John Edwards biography

Synopsis

Early Years

Politician. Born June 10, 1953 in Seneca, South Carolina. The son of a mill worker and shop owner, John Edwards was raised in the small town of Robbins, North Carolina. His parents, Wallace Edwards and his wife Bobbie, struggled to make ends meet early in their marriage. In fact, when John was born his father had to borrow money to pay the hospital the $100 to bring his wife and son home.

John Edwards revered his father, a tough, street-smart man who taught his son to stand-up for himself. One story recounts a six-year-old Edwards coming home and complaining to his father about getting beat up. "Don't bring that stuff home," Wallace Edwards said. "You go out there and fight for yourself."

Wallace was also a hard worker. By his son's third birthday, he'd moved the family five times around the Carolinas, the result of promotions and his own desire to carve out a better life. Eventually, the Edwards family, which had started out in a public housing project, had a home of its own on a tree-lined street.

While not an exceptional student in high school, Edwards got decent grades and then enrolled at North Carolina State University, where he proved to be a hard worker himself and graduated with honors in 1974. He earned his law degree in 1977 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Edwards made his career and fortune as a trial lawyer, mostly representing families and children against large corporations and the insurance industry.

Political Years

In 1998, John Edwards, a political novice, brought this spirit of advocacy to the political arena, running for and winning a seat in the United States Senate by unseating a Republican incumbent. It didn't hurt that Edwards tapped his own fortune to help underwrite the campaign, contributing $3 million alone to secure the party's nomination.

In Congress, Edwards championed familiar causes: quality health care, better schools, protecting civil liberties and saving Social Security and Medicare. As a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Edwards also worked to strengthen national defense and homeland security.

In July 2004, after failing to capture the Democratic nomination for President, the party's nominee, John Kerry chose Edwards to be his running mate. In November 2004, after a hard-fought and often bitter campaign, Kerry conceded the presidential election to incumbent George W. Bush.