Joseph Maxwell Cleland was an American politician from Georgia.
28 Facts About Max Cleland
2.
Max Cleland served as Administrator of Veterans Affairs under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981 and as Georgia Secretary of State from 1982 to 1996 before being elected to a single term in the United States Senate.
3.
Max Cleland grew up in Lithonia, Georgia, and graduated from Stetson University in the class of 1964, where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
4.
Max Cleland went on to receive a master's degree from Emory University.
5.
Max Cleland then served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of captain.
6.
Max Cleland was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star for valorous action in combat, including during the Battle of Khe Sanh on April 4,1968.
7.
In 1968, Captain Max Cleland was the Battalion Signal Officer serving with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division during the Battle of Khe Sanh.
8.
Max Cleland reached down to pick up a grenade he believed had dropped off his flak jacket.
9.
Max Cleland served from 1971 to 1975 in the Georgia Senate, and became an advocate for affairs relating to veterans.
10.
Max Cleland was the administrator of the United States Veterans Administration under President Jimmy Carter, a fellow Georgian, from 1977 to 1981.
11.
Max Cleland then served 14 years as Secretary of State of Georgia from 1982 to 1996, working closely with his future Senate colleague, Zell Miller.
12.
In 1977, Cleland received the Samuel S Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an Individual 35 Years or Under, an award given out annually by Jefferson Awards.
13.
Max Cleland voted against drilling in ANWR, and opposed Gale Norton's nomination as Secretary of the Interior in 2001.
14.
Max Cleland was strongly for free trade, voting to normalize trade relations with Vietnam, to make China's NTR status permanent, and to extend free trade to Andean nations.
15.
Max Cleland was one of the 29 Senate Democrats who backed the authorization to go to war in Iraq.
16.
Max Cleland later stated he had misgivings about the Bush administration's stance, but said he felt pressure in his tight Senate race to go along with it.
17.
In 2002 Max Cleland faced Saxby Chambliss for the Georgia Senate seat.
18.
Max Cleland enjoyed a comfortable lead in the polls early in the race but lost much ground in the weeks running up to the election.
19.
Chambliss issued a press release decrying Senator Max Cleland for "breaking his oath to protect and defend the Constitution," because Max Cleland had voted for an amendment to the Chemical Weapons Treaty that would allow individuals from "terrorist nations" to be on United Nations weapons inspection teams in Iraq.
20.
Max Cleland supporters claimed the ad questioned the senator's patriotism, while Chambliss supporters claimed it simply questioned his judgment.
21.
In 2003, Max Cleland began working for the 2004 presidential campaign of Massachusetts senator John Kerry, a Vietnam veteran; Kerry went on to win the Democratic nomination.
22.
Max Cleland often appeared at campaign events with Kerry and was considered by many to be one of his most important surrogates, partly as a symbol of the sacrifices made by soldiers for wars.
23.
On July 29,2004, Max Cleland introduced Kerry with a speech at the Democratic National Convention.
24.
In 2007, Max Cleland donated a large collection of Vietnam and personal political memorabilia to the library of his alma mater, Stetson University.
25.
The Max Cleland Collection includes more than 800 memorabilia items, more than 5,000 photos, and hundreds of CDs, DVDs, videos, and films.
26.
On May 21,2009, President Barack Obama nominated Max Cleland to serve as the next Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.
27.
Max Cleland died as a result of heart failure at his home in Atlanta on November 9,2021, at age 79.
28.
Max Cleland received an honorary degree in 2001 from Oglethorpe University in Doctor of Laws.