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John Kerry biography

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Senator John Kerry has supported free trade, expansive foreign and military policy and education spending. In 2004, he was a democratic presidential nominee.


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In July, Kerry chose North Carolina senator and former trial lawyer John Edwards as his running mate. Later that month, Kerry and Edwards were joined by speakers Bill and Hillary Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Madeline Albright and others at the Democratic National Convention in Boston. In November 2004, after a hard-fought and often bitter campaign,

Kerry conceded the presidential election to incumbent George W. Bush.

Secretary of State

After his failed presidential bid, Kerry continued to be a strong presence in the U.S. Senate. He became chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2009. In 2011, Kerry was asked to help sort out the nation's fiscal problems as a member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction.

In December 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Kerry to be his next secretary of state. Kerry succeeded Hillary Clinton who previously held the post. Obama considered Kerry to be the ideal candidate for the job with his decades of political experience. "John's played a central role in every major foreign policy debate for nearly 30 years," Obama said in a press conference, according to CNN.

Kerry's nomination was approved by the vast majority of the Senate with a 94 to 3 vote on January 29, 2013. His years on experience with matters of foreign policy will prove to be a great asset for his new job. As his fellow Democrat, Senator Bob Menendez, explained, "Kerry will need no introduction to the world's political and military leaders." The new secretary of state "will begin Day 1 fully conversant not only with the intricacies of U.S. foreign policy, but able to act on a multitude of international stages," Menendez added, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Personal Life

In 1995, Kerry married Teresa Heinz, who is the widow of former Senator John Heinz and heir to the Heinz fortune. Kerry has two daughters from a previous marriage, Alexandra and Vanessa. Teresa has three sons, John, Andre and Christopher. The couple lives in Boston.

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