Luther Strange

Luther Strange
United States Senator
from Alabama
In office
February 9, 2017 – January 3, 2018
Appointed byRobert Bentley
Preceded byJeff Sessions
Succeeded byDoug Jones
47th Attorney General of Alabama
In office
January 17, 2011 – February 9, 2017
GovernorRobert Bentley
Preceded byTroy King
Succeeded byAlice Martin (Acting)
Personal details
Born (1953-03-01) March 1, 1953 (age 71)
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Melissa Strange
Children2
EducationTulane University (BA, JD)

Luther "Big Luther"[1] Johnson Strange III (born March 1, 1953) was the junior United States Senator from Alabama. He served as the 49th Attorney General of the U.S. state of Alabama from 2011 through 2017.[2] Strange was a candidate for public office in both 2006 and 2010.[3][4]

Early life

Luther was born in Birmingham, Alabama. He studied at Tulane University earning his BA and JD degrees.

Political career

In 2006, Strange ran for Lieutenant Governor of Alabama and defeated George Wallace, Jr. in the Republican primary. Strange then lost the general election to Democrat Jim Folsom, Jr.. In 2010, Strange defeated incumbent Attorney General Troy King in the Republican primary, before going on to win the general election on November 2, 2010, against Democrat James Anderson.[5]

United States senator (2017–2018)

On December 6, 2016, Strange announced his candidacy for the seat held by Jeff Sessions after then-President-Elect Donald Trump had announced on November 18, 2016 that he would be nominating Sessions to the office of Attorney General of the United States. Strange was appointed as Senator on February 9, 2017, by Alabama governor Robert J. Bentley to fill out the seat after Sessions resigned to become Attorney General.[6]

At 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) tall, Strange is the tallest U.S. Senator in history.[7]

2017 special election

Strange ran for a full term in the 2017 special election and advanced to the Republican primary runoff, where he lost to the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, Roy Moore.[8]

Personal life

Strange is married to Melissa Strange. They have two children.

References

  1. ↑ Vogel, Kenneth P.; Bresnahan, John; Caputo, Marc. "Governor expected to pick 'Big Luther' Strange to replace Sessions". POLITICO.
  2. ↑ "About Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange". Office of the Attorney General. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 13, 2011.
  3. ↑ Dana Beyerle (2009-05-12). "Bentley, Strange to announce their office plans". Gadsden Times. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  4. ↑ "Strange leads fundraising efforts in Lt. Gov's race". Legacy.decaturdaily.com. 2006-04-26. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-05-14.
  5. ↑ Washington, Dennis. "Luther Strange declared winner for Attorney General". myfoxal.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  6. ↑ Vogel, Kenneth P.; Bresnahan, John; Caputo, Marc (8 February 2017). "Governor expected to pick 'Big Luther' Strange to replace Sessions". Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Pathé, Simone (February 9, 2017). "Alan Simpson Is No Longer the Tallest Senator, and He's OK With That". Roll Call. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  8. ↑ Burns, Alexander; Bloch, Matthew; Lee, Jasmine; Martin, Jonathan (2017-09-26). "Live Election Results: U.S. Senate Primary Runoff in Alabama". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-09-26.