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/28/us/politics/john-kerry-israel-palestine-peace.html | url-status=live }}</ref> His speech and criticisms met negative reactions from Israeli Prime Minister ],<ref>{{cite web | title=Israel-Palestinians: Netanyahu Condemns John Kerry Speech | url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38455753 | date=December 29, 2016 | publisher=] | access-date=January 7, 2017 | archive-date=January 8, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108113750/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38455753 | url-status=live }}</ref> while UK Prime Minister ] distanced the UK from Kerry's strongly worded speech in what appeared to be an attempt to build bridges with the incoming Trump administration.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Stewart | first1=Heather | title=Theresa May's Criticism of John Kerry Israel Speech Sparks Blunt US Reply | url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/29/theresa-may-john-kerry-comments-israel-palestine-un-resolution | date=December 29, 2016 | newspaper=] | access-date=January 7, 2017 | archive-date=January 7, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107051656/https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/dec/29/theresa-may-john-kerry-comments-israel-palestine-un-resolution | url-status=live }}</ref> Kerry's speech received positive reactions from Arab nations, but some criticized his remarks as too little, too late from the outgoing administration.<ref>{{cite news | last1=Hubbard | first1=Ben | title=Praise for Kerry's Israel Speech in Arab World, but Shrugs, Too | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/world/middleeast/john-kerry-israel-speech-arabs.html | date=December 29, 2016 | newspaper=] | access-date=January 7, 2017 | archive-date=January 3, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170103093045/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/world/middleeast/john-kerry-israel-speech-arabs.html | url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Kerry opposed the bill to allow President George H. W. Bush to go to war against ] in ]. The ] had imposed sanctions on Iraq, and Kerry argued that the sanctions then in place should be given more time to work. | |||
===Syria=== | |||
The second President Bush argued that Iraq under ] was actively developing weapons of mass destruction (see ]). Kerry cited the "threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction" as his principal reason for supporting the resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq with assurances from Bush that all diplomatic efforts would be exhausted before using such force. Kerry said on October 9, 2002; "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force-- if necessary-- to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." Bush relied on that resolution in ordering the ]. Kerry also gave a ], ] speech to Georgetown University saying "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real" Kerry did however warn the administration should exhaust its diplomatic avenues before launching war. | |||
Following the August 21, 2013, ] attributed to Syrian government forces, Kerry became a leading advocate for the use of military force against the Syrian government for what he called "a despot's brutal and flagrant use of chemical weapons".<ref>{{cite news |date=August 30, 2013 |title=Kerry Becomes Chief Advocate for U.S. Attack |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/world/middleeast/john-kerry-syria.html |newspaper=The New York Times |first1=Peter |last1=Baker |first2=Michael R. |last2=Gordon |access-date=February 9, 2017 |archive-date=April 9, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409001833/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/world/middleeast/john-kerry-syria.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
"Mr. President, do not rush to war". | |||
After the invasion of Iraq it became apparent that there was no evidence of any such weapons. Kerry then turned around to attack Bush for having misled the country: "When the president of the United States looks at you and tells you something, there should be some trust." Nevertheless, Kerry has upset many anti-war activists by saying that he does not regret being one of 29 Democratic Senators to support the resolution. He has stated that he had hoped the threat of force would induce Saddam Hussein to comply with United Nations resolutions, but that the Bush administration rushed into war. | |||
On September 9, in response to a reporter's question about whether Syrian President ] could avert a military strike, Kerry said "He could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week. Turn it over, all of it, without delay, and allow a full and total accounting for that. But he isn't about to do it, and it can't be done, obviously." This unscripted remark initiated a process that would lead to Syria agreeing to relinquish and destroy its chemical weapons arsenal, as Russia treated Kerry's statement as a serious proposal. Russian Foreign Minister ] said Russia would work "immediately" to convince Syria relinquish and destroy its large chemical weapons arsenal.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 10, 2013 |title=Syria timeline: how Kerry's gaffe became a plan |url=https://www.smh.com.au/world/syria-timeline-how-kerrys-gaffe-became-a-plan-20130910-2ti4z.html |newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=August 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802183556/https://www.smh.com.au/world/syria-timeline-how-kerrys-gaffe-became-a-plan-20130910-2ti4z.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 9, 2013 |title=John Kerry's Gaffe Heard Round the World |url=http://www.thewire.com/politics/2013/09/gaffe-heard-round-world/69205/ |newspaper=The Wire |access-date=December 19, 2013 |archive-date=December 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219090402/http://www.thewire.com/politics/2013/09/gaffe-heard-round-world/69205/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 9, 2013 |title=Kerry's Syria 'gaffe' gains swift traction |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ias_Ba-6bNuttPmPTTgcVZp1BUhw?docId=CNG.57b1e73f97bfc9c11ac2f3f75999a7f9.4e1 |agency=AFP |access-date=November 11, 2016 |archive-date=March 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140303192936/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ias_Ba-6bNuttPmPTTgcVZp1BUhw?docId=CNG.57b1e73f97bfc9c11ac2f3f75999a7f9.4e1 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=September 9, 2013 |title=White House's Syria gaffe offers Obama a chance to climb back from war |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/09/white-house-syria-gaffe-obama-war |agency=The Guardian |access-date=December 14, 2016 |archive-date=February 14, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214202705/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/09/white-house-syria-gaffe-obama-war |url-status=live }}</ref> Syria quickly welcomed this proposal and on September 14, the UN formally accepted Syria's application to join the convention banning chemical weapons, and separately, the U.S. and Russia agreed on a plan to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons by the middle of 2014, leading Kerry to declare on July 20, 2014: "we struck a deal where we got 100 percent of the chemical weapons out".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.politifact.com/john-kerry-syria-archive/ |title=Archive of fact-check "Kerry: We got '100 percent' of chemical weapons out of Syria" | PolitiFact |access-date=April 7, 2017 |archive-date=September 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901233935/http://www.politifact.com/john-kerry-syria-archive/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 28, the UN Security Council passed a resolution ordering the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons and condemning the August 21 Ghouta attack.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 6, 2013 |title=Timeline of events leading up to Syria chemical disarmament |url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131006/timeline-events-leading-syria-chemical-disarmament |agency=AFP |access-date=December 19, 2013 |archive-date=December 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220010648/http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131006/timeline-events-leading-syria-chemical-disarmament |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
During the 2004 Presidential campaign, Bush criticized Kerry for his vote in September, ] against a bill for an additional ]87 ] for expenditures in Iraq and ]. The Bush campaign also attacked Kerry for saying "I actually did vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it". Kerry co-sponsored a bill that would have provided the $87 billion and funded it by reversing some of Bush's tax cuts, but voted against the bill that provided $87 billion through deficit spending. | |||
===Latin America=== | |||
Kerry has also contended that Iraq has become a diversion from the fight against terrorism and ]. | |||
] in September 2016.]] | |||
In a speech before the ] in November 2013, Kerry remarked that the era of the ] was over. He went on to explain, "The relationship that we seek and that we have worked hard to foster is not about a United States declaration about how and when it will intervene in the affairs of other American states. It's about all of our countries viewing one another as equals, sharing responsibilities, cooperating on security issues, and adhering not to doctrine, but to the decisions that we make as partners to advance the values and the interests that we share."<ref>{{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Keith|title=Kerry Makes It Official: 'Era of Monroe Doctrine Is Over'|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/11/18/kerry-makes-it-official-era-of-monroe-doctrine-is-over/|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=November 18, 2013|access-date=August 4, 2017|archive-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709071816/https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/11/18/kerry-makes-it-official-era-of-monroe-doctrine-is-over/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Environmentalism=== | |||
===Sponsorship of legislation=== | |||
In April 2016, he signed the ] at the United Nations in New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/04/22/3771889/paris-agreement-signing/|title=Alongside 174 Nations And Holding His Granddaughter, John Kerry Signs Paris Climate Accord—ThinkProgress|last=ThinkProgress|website=]|date=April 22, 2016|access-date=April 25, 2016|archive-date=July 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720132703/http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2016/04/22/3771889/paris-agreement-signing/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
''Main article: ]'' | |||
On November 11, 2016, Kerry became the first Secretary of State and highest-ranking U.S. official to date to visit ]. Kerry spent two days on the continent meeting with researchers and staying overnight at ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/john-kerry-lands-antarctica-highest-us-official-visit-43458138|title=John Kerry Lands in Antarctica, Highest US Official to Visit|date=November 11, 2016|work=ABC News|access-date=June 28, 2020|archive-date=November 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161117165844/http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/john-kerry-lands-antarctica-highest-us-official-visit-43458138|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Kerry has sponsored or cosponsored hundreds of ]s during his time as a Senator. Areas of concern in the bills include ] concerns, ], ], ]s' and ]-] issues, and ]. | |||
In 1994, Kerry led opposition to continued funding for the ], which resulted in the end of funding for the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesciencecouncil.com/pdfs/PlentifulEnergy.pdf|title=Plentiful Energy: The Story of the Integral Fast Reactor|author=Charles E. Till & Yoon Il Chang|date=2011|publisher=Self-published|access-date=January 13, 2017|archive-date=May 9, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509030835/http://www.thesciencecouncil.com/pdfs/PlentifulEnergy.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> However, in light of increasing concerns regarding climate change, in 2017 Kerry reversed his position on nuclear power, saying "Given this challenge we face today, and given the progress of fourth generation nuclear: go for it. No other alternative, zero emissions."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2017/01/09/john-kerry-mit-climate-change|title=Speaking At MIT, Secretary Of State John Kerry Urges Action On Climate Change|first=Bruce|last=Gellerman|date=January 9, 2017|access-date=January 11, 2017|publisher=WBUR|archive-date=January 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110142357/http://www.wbur.org/bostonomix/2017/01/09/john-kerry-mit-climate-change|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Political chairmanship and presidential nomination=== | |||
Kerry was the chairman of the ] from ] to ]. He was reelected to the Senate in ], ] (after winning re-election against the then-], Republican ]), and ]. His current term will end on ] ]. | |||
===Global Connect initiative=== | |||
] from ].]] | |||
In September 2015, the U.S. Department of State unveiled a new initiative called "Global Connect" which sought to provide internet access to more than 1.5 billion people around the world within five years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247374.htm|title=U.S. State Department Launches Global Connect Initiatives at UNGA|access-date=May 22, 2019|archive-date=August 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200802170049/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2015/09/247374.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, in partnership with ], Kerry announced an investment of $171{{spaces}}million to enable "a low-cost and rapidly scalable wireless broadband network in India". OPIC's financing is aimed at helping its Indian Partner, ], to provide Internet through wireless technology.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.opic.gov/blog/opic-in-action/why-internet-access-is-key-to-development|title=Why internet access is key to development – OPIC : Overseas Private Investment Corporation|access-date=August 23, 2016|archive-date=August 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160825185954/https://www.opic.gov/blog/opic-in-action/why-internet-access-is-key-to-development|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/04/255824.htm|title=Remarks at the Global Connect Initiative Event|access-date=May 22, 2019|archive-date=June 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190612085526/https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/04/255824.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-a-novelli/the-new-road-to-developme_b_9691656.html|title=The New Road to Development: Paving the Way to Global Connectivity|author=Catherine A. Novelli|website=]|date=April 14, 2016|access-date=February 18, 2020|archive-date=October 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010155727/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/catherine-a-novelli/the-new-road-to-developme_b_9691656.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==Out of government (2017–2021)== | |||
In 2003 and 2004, the Presidential campaign of John Kerry defeated several Democratic rivals, including Sen. ] (D-N.C.), former Vermont Governor ] and ]. Kerry thus won the Democratic nomination to run for President of the United States against incumbent George W. Bush. On ], 2004, he announced his selection of John Edwards as his running mate. | |||
] in Munich in 2018]] | |||
Kerry retired from his diplomatic work following the end of the Obama administration on January 20, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/kerry-john-forbes |title=John Kerry CV |publisher=State Department website |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427081742/https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/kerry-john-forbes |url-status=live }}</ref> He did not attend ] on that day, and the following day took part in the ] in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/john-kerry-shows-up-at-womens-march-withhis-dog/article/2612580 |title=John Kerry shows up at Women's March with his dog |work=] |date=January 21, 2017 |access-date=January 28, 2017 |archive-date=August 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820063106/http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/john-kerry-shows-up-at-womens-march-withhis-dog/article/2612580 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
On ], ], Kerry conceded the Presidential race to Bush. Kerry won 59.03 million votes or about 48 percent of the popular vote; Bush won 62.04 million votes, or about 51 percent of the popular vote. Kerry received the second-highest number of votes ever for president of the United States, Bush getting the highest. Kerry carried states with a total of 252 ], but one Kerry elector voted for Kerry's running mate, Edwards, so in the final tally Kerry had 251 electoral votes to Bush's 286. Although, as in the ], there were disputes about the voting (see ]), no state was as close as ] had been in ]. | |||
Kerry has taken a strong stand against Trump policies and joined in filing a ] arguing against Trump's executive order ].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/kerry-albright-urge-court-uphold-block-trump-travel-111059791.html |title=Kerry, Albright urge court to uphold block on Trump travel ban |access-date=February 10, 2017 |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211081434/https://www.yahoo.com/news/kerry-albright-urge-court-uphold-block-trump-travel-111059791.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In November 2018, in a "Guardian Live" conversation with ], sponsored by '']'' at London's ], Kerry discussed several issues which have developed further since his tenure as Secretary of State, including ] and climate change.<ref name="GuardianLiveKerry">{{cite web |url=https://membership.theguardian.com/event/john-kerry-a-life-in-politics-49277690900 |title=John Kerry: A life in politics |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=November 15, 2018 |work=] |location=London |access-date= November 24, 2018 |archive-date= November 25, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181125073910/https://membership.theguardian.com/event/john-kerry-a-life-in-politics-49277690900 |url-status= live }}</ref> | |||
