1. Joseph Robert Kerrey was born on August 27,1943 and is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001.
49 Facts About Bob Kerrey
1. 2.
Bob Kerrey later faced controversy for being the commanding officer during the Thanh Phong raid, where numerous civilians were killed.
3.
Bob Kerrey was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992.
4.
Bob Kerrey retired from the Senate in 2000 and was replaced by former governor and fellow Democrat Ben Nelson.
5.
In 2012, Bob Kerrey sought election to his old Senate seat to succeed his successor, the retiring Democratic incumbent Ben Nelson.
6.
Bob Kerrey is a co-chair for the advisory board of Issue One, an organization that describes its mission as "fighting for real solutions to the problem of money in politics".
7.
In 1987, Bob Kerrey was elected to the Common Cause National Governing Board.
8.
Bob Kerrey was born in Lincoln, Nebraska on August 27,1943, the son of Elinor Fern, a University of Nebraska instructor, and James Henry Bob Kerrey, a builder and businessman.
9.
Bob Kerrey attended the public schools of Lincoln and graduated from Lincoln Northeast High School in 1961.
10.
Bob Kerrey pledged Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and during his senior year he was admitted into the Society of Innocents, the chancellor's senior honorary society of spirit boosters.
11.
Bob Kerrey served in the United States Navy as a SEAL officer during the Vietnam War.
12.
Bob Kerrey completed Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1967.
13.
Bob Kerrey received direct assignment to SEAL Team ONE, a separate organization from the Underwater Demolition Teams to which new personnel were normally assigned.
14.
Bob Kerrey was seriously wounded and lost the lower part of his right leg in combat on Hon Tre island near Nha Trang Bay on March 14,1969.
15.
Bob Kerrey was later medically discharged from the US Navy due to his wounds.
16.
Lieutenant Bob Kerrey resolutely directed his men, despite his near-unconscious state, until he was eventually evacuated by helicopter.
17.
Bob Kerrey responded to Klann's account by stating "it's not my memory of it".
18.
Bob Kerrey says she witnessed the soldiers kill five civilians.
19.
Bob Kerrey says seven men entered their hut of sixteen civilians, including five of her relatives, and killed the occupants with gunfire and an explosive device.
20.
Bob Kerrey was awarded a Bronze Star for the raid on Thanh Phong, after his unit had falsely reported all the dead civilians as enemy guerrillas.
21.
Bob Kerrey managed a friend's successful campaign for a seat in the state legislature.
22.
Bob Kerrey served as one term, 1983 to 1987, and did not run for reelection in 1986.
23.
In 1986, Bob Kerrey served as chair of the Midwestern Governors Association.
24.
In 1988, Bob Kerrey ran for the US Senate seat held by recently appointed incumbent Republican David Karnes.
25.
Bob Kerrey ran again for his old Senate seat after the retirement of Incumbent Democratic Senator Ben Nelson in 2012, but was defeated by Republican candidate State Senator Deb Fischer.
26.
Senator Bob Kerrey was a member of the Agriculture Committee and the Finance Committee, and was a member of the Appropriations Committee from 1989 to 1996.
27.
Bob Kerrey served as vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee from 1995 to 1999.
28.
Bob Kerrey was the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 104th Congress before retiring in 2001.
29.
Bob Kerrey criticized the 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture as "unfair" and "partisan".
30.
In September 1991, Bob Kerrey announced his candidacy for the 1992 Democratic nomination for president.
31.
Bob Kerrey finished third in the New Hampshire primary in February 1992, despite spending heavily on television advertising.
32.
Bob Kerrey briefly rebounded after winning the South Dakota primary but soon dropped out of the race after finishing fourth in the Colorado primary.
33.
Bob Kerrey was on Clinton's "short list" of vice presidential candidates, but Tennessee Senator Al Gore received the nod instead.
34.
Bob Kerrey served as President of The New School from 2001 to 2010.
35.
Bob Kerrey presided over an ambitious program of academic development at the university.
36.
Bob Kerrey oversaw an increase in the size of the faculty.
37.
Bob Kerrey helped to establish the Faculty Senate, which allowed the school to set university-wide standards for promotion, hiring, and faculty evaluation.
38.
On December 10,2008, it was announced that Bob Kerrey had received a vote of no confidence from the university's senior faculty.
39.
Bob Kerrey attempted to have a discussion with the students at the beginning of the occupation, but the students voted down that option.
40.
The occupation ended after 30 hours when the two parties accepted a treaty; Bob Kerrey agreed to amnesty for the students involved in the occupation, more student space, and more student input in school investments and decision making.
41.
Nguyen Duc Hien, another critic and journalist at a legal newspaper, noted that Bob Kerrey kept quiet about the atrocities in Thanh Phong for more than 30 years and only spoke publicly about it when journalists had exposed him and forced his hand.
42.
Bob Kerrey responded to the ads with an invitation for Karl Rove to eat at one of Bob Kerrey's restaurants in Nebraska, or to work out at one of his gyms that he owns in that state.
43.
On February 27,2012, The Washington Post reported that Bob Kerrey had earlier decided against a run, but that an aide had confirmed that he was now filing to seek election to his old Senate seat.
44.
Webb entered the Virginia Democratic Primary, and Bob Kerrey volunteered to serve as Webb's National Finance Chair.
45.
Bob Kerrey endorsed and appeared at campaign events for Al Franken in his bid for the US Senate in Minnesota.
46.
Bob Kerrey has two children from his previous marriage: Ben and Lindsey.
47.
Bob Kerrey has multiple grandchildren, including Will, Evelyn, and Thomas Kerrey.
48.
In 2011, Bob Kerrey was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from The New School.
49.
In 2016, Bob Kerrey received an honorary doctorate and delivered the postgraduate commencement address for Southern New Hampshire University.