On December 5, 2019, Kerry endorsed Joe Biden's bid for the Democratic nomination for president, saying "He'll be ready on day one to put back together the country and the world that Donald Trump has broken apart"<ref>{{cite news |last1=Behrmann |first1=Savannah |title=John Kerry endorsement: 'Joe (Biden) will defeat Donald Trump next November' |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/12/05/john-kerry-endorses-joe-biden-president-2020/2625187001/ |work=USA Today |date=December 5, 2019 |access-date=January 9, 2020 |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209131516/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2019/12/05/john-kerry-endorses-joe-biden-president-2020/2625187001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and asserting that "Joe will defeat Donald Trump next November. He's the candidate with the wisdom and standing to fix what Trump has broken, to restore our place in the world, and improve the lives of working people here at home."<ref>{{cite news |first1=Kate|last1=Sullivan|first2=Eric|last2=Bradner|title=John Kerry endorses Joe Biden for 2020 election |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/05/politics/john-kerry-endorses-joe-biden/index.html |work=CNN |date=December 6, 2019 |access-date=January 9, 2020 |archive-date=December 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191224000943/https://www.cnn.com/2019/12/05/politics/john-kerry-endorses-joe-biden/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===Committee assignments=== | |||
In the Senate, Kerry serves on several committees: | |||
Following retirement from government service, Kerry signed an agreement with Simon & Schuster for publishing his planned memoirs, dealing with his life and career in government.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/323171-kerry-signs-memoir-deal/ |title=Olivia Beavers, "Kerry signs memoir deal" The Hill, Sept. 3, 2017 |newspaper=The Hill |date=March 9, 2017 |access-date=September 2, 2018 |archive-date=September 2, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180902151719/http://thehill.com/homenews/323171-kerry-signs-memoir-deal |url-status=live |last1=Beavers |first1=Olivia }}</ref> In September 2018, he published ''Every Day Is Extra''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2018/09/04/644402455/in-every-day-is-extra-john-kerry-focuses-on-his-time-in-the-political-arena |title=Scott Detrow, "In 'Every Day Is Extra,' John Kerry Focuses On His Time In The Political Arena" |newspaper=NPR |date=September 4, 2018 |access-date=October 3, 2018 |archive-date=October 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003215422/https://www.npr.org/2018/09/04/644402455/in-every-day-is-extra-john-kerry-focuses-on-his-time-in-the-political-arena |url-status=live |last1=Detrow |first1=Scott }}</ref> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
=== Leaked audiotape === | |||
Kerry was the chairman of the ] from ] to ], but lost the position when Republicans regained control of the Senate. He remains the ]. | |||
{{Main|Leaked Mohammad Javad Zarif audiotape}} | |||
On April 25, 2021, '']'' published content from a leaked audiotape of a three-hour taped conversation between economist ] and Iranian foreign minister ]. The taped conversation was connected to an oral history project, known as "In the Islamic Republic the military field rules", which documents the work of Iran's current administration.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Fassihi|first=Farnaz|date=April 26, 2021|title=Iran's Foreign Minister, in Leaked Tape, Says Revolutionary Guards Set Policies|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/world/middleeast/iran-suleimani-zarif.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426171239/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/world/middleeast/iran-suleimani-zarif.html |archive-date=April 26, 2021 |url-access=limited|url-status=live|access-date=April 28, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=April 25, 2021|title=Iran foreign minister criticises power of Qassem Suleimani in leaked interview|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/25/iran-foreign-minister-criticises-power-of-qassem-suleimani-in-leaked-interview|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> The tape was obtained by the London-based news channel ].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Blake|first=Aaron|date=April 28, 2021|title=The John Kerry-Iran controversy, explained|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/04/27/john-kerry-iran-controversy-explained/|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> | |||
Kerry also serves on several Senate subcommittees: | |||
In the tape, which the ''Times'' referred to as "extraordinary", Zarif reveals that then-Secretary of State Kerry told him that Israel attacked Iranian assets in Syria, "at least 200 times".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=GOP tears into Kerry amid Iran controversy|url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/04/26/gop-kerry-iran-debacle-484749|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=POLITICO|date=April 26, 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1"/><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title=John Kerry Denies He Shared Israeli Military Info with Iran After Leaked Audio: 'Never Happened'|url=https://people.com/politics/john-kerry-denies-he-shared-info-about-israeli-military-operations-with-iran/|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=People|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=John Kerry, the latest victim of Zarif's big mouth - Analysis|url=https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/john-kerry-the-latest-victim-of-zarifs-big-mouth-analysis-666473|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=The Jerusalem Post |date=April 27, 2021 |language=en-US}}</ref> Although the tape has not been verified, the spokesman{{who|date=August 2022}} for the Iranian foreign ministry did not deny its validity.<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Mostafa|last1=Salem|first2=Ramin|last2=Mostaghim|title=In leaked tape, Iran's foreign minister criticizes Revolutionary Guards, Qasem Soleimani|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/26/middleeast/iran-zarif-revolutionary-guards-audio-leak-intl/index.html|access-date=April 28, 2021|website=CNN|date=April 26, 2021}}</ref> | |||
* ] (ranking member) | |||
* ]. (ranking member) | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
Nineteen Republican senators signed a letter asking ] to investigate Zarif's claim{{which|date=August 2022}}.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Ellie Bufkin |date=April 29, 2021|title=Republicans call for investigation into allegations against John Kerry|url=https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/republicans-call-for-investigation-into-allegations-against-john-kerry|access-date=April 30, 2021|website=WPDE}}</ref> On April 27, 2021, Republicans called on Kerry to resign from the Biden administration's National Security Council. In a tweet, Kerry denied Zarif's account, writing, "I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false. This never happened — either when I was Secretary of State or since."<ref name=":0"/> | |||
===Issues and voting record=== | |||
A member of the ], Kerry has co-sponsored Senate legislation with such prominent conservatives as ]'s ]. While conservative special interest groups and the Bush campaign often noted that in ] Kerry was rated the ''National Journal'''s top Senate liberal, that rating was based only upon voting on legislation within that past year. In fact, in terms of career voting records, the National Journal found that Kerry is the 11th most liberal member of the Senate. Most analyses find that Kerry is "a bit" more liberal than the typical Democratic Senator. For example, ] of the University of Houston found that Kerry was tied for being the 24th most liberal Senator. | |||
==Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (2021–2024)== | |||
Kerry supports ] rights for women, endorses ] for ], opposes ] except for ], and is generally a supporter of trade agreements, having supported the ] and ] status for ], but Kerry opposed the ]. | |||
{{Main|U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate}} | |||
] in April 2021]] | |||
] and Canadian Prime Minister ] at ] in Glasgow in November 2021]] | |||
On November 23, 2020, President-elect ]'s transition team announced that Kerry would be taking a full-time position in the administration, serving as a special envoy for climate;<ref>{{Cite news|first1=Valerie|last1=Volcovici|first2=Timothy|last2=Gardner|date=November 24, 2020|title=Biden names Kerry as U.S. climate envoy, emphasizing diplomacy's role in the issue|language=en|work=]|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-biden-appointments-kerry-idUKKBN2832M5|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201218072204/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-biden-appointments-kerry-idUKKBN2832M5|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 18, 2020|access-date=November 25, 2020}}</ref> in this role he will be a principal on the ].<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Crowley|first1=Michael|last2=Smialek|first2=Jeanna|date=November 23, 2020|title=Biden Will Nominate First Women to Lead Treasury and Intelligence, and First Latino to Run Homeland Security|language=en-US|work=]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/us/politics/biden-nominees.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123170110/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/23/us/politics/biden-nominees.html |archive-date=November 23, 2020 |url-access=limited|url-status=live|access-date=November 25, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Kerry assumed office on January 20, 2021, following ]. | |||
=== Climate cooperation with China === | |||
For more information on Kerry's political views and voting record, see ]. | |||
{{Further|Climate change in China}} | |||
] in Beijing in July 2023]] | |||
In July 2023, John Kerry visited China for advance climate cooperation. The main achievement of the visit was some progress in the fields of: "] reduction commitments; reducing ]; China's objections to trade restrictions on solar panel and battery components; and ]." This was obtained despite many currently existing obstacles to cooperation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Blaine |first1=Tegan |last2=Freeman |first2=Carla |last3=Tugendhat |first3=Henry |title=What Does John Kerry's Visit Mean for U.S.-China Climate Cooperation? |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/07/what-does-john-kerrys-visit-mean-us-china-climate-cooperation |website=United States Institute of Peace |access-date=July 30, 2023}}</ref> The visit was made in the middle of the ] that set a new record of {{convert|52.2|°C}} in ]<!---三堡, sources misspelled as Sanbao--->, China, which Kerry mentioned in particular.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kerry upholds U.S.-China 'stability' in symbolic Beijing visit|date=2023-07-18|work=CNBC|last=Cheng|first=Evelyn|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/18/john-kerry-upholds-us-china-stability-in-symbolic-beijing-visit.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718130432/https://www.cnbc.com/2023/07/18/john-kerry-upholds-us-china-stability-in-symbolic-beijing-visit.html|archivedate=2023-07-18|accessdate=2023-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=中美部分会议气氛紧张!美国特使克里:气候合作可能重新定义中美关系|date=2023-07-18|work=FX168财经报社|last=云涌|url=https://www.fx168news.com/article/255361|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230718130655/https://www.fx168news.com/article/255361|archivedate=2023-07-18|accessdate=2023-07-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Graham-Harrison |first1=Emma |title=US climate envoy meets Chinese counterpart on hottest ever day in China |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/17/us-climate-envoy-kerry-meets-chinese-counterpart-amid-record-heat |access-date=August 4, 2023 |agency=The Guardian |date=July 17, 2023}}</ref> | |||
=== Climate cooperation with India === | |||
For Senator John Kerry's voting record, go to . | |||
{{Further|Climate change in India}} | |||
At the end of July 2023, John Kerry visited India. Among others he declared, the USA will be committed to the target of delivering 100 billion dollars for climate action to low income countries and no future US president can retreat from climate commitment. He criticized Donald Trump for leaving the ] before.<ref>{{cite news |last1=HAIDAR |first1=SUHASINI |title=No United States President can walk back on climate change commitments now: John Kerry |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/no-united-states-president-can-walk-back-climate-change-commitments-now-john-kerry/article67126578.ece |access-date=July 30, 2023 |agency=The Hindu |date=July 27, 2023}}</ref> | |||
=== Climate cooperation with countries in the Middle East === | |||
==Career future== | |||
{{Further|Climate change in the Middle East and North Africa}} | |||
In June 2023, Kerry made visits to ], ], and the ]. In Israel, he emphasized the need for climate legislation to reach climate targets and reached an agreement about the renewal of "Memorandum of understanding between Israel and the ]. Israel is one of the few developed countries which have still not approved a climate law and lags behind other OECD countries in climate action. Israeli environmental protection minister ] said that Israel intended to go to ] "with an ambitious and applicable climate law and put the State of Israel on the same level as the developed countries of the OECD."<ref>{{cite news |last1=JAFFE-HOFFMAN |first1=MAAYAN |title=In Israel, Kerry says US to deepen climate collaboration with Jewish state |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-745036 |access-date=August 4, 2023 |agency=The Jerusalem Post |date=June 3, 2023}}</ref> | |||
=== Departure === | |||
Immediately after the 2004 election, some Democrats mentioned Kerry as a possible contender for the 2008 Democratic nomination. His brother has said such a campaign is "conceivable," and Kerry himself reportedly said at a farewell party for his 2004 campaign staff, "There's always another four years", and has repeatedly responded to the question of running again by saying "I'm keeping all of my options open." Some aides, however, have stated that Kerry told campaign officials he could not envision another run. . It is fairly unusual for an unsuccessful presidential candidate to receive a major political party's nomination a second time. ] and ] were, respectively, the Democratic nominee in 1952 and 1956, and the Republican nominee in 1944 and 1948, but both lost twice. Republican candidate ], however, lost his presidential bid in 1960 and was renominated in 1968, winning the presidency. With Kerry's continued popularity, a second nomination is conceivable. | |||
] at ] in Glasgow in 2021]] | |||
On January 13, 2024, at least three sources close to Kerry revealed that he would step down as U.S. climate envoy by the upcoming spring.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/13/john-kerry-resigns-climate-change-envoy/|title=John Kerry to step down as top U.S. climate change negotiator|first1=Maxine|last1=Joselow|first2=Tyler|last2=Pager|newspaper=Washington Post|date=January 13, 2024|accessdate=January 13, 2024}}</ref> He told the '']'' he planned to stay active in the climate finance space.<ref>{{Cite news |title=John Kerry to keep working on climate finance after White House exit |url=https://www.ft.com/content/28e8d071-578a-44be-8490-5ffa45daa347 |access-date=2024-03-04 |newspaper=Financial Times|date=March 4, 2024 |last1=Mooney |first1=Attracta }}</ref> He officially resigned from his position on March 6, 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Lisa |date=2024-01-13 |title=John Kerry Bows Out as U.S. Climate Envoy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/13/climate/john-kerry-climate-envoy.html |access-date=2024-05-28 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> | |||
==Personal and family life== | |||
Kerry's campaign fund still holds some unspent money that he raised in running for the 2004 Democratic nomination, because he was not allowed to spend it in the general election. In mid-October, 2004, this sum was about $45 million. He donated most of that to the ] and to state Democratic parties, but he has at least $15 million left, which could be used directly for another presidential campaign, or indirectly to build his stature within the party by helping other Democratic candidates. Some criticism was leveled at Kerry for not using the remaining funds for Democratic campaigns in 2004. He has also established a separate ], Keeping America's Promise , that can raise money and channel contributions to Democratic candidates in state and federal races. | |||
===Ancestry=== | |||
Kerry's paternal ancestors came from the Fränkel family, which owned a ] in Neustadt, ] (now ], Poland), founded by ]. The Fränkels originated from Hotzenplotz, Austria (now ], Czech Republic) and Zülz, Prussia (now ], Poland).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lewandowski |first=Michał |date=2004-03-19 |title=Johnie Kerry, jesteś nasz |trans-title=John Kerry, you are ours |url=https://nto.pl/johnie-kerry-jestes-nasz/ar/3996299 |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=nto.pl |language=pl}}</ref> Kerry's paternal great-grandmother, Mathilda Fränkel, was born in Oberglogau (now ], near Prudnik) and married Benedikt Kohn from Bennisch (now ]).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2004-07-21 |title=Śląscy przodkowie Johna Kerry'ego |trans-title=John Kerry's Silesian ancestors |url=https://naukawpolsce.pl/aktualnosci/news,17758,slascy-przodkowie-johna-kerryego.html |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=naukawpolsce.pl |language=pl}}</ref> His grandparents, shoe businessman Frederick A. "Fred" Kerry and musician Ida Löwe, immigrated from the ] to the U.S. Fred, his wife, and his brother converted from ] to ] in 1901, and changed their names from Kohn to Kerry. Ida was of remote ancestry of Rabbi Sinai Loew of Worms, brother of ].<ref name="kerry-orf">{{Cite web|date=January 30, 2013|title=John Kerrys alt-österreichische Wurzeln|trans-title=John Kerry's Old Austrian Roots|url=https://noe.orf.at/v2/radio/stories/2569409/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201204144410/https://noe.orf.at/v2/radio/stories/2569409/|archive-date=December 4, 2020|access-date=May 7, 2021|website=noe.orf.at|language=de}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Hearing of roots, Czech village roots Kerry on |first=Brian|last=Whitmore |date=February 22, 2004 |newspaper=]}}</ref><ref name="Kerry-GlobeSurprise">{{cite news |url=https://boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061503.shtml |title=A privileged youth, a taste for risk |author=Kranish, Michael |newspaper=The Boston Globe |date=June 15, 2003 |access-date=January 8, 2008 |archive-date=May 13, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513122522/http://www.boston.com/globe/nation/packages/kerry/061503.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Fred and Ida Kerry emigrated to the United States in 1905, living at first in ] and eventually moving to ], by 1915.<ref name="Kerry-GlobeBio"/> According to '']'', " brother and sister of John Kerry's paternal grandmother, Otto and Jenni Lowe, died in ]". Kerry's Jewish ancestry was publicly revealed during his 2004 presidential campaign; he has stated that he was unaware of it until a reporter informed him of it in 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/16/us/kerry-s-grandfather-left-judaism-behind-in-europe.html|first=Joseph|last=Berger|title=Kerry's Grandfather Left Judaism Behind in Europe|newspaper=]|date=May 16, 2004|access-date=August 13, 2018|archive-date=August 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814073159/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/16/us/kerry-s-grandfather-left-judaism-behind-in-europe.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Kerry's maternal ancestors were of Scottish and English descent,<ref name="Kerry-GlobeBio"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Hearing of roots, Czech village roots Kerry on |url=https://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/02/22/hearing_of_roots_czech_village_roots_kerry_on/ |first=Brian|last=Whitmore |date=February 22, 2004 |newspaper=] |access-date=January 8, 2008 |archive-date=July 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726001021/http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/02/22/hearing_of_roots_czech_village_roots_kerry_on/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and his maternal grandparents were James Grant Forbes II of the ] and Margaret Tyndal Winthrop of the Dudley–Winthrop family. Margaret's paternal grandfather ] served as the 22nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Robert's father was Governor ]. Thomas' father John Still Winthrop was a great-great-grandson of ] Governor ]<ref name="news.google.com"/> and great-grandson of Governor ].<ref name="Kerry-GlobeBio">{{cite news|first1=Michael|last1=Kranish |first2=Brian C.|last2=Mooney |first3=Nina J.|last3=Easton|title=John Kerry: The Complete Biography by ''The Boston Globe'' Reporters Who Know Him Best |newspaper=]|date=April 27, 2004}}</ref> Through his mother, Kerry is a first cousin once removed of French politician ].<ref name="Reitwiesner">{{cite web |url=http://www.wargs.com/political/kerry.html |title=Ancestry of Senator John Forbes Kerry (b. 1943) |access-date=September 11, 2014 |last=Reitwiesner |first=William Addams |author-link=William Addams Reitwiesner |archive-date=April 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427081750/http://www.wargs.com/political/kerry.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
Additionally, Friends of John Kerry continues to raise money and maintains the website johnkerry.com (though now with far less content and lacking the biographies of his former running mate ], and his wife ]). | |||
== |
===Marriages and children=== | ||
] | |||
] | |||
Kerry was married to ] in 1970, and they had two daughters together: documentary filmmaker ] (born September 5, 1973) and physician ] (born December 31, 1976). | |||
Kerry's oldest friends and family call him "Johnny". Kerry is over six feet tall (6'3" according to his ), speaks fluent ], and enjoys ] and ], as well as ], ], and playing ]. According to an interview he gave to '']'' magazine in 2004, Kerry's favorite album is '']'' and he is a fan of ] and ], as well as of ] and ]. During his 2004 presidential campaign, Kerry used ]'s ''No Surrender'' as his campaign theme song. | |||
] in 2016]] | |||
Prior to his Presidential bid, John Kerry was known to have participated in several long-distance ] (centuries). Even during his many campaigns, he was reported to have visited bicycle stores both in his home state and elsewhere. | |||
] in ], 2016]] | |||
Alexandra was born days before Kerry began law school. In 1982, Julia asked Kerry for a separation while she was suffering from severe ].<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.washingtonian.com/people/madame_ex.html |last=McLellan |first=Diana |title=Lunch with Diana McLellan – Madame Ex |work=Washingtonian |issue=July 1996 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051123094018/http://www.washingtonian.com/people/madame_ex.html |postscript=. |archive-date=November 23, 2005}}</ref> They were divorced on July 25, 1988, and the marriage was formally ] in 1997. "After 14 years as a political wife, I associated politics only with anger, fear and loneliness", she wrote in ''A Change of Heart'', her book about depression. Thorne later married Richard Charlesworth, an ], and moved to ], where she became active in local environmental groups such as the ]. Thorne supported Kerry's 2004 presidential run. She died of cancer on April 27, 2006.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/04/28/julia_thorne_author_and_ex_wife_of_sen_kerry_dead_at_61/|title=Julia Thorne, author and ex-wife of Sen. Kerry, dead at 61|work=boston.com|date=April 28, 2006|access-date=February 19, 2020|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304072640/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2006/04/28/julia_thorne_author_and_ex_wife_of_sen_kerry_dead_at_61/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Kerry and his second wife—]-born businesswoman and philanthropist ], the widow of Kerry's late Pennsylvania Republican Senate colleague ]—were introduced to each other by Heinz at an ] rally in 1990. Early the following year, Senator Heinz was killed in a plane crash near ]. Teresa has three sons from her marriage to Heinz, Henry John IV, ], and ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-05-23-heinz-kerry-cover_x.htm|title=With Teresa, expect an unconventional campaign|work=USA Today|first1=Jill|last1=Lawrence|date=May 26, 2004|access-date=March 1, 2015|archive-date=March 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329011719/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-05-23-heinz-kerry-cover_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Heinz and Kerry were married on May 26, 1995, in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://old.post-gazette.com/nation/20020605teresanat1p1.asp|title=What Teresa Heinz found and what she lost|work=post-gazette.com|access-date=August 27, 2015|archive-date=August 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150817074104/http://old.post-gazette.com/nation/20020605teresanat1p1.asp|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In 2004, he named his favorite books as ], by ]; ''Flags of Our Fathers'', by James Bradley and Ron Powers; and ''Undaunted Courage'', by ]. He had recently read ''Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World'', by Margaret MacMillan. Previous reading during the campaign included ''Rogue Nation'', by Clyde Prestowitz, and '']'', by ]. His favorite movies are ] and ]. | |||
===Net worth=== | |||
In ], John Kerry was diagnosed with and successfully treated for ]. | |||
The '']'' survey estimated in 2004 that Teresa Heinz Kerry had a ] of $750{{spaces}}million. However, estimates have frequently varied, ranging from around $165{{spaces}}million to as high as $3.2{{spaces}}billion, according to a study in the '']''. Regardless of which figure is correct, Kerry was the wealthiest U.S. Senator while serving in the Senate. Independent of Heinz, Kerry is wealthy in his own right, and is the beneficiary of at least four trusts inherited from ] relatives, including his mother, ], who died in 2002. '']'' magazine (named for the ], unrelated to Kerry) estimated that if elected, and if Heinz family assets were included, Kerry would have been the third-richest U.S. president in history, when adjusted for ].<ref name=Ackman102904>{{cite news |first=Dan |last=Ackman |title=Kerry Would Be Third-Richest U.S. President If Elected |url=https://www.forbes.com/2004/02/13/cx_da_0213kerry.html |work=Forbes |date=October 29, 2004 |access-date=September 1, 2017 |archive-date=October 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010200047/https://www.forbes.com/2004/02/13/cx_da_0213kerry.html |url-status=live }}</ref> This assessment was based on Heinz's and Kerry's combined assets, but the couple signed a ] that keeps their assets separate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20040823.html |title=What is George W. Bush's net worth vs. John Kerry's net worth? |date=August 23, 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040824083032/http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20040823.html |archive-date=August 24, 2004 |publisher=Ask Yahoo!}}</ref> Kerry's financial disclosure form for 2011 put his personal assets in the range of $230,000,000 to $320,000,000,<ref>{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=Healy |title=John Kerry Personal Finance |url=http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00000245&year=2011 |work=] |year=2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127060237/http://www.opensecrets.org/pfds/CIDsummary.php?CID=N00000245&year=2011 |archive-date=January 27, 2013}}</ref> including the assets of his spouse and any dependent children. This included slightly more than $3,000,000 worth of ] assets, which increased in value by over $600,000 in 2013 when ] announced their intention to purchase the company.<ref>{{cite news |title=John Kerry May Have Made $670,000 On Today's Heinz Deal |author=Julia La Roche |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kerry-heinz-ketchup-2013-2 |newspaper=Business Insider |date=February 14, 2013 |access-date=February 18, 2013 |archive-date=February 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130217033635/http://www.businessinsider.com/john-kerry-heinz-ketchup-2013-2 |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
In April 2017, Kerry purchased an 18-acre property on the northwest corner of ] overlooking ] in the town of ]. The property is located in Seven Gates Farm and according to property records, cost $11.75{{spaces}}million for the seven bedroom home.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Arsenault |first1=Mark |last2=Shanahan |first2=Mark |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/04/26/john-kerry-switching-islands/hLY5MBMYk5hvWVlldbmeMN/story.html |title=John Kerry is switching islands |work=] |date=April 27, 2017 |access-date=April 27, 2017 |archive-date=July 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170704063340/http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/04/26/john-kerry-switching-islands/hLY5MBMYk5hvWVlldbmeMN/story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
===Family=== | |||
Kerry was ] to ] in ], and they had two children together. ] was born on ], ], days before Kerry began law school. She graduated in ] from a ] in the ] area. ] was born on ], ]. She is a graduate of Phillips Academy (like her grandfather) and ], and is currently a student at ]. Vanessa has been active in her father's Presidential campaign. | |||
===Religious beliefs=== | |||
In ] Thorne, who was suffering from severe ], asked Kerry for a separation. They were ]d on ], ]. "After 14 years as a political wife, I associated politics only with anger, fear and loneliness" she wrote in ''A Change of Heart'', her book about depression. The marriage was formally ] by the ] in ]. Thorne later married ], an ], and moved to ], where she became active in local environmental groups such as the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. During the 2004 campaign she announced that she was "100% behind" Kerry's candidacy for President. | |||
]]] | |||
Kerry is a ], and is said to have carried a religious ], a ], and a ] medal (the patron saint of travelers) when he campaigned. Discussing his faith, Kerry said: "I thought of being a priest. I was very religious while at school in ]. I was an altar boy and prayed all the time. I was very centered around the Mass and the church." He also said that the ] (]) moved him the most, stating that they taught him to "not feel sorry for myself".<ref name=ReligionBackground/> | |||
Kerry told '']'' in October 2004: | |||
Between his first and second marriages, Kerry dated actresses ] and ]. | |||
{{blockquote|text=I'm a Catholic and I practice, but at the same time I have an open-mindedness to many other expressions of spirituality that come through different religions{{spaces}}... I've spent some time reading and thinking about religion and trying to study it, and I've arrived at not so much a sense of the differences, but a sense of the similarities in so many ways.<ref name="ctoday"/>}} | |||
Kerry and his second wife, ], the widow of ] Senator ], a Republican, and former ] translator, were introduced to each other by John Heinz at an ] rally in ]. They did not meet again until after John Heinz's death, at the ] ] in ]. They married on ], ], in ]. John Kerry's stepsons – Teresa's three sons from her previous marriage – are ], ], and ]. | |||
He said that he believed that the ], the ], and the ] all share a fundamental story which connects with readers.<ref name="ctoday">{{cite magazine |url=http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2004/october/20.28.html |title=John Kerry's Open Mind |last=Stricherz |first=Mark |date=October 1, 2004 |magazine=Christianity Today |access-date=July 19, 2007 |archive-date=January 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119121135/http://www.ctlibrary.com/ct/2004/october/20.28.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
The '']'' survey estimated in ] that Teresa Heinz Kerry had a ] of $750 million. However, estimates have frequently varied, ranging from around $165 million to as high as $3.2 ], according to a study in the '']''. Regardless of which figure is given, Kerry is the wealthiest U.S. Senator. Kerry is wealthy in his own name, and is the beneficiary of at least four trusts inherited from ] members, including his mother, who died in ]. '']'' magazine (a major business magazine named for an ]) estimated that if elected, Kerry would be the third-richest U.S. President in history when adjusted for ] . This assessment was based on the couple's combined assets, but Kerry and Heinz signed a ] that keeps their assets separate. Kerry's financial disclosure form for 2002 put his personal assets in the range of $409,000 to $1.8 million, with additional assets held jointly by Kerry and his wife in the range of $300,000 to $600,000. | |||
===Health=== | |||
John Kerry has two sisters, ] and ], and a brother, ], who is a ] in Boston. Cameron converted to ] in 1983 and recently led a Kerry campaign effort in ] to reach American ] voters. | |||
In 2003, Kerry was diagnosed with and successfully treated for ].<ref>{{cite news |title=Sen. Kerry's Surgery A Success |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/11/politics/main540196.shtml |publisher=] |date=February 11, 2003 |access-date=October 28, 2005 |archive-date=April 5, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050405132718/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/02/11/politics/main540196.shtml |url-status=dead }}</ref> On May 31, 2015, Kerry broke his right leg in a biking accident in ], France, and was flown to Boston's ] for recovery. MGH Hip and Knee Replacement Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Dennis Burke,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.massgeneral.org/ortho/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=16670|title=Dennis William Burke, MD – Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA|work=massgeneral.org|access-date=August 27, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823023409/http://www.massgeneral.org/ortho/doctors/doctor.aspx?id=16670|archive-date=August 23, 2015}}</ref> who had met Kerry in France and had accompanied him in the plane from France to Boston, set Kerry's right leg on Tuesday, June 2, in a four-hour operation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/06/02/kerry-to-have-surgery-tuesday-on-broken-leg|title=Doctors complete surgery on Secretary Kerry for broken leg – US News|work=U.S. News & World Report|access-date=August 27, 2015|archive-date=July 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150730055951/http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2015/06/02/kerry-to-have-surgery-tuesday-on-broken-leg|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/01/politics/geneva-john-kerry-bike-accident/|title=Bike accident puts John Kerry in hospital – CNNPolitics.com|first1=Ben|last1=Brumfield|first2 =Elise |last2 =Labott |date=June 1, 2015|work=CNN|access-date=August 27, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924182414/http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/01/politics/geneva-john-kerry-bike-accident/|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
===Athletics and sailing=== | |||
In addition to the sports he played at Yale, Kerry is described by '']'', among others, as an "avid ]",<ref>{{cite news |first=Tim |last=Maloney |title=Kerry Au Tour |url=http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2005/tour05/news/?id=/news/2005/jul05/jul24news2 |date=July 24, 2005 |access-date=November 24, 2020 |archive-date=September 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110916110322/http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/road/2005/tour05/news/?id=%2Fnews%2F2005%2Fjul05%2Fjul24news2 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Politics? Armstrong has Kerry's vote ... maybe |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/more/specials/tour_de_france/2005/07/23/bc.cyc.tourdefrance.not.ap/ |date=July 23, 2005 |work=CNN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050725232420/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/more/specials/tour_de_france/2005/07/23/bc.cyc.tourdefrance.not.ap/ |archive-date=July 25, 2005 }}</ref> primarily riding on a road bike. Prior to his presidential bid, Kerry had participated in several long-distance ]. During his many campaigns, he was reported to have visited bicycle stores in both his home state and elsewhere. His staff requested recumbent stationary bikes for his hotel rooms.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0327061kerry2.html |title=JK hotel needs |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418062714/http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0327061kerry2.html |archive-date=April 18, 2010}}</ref> He has also been a snowboarder, windsurfer, and sailor.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron/kerry/040726|title=ESPN: Page 2 : Rink turns and big deals|work=go.com|access-date=February 6, 2020|archive-date=January 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160115232215/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=merron%2Fkerry%2F040726|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The '']'' reported on July 23, 2010, that Kerry commissioned construction on a new $7{{spaces}}million yacht (a Friendship 75) in New Zealand and moored it in ], where the Friendship yacht company is based.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.friendshipyachtcompany.com/contacts.html |title=Friendship Yacht Company |publisher=Friendship Yacht Company |access-date=August 29, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510161359/http://www.friendshipyachtcompany.com/contacts.html |archive-date=May 10, 2011 }}</ref> The article claimed this allowed him to avoid paying Massachusetts taxes on the property including approximately $437,500 in sales tax and an annual excise tax of about $500.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Fee|first1=Gayle|last2=Raposa|first2=Laura|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view/20100723senator_skipper_skips_town_on_sails_tax/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726010101/http://www.bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view/20100723senator_skipper_skips_town_on_sails_tax/|title=Sen. John Kerry skips town on sails tax|work=Boston Herald|date=July 23, 2010|archive-date=July 26, 2010|url-status=dead|access-date=July 7, 2018}}</ref> On July 27, Kerry stated he would voluntarily pay $500,000 in Massachusetts taxes on his yacht.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boston.com:80/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/07/28/kerry_will_pay_mass_tax_on_ri_yacht|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730114023/http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/07/28/kerry_will_pay_mass_tax_on_ri_yacht|archive-date=July 30, 2010|last=Slack|first=Donovan|title=Kerry will pay Mass. tax on R.I. yacht|work=]|date=July 28, 2010|access-date=August 19, 2018}}</ref> | |||
==Honors== | |||
] from French Foreign Minister ]]] | |||
John Kerry was awarded:<ref name="state.gov">{{cite web|title=Remarks at a Ceremony Awarding the Grand Cross 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to Secretary Kerry|url=https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/12/264854.htm|publisher=Department of State|access-date=December 5, 2016|archive-date=August 1, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801120620/https://2009-2017.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2016/12/264854.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
=== National === | |||
* ] (3 May 2024)<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Alanez |first=Tonya |title=John Kerry to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom - The Boston Globe |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/03/metro/john-kerry-receive-presidential-medal-freedom/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=BostonGlobe.com |language=en-US}}</ref> | |||
=== Foreign === | |||
* {{flag|Germany}}: Grand Cross 1st class of the ] | |||
* {{flag|France}}: Grand Officer of the ] | |||
==Honorary degrees== | |||
John Kerry has received several ]s in recognition of his service to the United States, These include: | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" | |||
! style="width:20%;"| State | |||
! style="width:15%;"| Date | |||
! style="width:25%;"| School | |||
! style="width:40%;"| Degree | |||
|- | |||
| Massachusetts || May 28, 1988 || ] || ]<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 16, 1988|title=News & Views - Vol. 06, No. 15 - May 16, 1988|url=http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1080&context=university_newsandviews|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010150211/http://scholarworks.umb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1080&context=university_newsandviews|archive-date=October 10, 2017|access-date=May 26, 2017|website=]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=May 28, 1988|title=Commencement Program, 1988|url=http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15774coll21/id/502/show/471/rec/22|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010150212/http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15774coll21/id/502/show/471/rec/22|archive-date=October 10, 2017|access-date=May 26, 2017|website=]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| Massachusetts || June 17, 2000 || ] || Doctor of Public Service<ref>{{Cite web|title=Commencement Speakers & Honorary Degrees|url=http://library.northeastern.edu/archives-special-collections/find-collections/northeastern-history/commencement-speakers-honorary|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218155348/http://library.northeastern.edu/archives-special-collections/find-collections/northeastern-history/commencement-speakers-honorary|archive-date=December 18, 2017|access-date=May 8, 2017|website=]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| Ohio || May 2006 || ] || Doctor of Laws<ref>{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Patrice M.|date=May 12, 2006|title=Call me 'Dr.': It's honorary degree season|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/05/12/call-me-dr-its-honorary-degree-season/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010145916/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2006-05-12/features/0605120201_1_honorary-degrees-doctorate-film-studies|archive-date=October 10, 2017|access-date=May 8, 2017|website=]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| Massachusetts || May 19, 2014 || ] || Doctor of Laws<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 24, 2014|title=Secretary of State Kerry to Deliver Commencement Address - Cousy, Finck, Izquierdo-Hernandez, Morrissey also to be given honors|url=http://www.bc.edu/publications/chronicle/FeaturesNewsTopstories/2014/topstories/secretary-of-state-kerry-to-receive-honorary-degree-from-boston-.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010150312/http://www.bc.edu/publications/chronicle/FeaturesNewsTopstories/2014/topstories/secretary-of-state-kerry-to-receive-honorary-degree-from-boston-.html|archive-date=October 10, 2017|access-date=May 8, 2017|website=]}}</ref> | |||
|- | |||
| Connecticut || May 18, 2017 || ] || Doctor of Laws<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 18, 2017|title=Yale awards honorary degrees to eight individuals for their achievements|url=https://news.yale.edu/2017/05/18/yale-awards-honorary-degrees-eight-individuals-their-achievements|access-date=January 14, 2022|website=YaleNews}}</ref> | |||
|} | |||
==Electoral history== | |||
{{Main|Electoral history of John Kerry}} | |||
<!-- summary of split off pages required --> | |||
==Works== | |||
* {{cite book |last=Kerry |first=John |author2=] |year=1971 |url= |title=] |location=New York |publisher=Macmillan Publishing |isbn=0-02-073610-X}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Kerry |first=John |author-mask=—— |year=1997 |title=The New War: The Web of Crime That Threatens America's Security |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=0-684-81815-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/newwarwebofcrime00kerr |url-access=registration}} | |||
* {{cite book |last=Kerry |first=John |author-mask=—— |year=2003 |title=A Call to Service: My Vision for a Better America |location=New York |publisher=Viking Press |isbn=0-670-03260-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/calltoservice00kerr }} | |||
* {{cite book |last1= Kerry |first1= John |author-mask= —— |first2= Teresa |year= 2007 |last2= Heinz Kerry |title= This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future |location= New York |publisher= PublicAffairs |isbn= 978-1-58648-431-6 |url= https://archive.org/details/thismomentoneart00kerr }} | |||
* {{Cite book |last=Kerry |first=John |author-mask= —— |year=2018 |title=Every Day Is Extra |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V8q2DwAAQBAJ |location=New York |publisher=Simon & Schuster |isbn=9781501178955 |oclc=1028456250}} Memoir. | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
{{portal|Government|United States|Biography}} | |||
*'']'', a documentary film about Kerry's Vietnam war and anti-war activities based on Douglas Brinkley's biography ''Tour of Duty''. | |||
* ] | |||
{{clear}} | |||
==References== | |||
==External links and references== | |||
{{ |
{{reflist}} | ||
== |
==Further reading== | ||
{{refbegin}} | |||
* — John Kerry's official website. | |||
* {{cite book |last= Brinkley |first= Douglas |title= Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War |location= New York |publisher= William Morrow & Company |year= 2004 |isbn= 0-06-056523-3 |url= https://archive.org/details/tourofdutyjohnke00brin_1 }} | |||
* — Official senatorial site. | |||
* {{cite book |last1= Kranish |first1= Michael |first2= Brian C. |last2= Mooney |first3= Nina J. |last3= Easton |title= John F. Kerry: The Boston Globe Biography |location= New York |publisher= PublicAffairs |year= 2013 |orig-year= 2004 |isbn= 9781610393379 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=PWPyKNSd4-EC |edition= Retitled |access-date= November 30, 2019 |archive-date= August 3, 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200803224717/https://books.google.com/books?id=PWPyKNSd4-EC |url-status= live |ref=none }} | |||
* | |||
* {{Cite book |last1= McMahon |first1= Kevin |first2= David |last2= Rankin |first3= Donald W. |last3= Beachler |first4= John Kenneth |last4= White|title= Winning the White House, 2004 |location= New York |publisher= Palgrave Macmillan |year= 2005 |isbn= 1-4039-6881-0}} | |||
* — PAC led by Kerry | |||
* {{cite book |last1= O'Neill |first1= John E. |last2= Corsi |first2= Jerome R. |title= Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry |location= Washington, DC |publisher= ] |year= 2004 |isbn= 0-89526-017-4 |url= https://archive.org/details/unfitforcommands00onei }} | |||
{{refend}} | |||
== |
==External links== | ||
{{sister project links|auto=yes}} | |||
*Gibbs, Nancy and Douglas Waller, "," '']'', ], ]. | |||
*], "," '']'', ], ]. | |||
*Kranish, Michael, "," '']'', ], ]. | |||
* | |||
=== |
===Official=== | ||
* —from JohnKerry.com via the ] | |||
*"" FreeKerryBook.org. | |||
*"". OpenSecrets.org. | |||
*"". Project Vote Smart. 2002-2004. | |||
*"". ] News. | |||
* - Thorough two-hour special compares Kerry and Bush. | |||
===Information=== | ===Information=== | ||
* {{CongLinks | congbio=k000148 | votesmart=53306 | fec=S4MA00069 | congress=john-kerry/1379 }}<!-- | |||
* | |||
Links formerly displayed via the CongLinks template: | |||
* - ] | |||
* at ] | |||
* - ] ]. | |||
* at ] | |||
* to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in 1971. (PDF file) | |||
* at ] | |||
* | |||
* at '']'' | |||
*, by Senator John Kerry and Senator Hank Brown, December 1992 | |||
* at ] | |||
* | |||
* at ] | |||
* - '']'' on Kerry's Vietnam service medals | |||
* at '']'' | |||
* - excerpt from Brinkley's book about Kerry's Vietnam service | |||
* at LegiStorm.com | |||
* - Kerry's long lost Jewish ethnic ancestry | |||
* at ] | |||
* in libraries (] catalog) | |||
* on ] programs | |||
* on ] | |||
* at the ] | |||
* at '']'' | |||
* at '']'' | |||
* at '']'' | |||
* {{dead link|date=November 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} at '']'' | |||
* --> | |||
* {{C-SPAN|1485}} | |||
* {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405140739/http://www.archivoelectoral.org/politicos/john-kerry/89 |date=April 5, 2014 }}—from ArchivoElectoral.org | |||
* | |||
* —'']'' on Kerry's Vietnam service medals | |||
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===Further reading=== | |||
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{{commons|John Kerry}} | |||
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*Brinkley, Douglas, ''Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War'', William Morrow & Company, 2004. ISBN 0060565233 | |||
{{s-ttl|title=]|years=1983–1985}} | |||
*Kerry, John and Vietnam Veterans Against the War, '''', MacMillan Publishing Company, 1971. ASIN 002073610X | |||
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*Kerry, John, ''The New War: The Web of Crime That Threatens America's Security,'' Simon & Schuster, 1997. ISBN 0684818159 | |||
|- | |||
*Kerry, John, ''A Call to Service: My Vision for a Better America'', Viking Press, 2003. ISBN 0670032603 | |||
{{s-bef|before=]}} | |||
*Kranish, Michael, Brian C. Mooney, and Nina J. Easton. ''John F. Kerry: The Complete Biography by the'' Boston Globe ''Reporters Who Know Him Best'', PublicAffairs, 2004. ISBN 1586482734. | |||
{{s-ttl|title=]|years=2013–2017}} | |||
*O'Neill, John E. & Corsi, Jerome R. ''Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry'', ], 2004. ISBN 0895260174 | |||
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Latest revision as of 19:59, 26 December 2024
American politician and diplomat (born 1943) For the sixteenth-century English politician, see John Kerry (MP).
John Kerry | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Kerry in 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
68th United States Secretary of State | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office February 1, 2013 – January 20, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
President | Barack Obama | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Deputy | William J. Burns Wendy Sherman (acting) Antony Blinken | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Hillary Clinton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Rex Tillerson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office January 20, 2021 – March 6, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
President | Joe Biden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Office established | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | John Podesta (Senior Advisor) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
United States Senator from Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office January 2, 1985 – February 1, 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Paul Tsongas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Mo Cowan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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66th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In office January 6, 1983 – January 2, 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Governor | Michael Dukakis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Preceded by | Thomas P. O'Neill III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Succeeded by | Evelyn Murphy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | John Forbes Kerry (1943-12-11) December 11, 1943 (age 81) Aurora, Colorado, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Parent(s) | Richard Kerry Rosemary Forbes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Relatives | Forbes family | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Civilian awards | Presidential Medal of Freedom (2024) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Military service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Allegiance | United States | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Branch/service | United States Navy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years of service | 1966–1978 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rank | Lieutenant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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John Kerry's voice
John Kerry speaks on the Ghouta chemical attack Recorded August 26, 2013 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the administration of Barack Obama. A member of the Forbes family and of the Democratic Party, he previously represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1985 to 2013 and later served as the first U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate from 2021 to 2024. Kerry was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2004 election, losing to then-incumbent president George W. Bush.
Kerry grew up in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C. In 1966, after graduating from Yale University, he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve, ultimately attaining the rank of lieutenant. During the Vietnam War, Kerry served a brief tour in South Vietnam. While commanding a Swift boat, he sustained three wounds in combat with the Viet Cong, for which he earned three Purple Heart medals. Kerry was also awarded the Silver Star Medal and the Bronze Star Medal for conduct in separate military engagements. After completing his active military service, Kerry returned to the United States and became an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. He gained national recognition as an anti-war activist, serving as a spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War organization. Kerry testified in the Fulbright Hearings before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where he described the United States government's policy in Vietnam as the cause of war crimes.
In 1972, Kerry entered electoral politics as a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district, losing to Republican Paul W. Cronin in the general election. He subsequently worked as a radio talk show host and as the executive director of an advocacy organization while attending law school. After a period in private legal practice, he was elected the 66th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1982. In 1984, Kerry was elected to the United States Senate. In 2004, Kerry won the Democratic presidential nomination alongside Senator John Edwards. He lost the Electoral College and the popular vote by slim margins, winning 251 electors to Bush's 286 and 48.3% of the popular vote to Bush's 50.7%.
In January 2013, Kerry was nominated by President Obama to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and was subsequently confirmed by his Senate colleagues. He was U.S. secretary of state throughout the second term of the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017. During his tenure, he initiated the 2013–2014 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks and negotiated agreements restricting the nuclear program of Iran, including the 2013 Joint Plan of Action and the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In 2015, Kerry signed the Paris Agreement on climate change on behalf of the United States.
In January 2021, Kerry returned to government, becoming the first person to hold the position of U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, under President Joe Biden. On March 6, Kerry left this position to work on Biden's 2024 presidential campaign. Kerry was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Biden in May 2024.
Early life and education (1943–1966)
John Forbes Kerry was born on December 11, 1943, at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in Aurora, Colorado. He is the second of four children born to Richard John Kerry, a U.S. diplomat and lawyer, and Rosemary Forbes, a nurse and social activist. His father was raised Catholic (John's paternal grandparents were Austro-Hungarian Jewish immigrants who converted to Catholicism) and his mother was Episcopalian. He was raised with an elder sister Margaret, a younger sister Diana, and a younger brother Cameron. The children were raised in their father's Catholic faith, and John served as an altar boy.
Kerry was originally considered a military brat, until his father was discharged from the Army Air Corps in 1944. Kerry lived in Groton, Massachusetts his first year and Millis, Massachusetts afterwards before moving to the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. at age seven, when his father took a position in the Department of the Navy's Office of General Counsel and soon became a diplomat in the State Department's Bureau of United Nations Affairs.
As members of the Forbes and Dudley–Winthrop families, his maternal extended family enjoyed great wealth. Kerry's parents themselves were upper-middle class, and a wealthy grand-aunt paid for him to attend elite boarding schools such as Institut Montana Zugerberg in Switzerland. Through his maternal ancestry, Kerry also descends from Rev. James McGregor who was among the first 500 Scots-Irish immigrants to Boston Harbor in the 18th century.
At the age of ten, Kerry's father took a position as the U.S. Attorney for Berlin. When Kerry was twelve, he crossed into the Soviet Occupation Zone to visit Hitler's bunker and ride through the Brandenburg Gate. If Kerry had been captured, it would have caused an international incident.
In 1957, his father was stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway, and Kerry was sent back to the United States to attend boarding school. He first attended the Fessenden School in Newton, Massachusetts, and later St. Paul's School in Concord, New Hampshire, where he learned skills in public speaking and began developing an interest in politics. Kerry founded the John Winant Society at St. Paul's to debate the issues of the day; the Society still exists there. In 1960, while at St. Paul's, he played bass in a minor rock band called The Electras with six of his classmates. The band had about five hundred copies of one album printed in 1961, which they sold some of at dances at the school; it was made available on streaming platforms many years later.
In 1962, Kerry attended Yale University, majoring in political science and residing in Jonathan Edwards College. By that year, his parents returned to Groton. While at Yale, Kerry briefly dated Janet Auchincloss, the younger half-sister of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Through Auchincloss, Kerry was invited to a day of sailing with then-President John F. Kennedy and his family.
Kerry played on the varsity Yale Bulldogs men's soccer team, earning his only letter in his senior year. He also played freshman and junior varsity hockey and, in his senior year, junior varsity lacrosse. In addition, he was a member of the Psi Upsilon fraternity and took flying lessons.
In his sophomore year, Kerry became the chairman of the Liberal Party of the Yale Political Union, and a year later he served as president of the union. Amongst his influential teachers in this period was Professor H. Bradford Westerfield, who was himself a former president of the Political Union. His involvement with the Political Union gave him an opportunity to be involved with important issues of the day, such as the civil rights movement and the New Frontier program. He also became a member of Skull and Bones Society, and traveled to Switzerland through AIESEC Yale.
Under the guidance of the speaking coach and history professor Rollin G. Osterweis, Kerry won many debates against other college students from across the nation. In March 1965, as the Vietnam War escalated, he won the Ten Eyck prize as the best orator in the junior class for a speech that was critical of U.S. foreign policy. In the speech he said, "It is the spectre of Western imperialism that causes more fear among Africans and Asians than communism and thus, it is self-defeating."
Kerry graduated from Yale with a bachelor of arts degree in 1966. Overall, he had below-average grades, graduating with a cumulative average of 76 over his four years. His freshman-year average was a 71, but he improved to an 81 average for his senior year. He never received an "A" during his time at Yale; his highest grade was an 89.
Military service (1966–1970)
Main article: Military career of John KerryDuty on USS Gridley
On February 18, 1966, Kerry enlisted in the Naval Reserve. He began his active duty military service on August 19, 1966. After completing 16 weeks of Officer Candidate School at the U.S. Naval Training Center in Newport, Rhode Island, Kerry received his officer's commission on December 16, 1966. During the 2004 election, Kerry posted his military records at his website, and permitted reporters to inspect his medical records. In 2005, Kerry released his military and medical records to the representatives of three news organizations, but has not authorized full public access to those records.
During his tour on the guided missile frigate USS Gridley, Kerry requested duty in South Vietnam, listing as his first preference a position as the commander of a Fast Patrol Craft (PCF), also known as a "Swift boat". These 50-foot (15 m) boats have aluminum hulls and have little or no armor, but are heavily armed and rely on speed. "I didn't really want to get involved in the war," Kerry said in a book of Vietnam reminiscences published in 1986. "When I signed up for the swift boats, they had very little to do with the war. They were engaged in coastal patrolling and that's what I thought I was going to be doing." However, his second choice of billet was on a river patrol boat, or "PBR", which at the time was serving a more dangerous duty on the rivers of Vietnam.
Military honors
During the night of December 2 and early morning of December 3, 1968, Kerry was in charge of a small boat operating near a peninsula north of Cam Ranh Bay together with a Swift boat (PCF-60). According to Kerry and the two crewmen who accompanied him that night, Patrick Runyon and William Zaladonis, they surprised a group of Vietnamese men unloading sampans at a river crossing, who began running and failed to obey an order to stop. As the men fled, Kerry and his crew opened fire on the sampans and destroyed them, then rapidly left. During this encounter, Kerry received a shrapnel wound in the left arm above the elbow. It was for this injury that Kerry received his first Purple Heart Medal.
Kerry received his second Purple Heart for a wound received in action on the Bồ Đề River on February 20, 1969. The plan had been for the Swift boats to be accompanied by support helicopters. On the way up the Bo De, however, the helicopters were attacked. As the Swift boats reached the Cửa Lớn River, Kerry's boat was hit by a B-40 rocket (rocket propelled grenade round), and a piece of shrapnel hit Kerry's left leg, wounding him. Thereafter, enemy fire ceased and his boat reached the Gulf of Thailand safely. Kerry continues to have shrapnel embedded in his left thigh because the doctors that first treated him decided to remove the damaged tissue and close the wound with sutures rather than make a wide opening to remove the shrapnel. Although wounded like several others earlier that day, Kerry did not lose any time off from duty.
Silver Star
Eight days later, on February 28, 1969, came the events for which Kerry was awarded his Silver Star Medal. On this occasion, Kerry was in tactical command of his Swift boat and two other Swift boats during a combat operation. Their mission on the Duong Keo River included bringing an underwater demolition team and dozens of South Vietnamese Marines to destroy enemy sampans, structures and bunkers as described in the story The Death Of PCF 43. Running into heavy small arms fire from the river banks, Kerry "directed the units to turn to the beach and charge the Viet Cong positions" and he "expertly directed" his boat's fire causing the enemy to flee while at the same time coordinating the insertion of the ninety South Vietnamese troops (according to the original medal citation signed by Admiral Elmo Zumwalt). Moving a short distance upstream, Kerry's boat was the target of a B-40 rocket round; Kerry charged the enemy positions and as his boat hove to and beached, a Viet Cong ("VC") insurgent armed with a rocket launcher emerged from a spider hole and ran. While the boat's gunner opened fire, wounding the VC in the leg, and while the other boats approached and offered cover fire, Kerry jumped from the boat to pursue the VC insurgent, subsequently killing him and capturing his loaded rocket launcher.
Kerry's commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander George Elliott, stated to Douglas Brinkley in 2003 that he did not know whether to court-martial Kerry for beaching the boat without orders or give him a medal for saving the crew. Elliott recommended Kerry for the Silver Star, and Zumwalt flew into An Thoi to personally award medals to Kerry and the rest of the sailors involved in the mission. The Navy's account of Kerry's actions is presented in the original medal citation signed by Zumwalt. The engagement was documented in an after-action report, a press release written on March 1, 1969, and a historical summary dated March 17, 1969.
Bronze Star
On March 13, 1969, on the Bái Háp River, Kerry was in charge of one of five Swift boats that were returning to their base after performing an Operation Sealords mission to transport South Vietnamese troops from the garrison at Cái Nước and MIKE Force advisors for a raid on a Vietcong camp located on the Rach Dong Cung canal. Earlier in the day, Kerry received a slight shrapnel wound in the buttocks from blowing up a rice bunker. Debarking some but not all of the passengers at a small village, the boats approached a fishing weir; one group of boats went around to the left of the weir, hugging the shore, and a group with Kerry's PCF-94 boat went around to the right, along the shoreline. A mine was detonated directly beneath the lead boat, PCF-3, as it crossed the weir to the left, lifting PCF-3 "about 2–3 ft out of water".
James Rassmann, a Green Beret advisor who was aboard Kerry's PCF-94, was knocked overboard when, according to witnesses and the documentation of the event, a mine or rocket exploded close to the boat. According to the documentation for the event, Kerry's arm was injured when he was thrown against a bulkhead during the explosion. PCF 94 returned to the scene and Kerry rescued Rassmann who was receiving sniper fire from the water. Kerry received the Bronze Star Medal with Combat "V" for "heroic achievement", for his actions during this incident; he also received his third Purple Heart.
Return from Vietnam
After Kerry's third qualifying wound, he was entitled per Navy regulations to reassignment away from combat duties. Kerry's preferred choice for reassignment was as a military aide in Boston, New York City or Washington, D.C. On April 11, 1969, he reported to the Brooklyn-based Atlantic Military Sea Transportation Service, where he would remain on active duty for the following year as a personal aide to an officer, Rear Admiral Walter Schlech. On January 1, 1970, Kerry was temporarily promoted to full lieutenant. Kerry had agreed to an extension of his active duty obligation from December 1969 to August 1970 in order to perform Swift Boat duty. John Kerry was on active duty in the United States Navy from August 1966 until January 1970. He continued to serve in the Naval Reserve until February 1978.
"Swiftboating" controversy
Main article: John Kerry military service controversyWith the continuing controversy that had surrounded the military service of George W. Bush since the 2000 presidential election (when he was accused of having used his father's political influence to gain entrance to the Texas Air National Guard, thereby protecting himself from conscription into the United States Army, and possible service in the Vietnam War), John Kerry's contrasting status as a decorated Vietnam War veteran posed a problem for Bush's re-election campaign, which Republicans sought to counter by calling Kerry's war record into question. As the presidential campaign of 2004 developed, approximately 250 members of a group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT, later renamed Swift Vets and POWs for Truth) opposed Kerry's campaign. The group held press conferences, ran ads and endorsed a book questioning Kerry's service record and his military awards. The group included several members of Kerry's unit, such as Larry Thurlow, who commanded a swift boat alongside of Kerry's, and Stephen Gardner, who served on Kerry's boat. The campaign inspired the widely used political pejorative '"swiftboating," to describe an unfair or untrue political attack. Most of Kerry's former crewmates have stated that SBVT's allegations are false.
Anti-war activism (1970–1971)
Main article: Vietnam Veterans Against the WarAfter returning to the United States, Kerry moved to Waltham, Massachusetts and joined the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW). Then numbering about 20,000, VVAW was considered by some (including the administration of President Richard Nixon) to be an effective, if controversial, component of the antiwar movement. Kerry participated in the "Winter Soldier Investigation" conducted by VVAW of U.S. atrocities in Vietnam, and he appears in a film by that name that documents the investigation. According to Nixon Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird, "I didn't approve of what he did, but I understood the protesters quite well", and he declined two requests from the Navy to court martial Reserve Lieutenant Kerry over his antiwar activity.
On April 22, 1971, Kerry appeared before a U.S. Senate committee hearing on proposals relating to ending the war. The day after this testimony, Kerry participated in a demonstration with thousands of other veterans in which he and other Vietnam War veterans threw their medals and service ribbons over a fence erected at the front steps of the United States Capitol building to dramatize their opposition to the war. Jack Smith, a Marine, read a statement explaining why the veterans were returning their military awards to the government. For more than two hours, almost 1,000 angry veterans tossed their medals, ribbons, hats, jackets, and military papers over the fence. Each veteran gave his or her name, hometown, branch of service and a statement. Kerry threw some of his own decorations and awards as well as some given to him by other veterans to throw. As Kerry threw his decorations over the fence, his statement was: "I'm not doing this for any violent reasons, but for peace and justice, and to try and make this country wake up once and for all."
Kerry was arrested on May 30, 1971, during a VVAW march to honor American POWs held captive by North Vietnam. The march was planned as a multi-day event from Concord to Boston, and while in Lexington, participants tried to camp on the village green. At 2:30 a.m., local and state police arrested 441 demonstrators, including Kerry, for trespassing. All were given the Miranda Warning and were hauled away on school buses to spend the night at the Lexington Public Works Garage. Kerry and the other protesters later paid a $5 fine, and were released. The mass arrests caused a community backlash and ended up giving positive coverage to the VVAW.
Early political career (1972–1985)
1972 congressional election
In 1970, Kerry had considered running for Congress in the Democratic primary against hawkish Democrat Philip J. Philbin of Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district, but deferred in favor of Robert Drinan, a Jesuit priest and anti-war activist, who went on to defeat Philbin. In February 1972, Kerry's wife bought a house in Worcester, with Kerry intending to run against the 4th district's aging thirteen-term incumbent Democrat, Harold Donohue. The couple never moved in. After Republican Congressman F. Bradford Morse of the neighboring 5th district announced his retirement and then resignation to become Under-Secretary-General for Political and General Assembly Affairs at the United Nations, the couple instead rented an apartment in Lowell, so that Kerry could run to succeed him.
Including Kerry, the Democratic primary race had 10 candidates, including attorney Paul J. Sheehy, State Representative Anthony R. DiFruscia, John J. Desmond and Robert B. Kennedy. Kerry ran a "very expensive, sophisticated campaign", financed by out-of-state backers and supported by many young volunteers. DiFruscia's campaign headquarters shared the same building as Kerry's. On the eve of the September 19 primary, police found Kerry's younger brother Cameron and campaign field director Thomas J. Vallely, breaking into where the building's telephone lines were located. They were arrested and charged with "breaking and entering with the intent to commit grand larceny", but the charges were dropped a year later. At the time of the incident, DiFruscia alleged that the two were trying to disrupt his get-out-the vote efforts. Vallely and Cameron Kerry maintained that they were only checking their own telephone lines because they had received an anonymous call warning that the Kerry lines would be cut.
Despite the arrests, Kerry won the primary with 20,771 votes (27.56%). Sheehy came second with 15,641 votes (20.75%), followed by DiFruscia with 12,222 votes (16.22%), Desmond with 10,213 votes (13.55%) and Kennedy with 5,632 votes (7.47%). The remaining 10,891 votes were split amongst the other five candidates, with 1970 nominee Richard Williams coming last with just 1,706 votes (2.26%).
In the general election, Kerry was initially favored to defeat the Republican candidate, former State Representative Paul W. Cronin, and conservative Democrat Roger P. Durkin, who ran as an Independent. A week after the primary, one poll put Kerry 26-points ahead of Cronin. His campaign called for a national health insurance system, discounted prescription drugs for the unemployed, a jobs program to clean up the Merrimack River and rent controls in Lowell and Lawrence. A major obstacle, however, was the district's leading newspaper, the conservative The Sun. The paper editorialized against him. It also ran critical news stories about his out-of-state contributions and his "carpetbagging", because he had only moved into the district in April. Subsequently, released "Watergate" Oval Office tape recordings of the Nixon White House showed that defeating Kerry's candidacy had attracted the personal attention of President Nixon. Kerry himself asserts that Nixon sent operatives to Lowell to help derail his campaign.
The race was the most expensive for Congress in the country that year and four days before the general election, Durkin withdrew and endorsed Cronin, hoping to see Kerry defeated. The week before, a poll had put Kerry 10 points ahead of Cronin, with Durkin at 13%. In the final days of the campaign, Kerry sensed that it was "slipping away" and Cronin emerged victorious by 110,970 votes (53.45%) to Kerry's 92,847 (44.72%). After his defeat, Kerry lamented in a letter to supporters that "for two solid weeks, called me un-American, New Left antiwar agitator, unpatriotic, and labeled me every other 'un-' and 'anti-' that they could find. It's hard to believe that one newspaper could be so powerful, but they were." He later felt that his failure to respond directly to The Sun's attacks cost him the race.
Law career
After Kerry's 1972 defeat, he and his wife bought a house in the Belvidere section of Lowell, Massachusetts, entering a decade which his brother Cameron later called "the years in exile". He spent some time working as a fundraiser for the Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere (CARE), an international humanitarian organization. In September 1973, he entered Boston College Law School. While studying, Kerry worked as a talk radio host on WBZ and, in July 1974, was named executive director of Mass Action, a Massachusetts advocacy association.
Kerry received his juris doctor (J.D.) from Boston College in 1976. While in law school he had been a student prosecutor in the office of the District Attorney of Middlesex County, John J. Droney. After passing the bar exam and being admitted to the Massachusetts bar in 1976, he went to work in that office as a full-time prosecutor and moved to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
In January 1977, Droney promoted him to First Assistant District Attorney, essentially making Kerry his campaign and media surrogate because Droney was afflicted with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease). As First Assistant, Kerry tried cases, which included winning convictions in a high-profile rape case and a murder. He also played a role in administering the office, including initiating the creation of special white-collar and organized crime units, creating programs to address the problems of rape and other crime victims and witnesses, and managing trial calendars to reflect case priorities. It was in this role in 1978 that Kerry announced an investigation into possible criminal charges against then Senator Edward Brooke, regarding "misstatements" in his first divorce trial. The inquiry ended with no charges being brought after investigators and prosecutors determined that Brooke's misstatements were pertinent to the case, but were not material enough to have affected the outcome.
Droney's health was poor and Kerry had decided to run for his position in the 1978 election should Droney drop out. However, Droney was re-elected and his health improved; he went on to re-assume many of the duties that he had delegated to Kerry. Kerry thus decided to leave, departing in 1979 with assistant DA Roanne Sragow to set up their own law firm. Kerry also worked as a commentator for WCVB-TV and co-founded a bakery, Kilvert & Forbes Ltd., with businessman and former Kennedy aide K. Dun Gifford.
Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
In the 1982 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, Lieutenant Governor Thomas P. O'Neill III declined to seek a third term, instead deciding to run for governor of Massachusetts. Kerry declared his candidacy, entering the primary election alongside Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs Evelyn Murphy, State Senator Samuel Rotondi, State Representative Lou Nickinello, and Lois Pines.
Kerry won the nomination with 325,890 votes (29%) to Murphy's 286,378 (25.48%), Rotondi's 228,086 (20.29%), Nickinello's 150,829 (13.42%) and Pines' 132,734 (11.81%). In the concurrent gubernatorial primary, former Governor Michael Dukakis defeated O'Neill and incumbent Governor Edward J. King. The Dukakis and Kerry ticket defeated the Republican ticket of John W. Sears and Leon Lombardi in the general election by 1,219,109 votes (61.92%) to 749,679 (38.08%).
As Lieutenant Governor, Kerry led meetings of the Massachusetts Governor's Council. Dukakis also delegated other tasks to Kerry, including serving as the state's liaison to the Federal government of the United States. He was also active on environmental issues, including combating acid rain.
1984 U.S. Senate election
Main article: 1984 United States Senate election in MassachusettsThe junior U.S. senator from Massachusetts, Paul Tsongas, announced in 1984 that he would be stepping down for health reasons. Kerry ran, and as in his 1982 race for Lieutenant Governor, he did not receive the endorsement of the party regulars at the state Democratic convention. Congressman James Shannon, a favorite of House Speaker Tip O'Neill, was the early favorite to win the nomination, and he "won broad establishment support and led in early polling". Again as in 1982, however, Kerry prevailed in a close primary.
In his general election campaign, Kerry promised to mix liberalism with tight budget controls. He defeated Republican Ray Shamie despite a nationwide landslide for the re-election of Republican President Ronald Reagan, for whom Massachusetts voted by a narrow margin. In his victory speech, Kerry asserted that his win meant that the people of Massachusetts "emphatically reject the politics of selfishness and the notion that women must be treated as second-class citizens".
Tsongas resigned on January 2, 1985, one day before the end of his term. Dukakis appointed Kerry to fill the vacancy, giving him seniority over other new senators who were sworn in on January 3, the scheduled start of their new terms.
U.S. Senate (1985–2013)
See also: Sponsorship of legislation by John KerryIran–Contra hearings
Main article: Kerry Committee reportOn April 18, 1985, a few months after taking his Senate seat, Kerry and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa traveled to Nicaragua and met the country's president, Daniel Ortega. Although Ortega had won internationally certified elections, the trip was criticized because Ortega and his leftist Sandinista government had strong ties to Cuba and the USSR and were accused of human rights abuses. The Sandinista government was opposed by the right-wing CIA-backed rebels known as the Contras. While in Nicaragua, Kerry and Harkin talked to people on both sides of the conflict. Through the senators, Ortega offered a cease-fire agreement in exchange for the U.S. dropping support of the Contras. The offer was denounced by the Reagan administration as a "propaganda initiative" designed to influence a House vote on a $14 million Contra aid package, but Kerry said "I am willing ... to take the risk in the effort to put to test the good faith of the Sandinistas." The House voted down the Contra aid, but Ortega flew to Moscow to accept a $200 million loan the next day, which in part prompted the House to pass a larger $27 million aid package six weeks later.
Meanwhile, Kerry's staff began their own investigations and, on October 14, issued a report that exposed illegal activities on the part of Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who had set up a private network involving the National Security Council and the CIA to deliver military equipment to right-wing Nicaraguan rebels (Contras). In effect, North and certain members of the President's administration were accused by Kerry's report of illegally funding and supplying armed militants without the authorization of Congress. Kerry's staff investigation, based on a year-long inquiry and interviews with fifty unnamed sources, is said to raise "serious questions about whether the United States has abided by the law in its handling of the contras over the past three years".
The Kerry Committee report found that "the Contra drug links included ... payments to drug traffickers by the U.S. State Department of funds authorized by the Congress for humanitarian assistance to the Contras, in some cases after the traffickers had been indicted by federal law enforcement agencies on drug charges, in others while traffickers were under active investigation by these same agencies." The U.S. State Department paid over $806,000 to known drug traffickers to carry humanitarian assistance to the Contras. Kerry's findings provoked little reaction in the media and official Washington.
The Kerry report was a precursor to the Iran–Contra affair. On May 4, 1989, North was convicted of charges relating to the Iran/Contra controversy, including three felonies. On September 16, 1991, however, North's convictions were overturned on appeal.
George H. W. Bush administration
On November 15, 1988, at a businessmen's breakfast in East Lynn, Massachusetts, Kerry made a joke about then-President-elect George H. W. Bush and his running mate, saying "if Bush is shot, the Secret Service has orders to shoot Dan Quayle." He apologized the following day.
During their investigation of General Manuel Noriega, the de facto ruler of Panama, Kerry's staff found reason to believe that the Pakistan-based Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) had facilitated Noriega's drug trafficking and money laundering. This led to a separate inquiry into BCCI, and as a result, banking regulators shut down BCCI in 1991. In December 1992, Kerry and Senator Hank Brown, a Republican from Colorado, released The BCCI Affair, a report on the BCCI scandal. The report showed that the bank was crooked and was working with terrorists, including Abu Nidal. It blasted the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury, the Customs Service, the Federal Reserve Bank, as well as influential lobbyists and the CIA.
Kerry was criticized by some Democrats for having pursued his own party members, including former Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford, although Republicans said he should have pressed against some Democrats even harder. The BCCI scandal was later turned over to the Manhattan District Attorney's office.
Precursors to presidential bid
See also: 1996 United States Senate election in Massachusetts and 2000 United States presidential electionIn 1996, Kerry faced a difficult re-election fight against Governor William Weld, a popular Republican incumbent who had been re-elected in 1994 with 71% of the vote. The race was covered nationwide as one of the most closely watched Senate races that year. Kerry and Weld held several debates and negotiated a campaign spending cap of $6.9 million at Kerry's Beacon Hill townhouse. Both candidates spent more than the cap, with each camp accusing the other of being first to break the agreement. During the campaign, Kerry spoke briefly at the 1996 Democratic National Convention. Kerry won re-election with 52 percent to Weld's 45 percent.
In the 2000 presidential election, Kerry found himself close to being chosen as the vice presidential running mate.
A release from the presidential campaign of presumptive Democratic nominee Al Gore listed Kerry on the short list to be selected as the vice-presidential nominee, along with North Carolina Senator John Edwards, Indiana Senator Evan Bayh, Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt, New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen and Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman. Gore ultimately chose Lieberman.
"You get stuck in Iraq" controversy
On October 30, 2006, Kerry was a headline speaker at a campaign rally being held for Democratic California gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California. Speaking to an audience composed mainly of college students, Kerry said, "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
The day after he made the remark, leaders from both sides of the political spectrum criticized Kerry's remarks, which he said were a botched joke. Republicans including President George W. Bush, Senator John McCain and then-Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, said that Kerry's comments were insulting to American military forces fighting in Iraq. Democratic Representative Harold Ford Jr. called on Kerry to apologize.
Kerry initially stated: "I apologize to no one for my criticism of the president and of his broken policy". Kerry also responded to criticism from George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.
Kerry said that he had intended the remark as a jab at President Bush, and described the remarks as a "botched joke", having inadvertently left out the key word "us" (which would have been, "If you don't, you get us stuck in Iraq"), as well as leaving the phrase "just ask President Bush" off of the end of the sentence. In Kerry's prepared remarks, which he released during the ensuing media frenzy, the corresponding line was "... you end up getting us stuck in a war in Iraq. Just ask President Bush". He also said that from the context of the speech which, prior to the "stuck in Iraq" line, made several specific references to Bush and elements of his biography, that Kerry was referring to President Bush and not American troops in general.
After two days of media coverage, citing a desire not to be a diversion, Kerry apologized to those who took offense at what he called the misinterpretation of his comment.
Afghanistan and Pakistan
A Washington Post report in May 2011 stated that Kerry "has emerged in the past few years as an important envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan during times of crisis", as he undertook another trip to the two countries. The killing of Osama bin Laden "has generated perhaps the most important crossroads yet", the report continued, as the senator spoke at a press conference and prepared to fly from Kabul to Pakistan. Among matters discussed during the May visit to Pakistan, under the general rubric of "recalibrating" the bilateral relationship, Kerry sought and retrieved from the Pakistanis the tail-section of the U.S. helicopter which had had to be abandoned at Abbottabad during the bin Laden strike. In 2013, Kerry met with Pakistan's army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to discuss the peace process with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Voting record
Overall
Most analyses place Kerry's voting record on the left within the Senate Democratic caucus. During the 2004 presidential election he was portrayed as a staunch liberal by conservative groups and the Bush campaign, who often noted that in 2003 Kerry was rated the top Senate liberal by National Journal. However, that rating was based only upon voting on legislation within that past year. In fact, in terms of career voting records, the National Journal found that Kerry is the 11th most liberal member of the Senate. Most analyses find that Kerry is at least slightly more liberal than the typical Democratic Senator. Kerry has stated that he opposes privatizing Social Security, supports abortion rights for adult women and minors, supports same-sex marriage, opposes capital punishment except for terrorists, supports most gun control laws, and is generally a supporter of trade agreements. In some of these, as in the case of abortion, Kerry distinguishes his personal views as in line with his Catholic faith, but believes that separation of church and state demands that he not legislate his religious beliefs upon those who do not share those beliefs. Kerry supported the North American Free Trade Agreement and Most Favored Nation status for China, but opposed the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
In July 1997, Kerry joined his Senate colleagues in voting against ratification of the Kyoto Treaty on global warming without greenhouse gas emissions limits on nations deemed developing, including India and China. Since then, Kerry has attacked President Bush, charging him with opposition to international efforts to combat global warming.
On October 1, 2008, Kerry voted for Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, also known as the TARP bailout.
Iraq
In the lead up to the Iraq War, Kerry said on October 9, 2002; "I will be voting to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." Bush relied on that resolution in ordering the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Kerry also gave a January 23, 2003, speech to Georgetown University saying "Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator; leading an oppressive regime he presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation. So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real." Kerry did, however, warn that the administration should exhaust its diplomatic avenues before launching war: "Mr. President, do not rush to war, take the time to build the coalition, because it's not winning the war that's hard, it's winning the peace that's hard."
After the invasion of Iraq, when no weapons of mass destruction were found, Kerry strongly criticized Bush, contending that he had misled the country: "When the President of the United States looks at you and tells you something, there should be some trust."
Libya
In 2011, Kerry supported American military action in Libya.
Leadership
Kerry chaired the Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs from 1991 to 1993. The committee's report, which Kerry endorsed, stated there was "no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia". In 1994 the Senate passed a resolution, sponsored by Kerry and fellow Vietnam veteran John McCain, that called for an end to the existing trade embargo against Vietnam; it was intended to pave the way for normalization. In 1995, President Bill Clinton normalized diplomatic relations with the country of Vietnam.
Kerry was the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from 1987 to 1989. He was reelected to the Senate in 1990, 1996 (after winning re-election against the then-Governor of Massachusetts Republican William Weld), 2002, and 2008. In January 2009, Kerry replaced Joe Biden as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
As a role model for campus leaders across the nation and strong advocate for global development, Kerry was honored by the Millennium Campus Network (MCN) as a Global Generation Award winner in 2011.
Committee assignments
During his tenure, Kerry served on four Senate committees and nine subcommittees:
- Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
- Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security
- Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet (chairman)
- Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
- Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries, and Coast Guard
- Subcommittee on Science and Space
- Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety, and Security
- Committee on Finance
- Committee on Foreign Relations (Chairman 2009–2013)
- Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
- Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Bicameral High-Speed and Intercity Rail Caucus
- Congressional Internet Caucus
- Congressional Vietnam-Era Veterans Caucus (Co-chair)
- International Conservation Caucus
- Senate Prosecutors Caucus (Co-chair)
- Senate Oceans Caucus
Seniority
Main article: Seniority in the United States SenateFrom the beginning of the 113th United States Congress until his resignation, Kerry ranked as the 7th most senior U.S. Senator. Due to the longevity of Ted Kennedy's service, Kerry was the most senior junior Senator in the 111th United States Congress. On Tuesday, August 25, 2009, Kerry became the senior senator from Massachusetts following Ted Kennedy's death.
Sponsorship of legislation
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (January 2023) |
Areas of concern in the bills Kerry introduced into the Senate included small business concerns, education, terrorism, veterans' and POW/MIA issues, and marine resource protection. A full list of Kerry's sponsored legislation was available on his Senate web site.
During his Senate career, Kerry was primary sponsor of the following bills (excluding resolutions and amendments sponsored). This table does not count bills which Kerry co-sponsored.
Session | Years | Bills Sponsored | Signed into law |
---|---|---|---|
99th | 1985–86 | 15 | 0 |
100th | 1987–88 | 21 | 1 |
101st | 1989–90 | 44 | 0 |
102nd | 1991–92 | 28 | 1 |
103rd | 1993–94 | 27 | 1, 2 |
104th | 1995–96 | 32 | 0 |
105th | 1997–98 | 19 | 0 |
106th | 1999–00 | 33 | 1 |
107th | 2001–02 | 81 | 1, 2, 3 |
108th | 2003–04 | 30 | 1 |
A chronological list of various bills and resolutions sponsored by Kerry follows.
- A concurrent resolution condemning North Korea's support for terrorist activities. Measure passed Senate, amended. 100th Congress.
- A resolution relating to declassification of Documents, Files, and other materials pertaining to POWs and MIAs. Agreed to without amendment. 100th Congress.
- A bill to authorize appropriations to carry out the National Sea Grant College Program Act, and for other purposes. Signed by President.
- A bill to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit certain transactions with respect to managed accounts. Referred to committee. 102nd Congress.
- A bill to authorize appropriations for the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 and to improve the program to reduce the incidental taking of marine mammals during the course of commercial fishing operations, and for other purposes. Became public law #103-238. 103rd Congress.
- A bill to amend the Small Business Act to enhance the business development opportunities of small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and for other purposes. Referred to committee. 103rd Congress.
- A bill to designate a portion of the Sudbury, Assabet, and Concord Rivers as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Passed without objection. 105th Congress.
- A bill to amend the Small Business Act with respect to the women's business center program. Became Public Law #106-165. 106th Congress.
- A bill to authorize the Small Business Administration to provide financial and business development assistance to military reservists' small businesses, and for other purposes. Referred to committee. 106th Congress.
- A bill to amend the Small Business Act with respect to the microloan program, and for other purposes. Ordered to be Reported. 107th Congress.
- A bill to reauthorize the Small Business Technology Transfer Program, and for other purposes. Became Public Law #107-50. 107th Congress.
- A bill to provide assistance to small business concerns adversely impacted by the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001, and for other purposes. Referred to committee. 107th Congress.
- A bill to provide emergency assistance to nonfarm-related small business concerns that have suffered substantial economic harm from drought. Referred to committee. 108th Congress.
- The Building and Upgrading Infrastructure for Long-Term Development (BUILD) Act, described by the National Taxpayers Union Foundation as its "most expensive bill of the Week" when it was introduced into the Senate in 2011.
2004 presidential campaign
Main article: John Kerry 2004 presidential campaign Further information: 2004 Democratic Party presidential primaries, 2004 United States presidential election, and 2004 United States election voting controversiesIn the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries, John Kerry defeated several Democratic rivals, including Sen. John Edwards (D-North Carolina), former Vermont Governor Howard Dean and retired Army General Wesley Clark. His victory in the Iowa caucuses is widely believed to be the tipping point where Kerry revived his sagging campaign in New Hampshire and the February 3, 2004, primary states like Arizona, South Carolina and New Mexico. Kerry then went on to win landslide victories in Nevada and Wisconsin. Kerry thus won the Democratic nomination to run for President of the United States against incumbent George W. Bush. On July 6, 2004, he announced his selection of John Edwards as his running mate. Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, who was Kerry's 2004 campaign adviser, wrote an article in Time magazine claiming that after the election, Kerry had said that he wished he had never picked Edwards, and that the two have since stopped speaking to each other. In a subsequent appearance on ABC's This Week, Kerry refused to respond to Shrum's allegation, calling it a "ridiculous waste of time".
During his bid to be elected president in 2004, Kerry frequently criticized President George W. Bush for starting the Iraq War. While Kerry had initially voted in support of authorizing President Bush to use force in dealing with Saddam Hussein, he voted against an $87 billion supplemental appropriations bill to pay for the subsequent war. His statement on March 16, 2004, "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it", helped the Bush campaign to paint him as a flip-flopper and has been cited as contributing to Kerry's defeat.
On November 3, 2004, Kerry conceded the race. Kerry won 59.03 million votes, or 48.3 percent of the popular vote; Bush won 62.04 million votes, or 50.7 percent of the popular vote. Kerry carried states with a total of 252 electoral votes. One Kerry elector voted for Kerry's running mate, Edwards, so in the final tally Kerry had 251 electoral votes to Bush's 286. Until Kamala Harris's loss in 2024, he was the most recent Democrat to lose the popular vote in a presidential election.
Subsequent presidential-election activities
Immediately after the 2004 election, some Democrats mentioned Kerry as a possible contender for the 2008 Democratic nomination. His brother had said such a campaign was "conceivable", and Kerry himself reportedly said at a farewell party for his 2004 campaign staff, "There's always another four years".
Kerry established a separate political action committee, Keeping America's Promise, which declared as its mandate "A Democratic Congress will restore accountability to Washington and help change a disastrous course in Iraq", and raised money and channeled contributions to Democratic candidates in state and federal races. Through Keeping America's Promise in 2005, Kerry raised over $5.5 million for other Democrats up and down the ballot. Through his campaign account and his political action committee, the Kerry campaign operation generated more than $10 million for various party committees and 179 candidates for the U.S. House, Senate, state and local offices in 42 states focusing on the midterm elections during the 2006 election cycle. "Cumulatively, John Kerry has done as much if not more than any other individual senator", Hassan Nemazee, the national finance chairman of the DSCC said.
On January 10, 2008, Kerry endorsed Illinois Senator Barack Obama for president. He was mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate for Senator Obama, although fellow Senator Joe Biden was eventually chosen. After Biden's acceptance of the vice presidential nomination, speculation arose that John Kerry would be a candidate for Secretary of State in the Obama administration. However, Senator Hillary Clinton was offered the position.
During the 2012 Obama reelection campaign, Kerry participated in one-on-one debate prep with the president, impersonating the Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
Secretary of State (2013–2017)
Main articles: Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration and List of international trips made by John Kerry as United States Secretary of StateNomination and confirmation
On December 15, 2012, several news outlets reported that President Barack Obama would nominate Kerry to succeed Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, after Susan Rice, widely seen as Obama's preferred choice, withdrew her name from consideration citing a politicized confirmation process following criticism of her response to the 2012 Benghazi attack. On December 21, Obama proposed the nomination, which received positive commentary. His confirmation hearing took place on January 24, 2013, before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the same panel where he first testified in 1971. The committee unanimously voted to approve him on January 29, 2013, and the same day the full Senate confirmed him on a vote of 94–3. In a letter to Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Kerry announced his resignation from the Senate effective February 1.
Tenure
Kerry was sworn in as Secretary of State on February 1, 2013.
While serving as the Secretary of State, Kerry spoke in the French language on several occasions in his official capacity.
After six months of rigorous diplomacy within the Middle East, Kerry was able to have Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agree to start the 2013–2014 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks. Senior U.S. officials stated the two sides were able to meet on July 30, 2013, at the State Department without American mediators following a dinner the previous evening hosted by Kerry.
On September 27, 2013, he met with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the P5+1 and Iran summit, which eventually led to the JCPOA nuclear agreement. It was the highest-level direct contact between the United States and Iran in the last six years, and made him the first U.S. Secretary of State to have met with his Iranian counterpart since 1979 Iranian Revolution.
In the State Department, Kerry quickly earned a reputation "for being aloof, keeping to himself, and not bothering to read staff memos". Career State Department officials complained that power became too centralized under Kerry's leadership, which slowed department operations when Kerry was on frequent overseas trips. Others in State described Kerry as having "a kind of diplomatic attention deficit disorder" as he shifted from topic to topic instead of focusing on long-term strategy. When asked whether he was traveling too much, he responded, "Hell no. I'm not slowing down." Despite Kerry's early achievements, morale at State was lower than under Hillary Clinton, according to department employees. However, after Kerry's first six months in the State Department, a Gallup poll found he had high approval ratings among Americans as Secretary of State. After a year, another poll showed Kerry's favorability continued to rise. Less than two years into Kerry's term, the Foreign Policy Magazine's 2014 Ivory Tower survey of international relations scholars asked, "Who was the most effective U.S. Secretary of State in the past 50 years?"; John Kerry and Lawrence Eagleburger tied for 11th place out of the 15 confirmed Secretaries of State in that period.
In January 2014, having met with Vatican Secretary of State Archbishop Pietro Parolin, Kerry said: "We touched on just about every major issue that we are both working on, that are issues of concern to all of us. First of all, we talked at great length about Syria, and I was particularly appreciative for the Archbishop's raising this issue, and equally grateful for the Holy Father's comments – the Pope's comments yesterday regarding his support for the Geneva II process. We welcome that support. It is very important to have broad support, and I know that the Pope is particularly concerned about the massive numbers of displaced human beings and the violence that has taken over 130,000 lives."
Kerry expressed support for Israel's right to defend itself during the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.
Kerry said the United States supported the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen because Saudi Arabia, an ally, was threatened "very directly" by the takeover of neighboring Yemen by the Houthis, but noted that the United States would not reflexively support Saudi Arabia's proxy wars against Iran.
On December 28, 2016, soon after United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 passed 14–0 with the U.S. abstaining, Kerry joined the rest of the U.N. Security Council in strongly criticizing Israel's settlement policies in a speech. His speech and criticisms met negative reactions from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while UK Prime Minister Theresa May distanced the UK from Kerry's strongly worded speech in what appeared to be an attempt to build bridges with the incoming Trump administration. Kerry's speech received positive reactions from Arab nations, but some criticized his remarks as too little, too late from the outgoing administration.
Syria
Following the August 21, 2013, chemical weapons attack on the Ghouta suburbs of Damascus attributed to Syrian government forces, Kerry became a leading advocate for the use of military force against the Syrian government for what he called "a despot's brutal and flagrant use of chemical weapons".
On September 9, in response to a reporter's question about whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avert a military strike, Kerry said "He could turn over every single bit of his chemical weapons to the international community in the next week. Turn it over, all of it, without delay, and allow a full and total accounting for that. But he isn't about to do it, and it can't be done, obviously." This unscripted remark initiated a process that would lead to Syria agreeing to relinquish and destroy its chemical weapons arsenal, as Russia treated Kerry's statement as a serious proposal. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would work "immediately" to convince Syria relinquish and destroy its large chemical weapons arsenal. Syria quickly welcomed this proposal and on September 14, the UN formally accepted Syria's application to join the convention banning chemical weapons, and separately, the U.S. and Russia agreed on a plan to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons by the middle of 2014, leading Kerry to declare on July 20, 2014: "we struck a deal where we got 100 percent of the chemical weapons out". On September 28, the UN Security Council passed a resolution ordering the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons and condemning the August 21 Ghouta attack.
Latin America
In a speech before the Organization of American States in November 2013, Kerry remarked that the era of the Monroe Doctrine was over. He went on to explain, "The relationship that we seek and that we have worked hard to foster is not about a United States declaration about how and when it will intervene in the affairs of other American states. It's about all of our countries viewing one another as equals, sharing responsibilities, cooperating on security issues, and adhering not to doctrine, but to the decisions that we make as partners to advance the values and the interests that we share."
Environmentalism
In April 2016, he signed the Paris Climate Accords at the United Nations in New York.
On November 11, 2016, Kerry became the first Secretary of State and highest-ranking U.S. official to date to visit Antarctica. Kerry spent two days on the continent meeting with researchers and staying overnight at McMurdo Station.
In 1994, Kerry led opposition to continued funding for the Integral Fast Reactor, which resulted in the end of funding for the project. However, in light of increasing concerns regarding climate change, in 2017 Kerry reversed his position on nuclear power, saying "Given this challenge we face today, and given the progress of fourth generation nuclear: go for it. No other alternative, zero emissions."
Global Connect initiative
In September 2015, the U.S. Department of State unveiled a new initiative called "Global Connect" which sought to provide internet access to more than 1.5 billion people around the world within five years. In 2016, in partnership with OPIC, Kerry announced an investment of $171 million to enable "a low-cost and rapidly scalable wireless broadband network in India". OPIC's financing is aimed at helping its Indian Partner, Tikona Digital Networks, to provide Internet through wireless technology.
Out of government (2017–2021)
Kerry retired from his diplomatic work following the end of the Obama administration on January 20, 2017. He did not attend Donald Trump's inauguration on that day, and the following day took part in the 2017 Women's March in Washington, D.C. Kerry has taken a strong stand against Trump policies and joined in filing a brief arguing against Trump's executive order banning entry of persons from seven Muslim countries. In November 2018, in a "Guardian Live" conversation with Andrew Rawnsley, sponsored by The Guardian at London's Central Hall, Kerry discussed several issues which have developed further since his tenure as Secretary of State, including migration into Europe and climate change.
On December 5, 2019, Kerry endorsed Joe Biden's bid for the Democratic nomination for president, saying "He'll be ready on day one to put back together the country and the world that Donald Trump has broken apart" and asserting that "Joe will defeat Donald Trump next November. He's the candidate with the wisdom and standing to fix what Trump has broken, to restore our place in the world, and improve the lives of working people here at home."
Following retirement from government service, Kerry signed an agreement with Simon & Schuster for publishing his planned memoirs, dealing with his life and career in government. In September 2018, he published Every Day Is Extra.
Leaked audiotape
Main article: Leaked Mohammad Javad Zarif audiotapeOn April 25, 2021, The New York Times published content from a leaked audiotape of a three-hour taped conversation between economist Saeed Leylaz and Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The taped conversation was connected to an oral history project, known as "In the Islamic Republic the military field rules", which documents the work of Iran's current administration. The tape was obtained by the London-based news channel Iran International.
In the tape, which the Times referred to as "extraordinary", Zarif reveals that then-Secretary of State Kerry told him that Israel attacked Iranian assets in Syria, "at least 200 times". Although the tape has not been verified, the spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry did not deny its validity.
Nineteen Republican senators signed a letter asking President Biden to investigate Zarif's claim. On April 27, 2021, Republicans called on Kerry to resign from the Biden administration's National Security Council. In a tweet, Kerry denied Zarif's account, writing, "I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false. This never happened — either when I was Secretary of State or since."
Special Presidential Envoy for Climate (2021–2024)
Main article: U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for ClimateOn November 23, 2020, President-elect Joe Biden's transition team announced that Kerry would be taking a full-time position in the administration, serving as a special envoy for climate; in this role he will be a principal on the National Security Council. Kerry assumed office on January 20, 2021, following Biden's inauguration.
Climate cooperation with China
Further information: Climate change in ChinaIn July 2023, John Kerry visited China for advance climate cooperation. The main achievement of the visit was some progress in the fields of: "methane reduction commitments; reducing China's reliance on coal; China's objections to trade restrictions on solar panel and battery components; and climate finance." This was obtained despite many currently existing obstacles to cooperation. The visit was made in the middle of the 2023 Asia heat wave that set a new record of 52.2 °C (126.0 °F) in Sanbu, Xinjiang, China, which Kerry mentioned in particular.
Climate cooperation with India
Further information: Climate change in IndiaAt the end of July 2023, John Kerry visited India. Among others he declared, the USA will be committed to the target of delivering 100 billion dollars for climate action to low income countries and no future US president can retreat from climate commitment. He criticized Donald Trump for leaving the Paris agreement before.
Climate cooperation with countries in the Middle East
Further information: Climate change in the Middle East and North AfricaIn June 2023, Kerry made visits to Israel, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates. In Israel, he emphasized the need for climate legislation to reach climate targets and reached an agreement about the renewal of "Memorandum of understanding between Israel and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Israel is one of the few developed countries which have still not approved a climate law and lags behind other OECD countries in climate action. Israeli environmental protection minister Idit Silman said that Israel intended to go to COP28 "with an ambitious and applicable climate law and put the State of Israel on the same level as the developed countries of the OECD."
Departure
On January 13, 2024, at least three sources close to Kerry revealed that he would step down as U.S. climate envoy by the upcoming spring. He told the Financial Times he planned to stay active in the climate finance space. He officially resigned from his position on March 6, 2024.
Personal and family life
Ancestry
Kerry's paternal ancestors came from the Fränkel family, which owned a textile factory in Neustadt, Upper Silesia (now Prudnik, Poland), founded by Samuel Fränkel. The Fränkels originated from Hotzenplotz, Austria (now Osoblaha, Czech Republic) and Zülz, Prussia (now Biała Prudnicka, Poland). Kerry's paternal great-grandmother, Mathilda Fränkel, was born in Oberglogau (now Głogówek, near Prudnik) and married Benedikt Kohn from Bennisch (now Horní Benešov). His grandparents, shoe businessman Frederick A. "Fred" Kerry and musician Ida Löwe, immigrated from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the U.S. Fred, his wife, and his brother converted from Judaism to Catholicism in 1901, and changed their names from Kohn to Kerry. Ida was of remote ancestry of Rabbi Sinai Loew of Worms, brother of Judah Loew ben Bezalel. Fred and Ida Kerry emigrated to the United States in 1905, living at first in Chicago and eventually moving to Brookline, Massachusetts, by 1915. According to The New York Times, " brother and sister of John Kerry's paternal grandmother, Otto and Jenni Lowe, died in concentration camps". Kerry's Jewish ancestry was publicly revealed during his 2004 presidential campaign; he has stated that he was unaware of it until a reporter informed him of it in 2003.
Kerry's maternal ancestors were of Scottish and English descent, and his maternal grandparents were James Grant Forbes II of the Forbes family and Margaret Tyndal Winthrop of the Dudley–Winthrop family. Margaret's paternal grandfather Robert Charles Winthrop served as the 22nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Robert's father was Governor Thomas Lindall Winthrop. Thomas' father John Still Winthrop was a great-great-grandson of Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop and great-grandson of Governor Thomas Dudley. Through his mother, Kerry is a first cousin once removed of French politician Brice Lalonde.
Marriages and children
Kerry was married to Julia Thorne in 1970, and they had two daughters together: documentary filmmaker Alexandra Kerry (born September 5, 1973) and physician Vanessa Kerry (born December 31, 1976).
Alexandra was born days before Kerry began law school. In 1982, Julia asked Kerry for a separation while she was suffering from severe depression. They were divorced on July 25, 1988, and the marriage was formally annulled in 1997. "After 14 years as a political wife, I associated politics only with anger, fear and loneliness", she wrote in A Change of Heart, her book about depression. Thorne later married Richard Charlesworth, an architect, and moved to Bozeman, Montana, where she became active in local environmental groups such as the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. Thorne supported Kerry's 2004 presidential run. She died of cancer on April 27, 2006.
Kerry and his second wife—Portuguese-born businesswoman and philanthropist Teresa Heinz, the widow of Kerry's late Pennsylvania Republican Senate colleague John Heinz—were introduced to each other by Heinz at an Earth Day rally in 1990. Early the following year, Senator Heinz was killed in a plane crash near Lower Merion. Teresa has three sons from her marriage to Heinz, Henry John IV, André, and Christopher. Heinz and Kerry were married on May 26, 1995, in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Net worth
The Forbes 400 survey estimated in 2004 that Teresa Heinz Kerry had a net worth of $750 million. However, estimates have frequently varied, ranging from around $165 million to as high as $3.2 billion, according to a study in the Los Angeles Times. Regardless of which figure is correct, Kerry was the wealthiest U.S. Senator while serving in the Senate. Independent of Heinz, Kerry is wealthy in his own right, and is the beneficiary of at least four trusts inherited from Forbes family relatives, including his mother, Rosemary Forbes Kerry, who died in 2002. Forbes magazine (named for the Forbes family of publishers, unrelated to Kerry) estimated that if elected, and if Heinz family assets were included, Kerry would have been the third-richest U.S. president in history, when adjusted for inflation. This assessment was based on Heinz's and Kerry's combined assets, but the couple signed a prenuptial agreement that keeps their assets separate. Kerry's financial disclosure form for 2011 put his personal assets in the range of $230,000,000 to $320,000,000, including the assets of his spouse and any dependent children. This included slightly more than $3,000,000 worth of H. J. Heinz Company assets, which increased in value by over $600,000 in 2013 when Berkshire Hathaway announced their intention to purchase the company.
In April 2017, Kerry purchased an 18-acre property on the northwest corner of Martha's Vineyard overlooking Vineyard Sound in the town of Chilmark, Massachusetts. The property is located in Seven Gates Farm and according to property records, cost $11.75 million for the seven bedroom home.
Religious beliefs
Kerry is a Roman Catholic, and is said to have carried a religious rosary, a prayer book, and a St. Christopher medal (the patron saint of travelers) when he campaigned. Discussing his faith, Kerry said: "I thought of being a priest. I was very religious while at school in Switzerland. I was an altar boy and prayed all the time. I was very centered around the Mass and the church." He also said that the Letters of Paul (Apostle Paul) moved him the most, stating that they taught him to "not feel sorry for myself".
Kerry told Christianity Today in October 2004:
I'm a Catholic and I practice, but at the same time I have an open-mindedness to many other expressions of spirituality that come through different religions ... I've spent some time reading and thinking about religion and trying to study it, and I've arrived at not so much a sense of the differences, but a sense of the similarities in so many ways.
He said that he believed that the Torah, the Quran, and the Bible all share a fundamental story which connects with readers.
Health
In 2003, Kerry was diagnosed with and successfully treated for prostate cancer. On May 31, 2015, Kerry broke his right leg in a biking accident in Scionzier, France, and was flown to Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital for recovery. MGH Hip and Knee Replacement Orthopaedic Surgeon Dr. Dennis Burke, who had met Kerry in France and had accompanied him in the plane from France to Boston, set Kerry's right leg on Tuesday, June 2, in a four-hour operation.
Athletics and sailing
In addition to the sports he played at Yale, Kerry is described by Sports Illustrated, among others, as an "avid cyclist", primarily riding on a road bike. Prior to his presidential bid, Kerry had participated in several long-distance rides. During his many campaigns, he was reported to have visited bicycle stores in both his home state and elsewhere. His staff requested recumbent stationary bikes for his hotel rooms. He has also been a snowboarder, windsurfer, and sailor.
The Boston Herald reported on July 23, 2010, that Kerry commissioned construction on a new $7 million yacht (a Friendship 75) in New Zealand and moored it in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, where the Friendship yacht company is based. The article claimed this allowed him to avoid paying Massachusetts taxes on the property including approximately $437,500 in sales tax and an annual excise tax of about $500. On July 27, Kerry stated he would voluntarily pay $500,000 in Massachusetts taxes on his yacht.
Honors
John Kerry was awarded:
National
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (3 May 2024)
Foreign
- Germany: Grand Cross 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- France: Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour
Honorary degrees
John Kerry has received several honorary degrees in recognition of his service to the United States, These include:
State | Date | School | Degree |
---|---|---|---|
Massachusetts | May 28, 1988 | University of Massachusetts Boston | Doctor of Laws |
Massachusetts | June 17, 2000 | Northeastern University | Doctor of Public Service |
Ohio | May 2006 | Kenyon College | Doctor of Laws |
Massachusetts | May 19, 2014 | Boston College | Doctor of Laws |
Connecticut | May 18, 2017 | Yale University | Doctor of Laws |
Electoral history
Main article: Electoral history of John KerryWorks
- Kerry, John; Vietnam Veterans Against the War (1971). The New Soldier. New York: Macmillan Publishing. ISBN 0-02-073610-X.
- —— (1997). The New War: The Web of Crime That Threatens America's Security. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-81815-9.
- —— (2003). A Call to Service: My Vision for a Better America. New York: Viking Press. ISBN 0-670-03260-3.
- —— Heinz Kerry, Teresa (2007). This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future. New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 978-1-58648-431-6.
- —— (2018). Every Day Is Extra. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9781501178955. OCLC 1028456250. Memoir.
See also
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Just three months after losing his campaign to be president
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Bush's job approval hovered under 50%, and he trailed Kerry in polls for much of the seven-month campaign. Kerry performed well in debates, being judged the winner in snap polls in all three. Yet he lost. One reason may have been encapsulated by his March 16 defense of his 2003 vote against the supplemental appropriation for Iraq: 'I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it.' The Bush campaign painted Kerry as a flip-flopper.
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Further reading
- Brinkley, Douglas (2004). Tour of Duty: John Kerry and the Vietnam War. New York: William Morrow & Company. ISBN 0-06-056523-3.
- Kranish, Michael; Mooney, Brian C.; Easton, Nina J. (2013) . John F. Kerry: The Boston Globe Biography (Retitled ed.). New York: PublicAffairs. ISBN 9781610393379. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
- McMahon, Kevin; Rankin, David; Beachler, Donald W.; White, John Kenneth (2005). Winning the White House, 2004. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-4039-6881-0.
- O'Neill, John E.; Corsi, Jerome R. (2004). Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing. ISBN 0-89526-017-4.
External links
Official
- Kerry's military records—from JohnKerry.com via the Internet Archive
Information
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
- Profile at Vote Smart
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- John Kerry Campaign material Archived April 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine—from ArchivoElectoral.org
- Political donations made by John Kerry
- Snopes.com: "Service Mettle"—Snopes.com on Kerry's Vietnam service medals
- John Kerry
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