Michael Bennet

Michael Bennet
United States Senator from Colorado
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 21, 2009 Serving with Mark Udall
Preceded by	Ken Salazar
Superintendent of Denver Public Schools
In office September 1, 2005 – January 21, 2009
Preceded by	Jerome Wartgow
Succeeded by	Tom Boasberg
Born	November 28, 1964 (1964-11-28) (age 45) New Delhi, India
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Susan Daggett
Children	Caroline, Halina, Anne
Residence	Denver, Colorado
Alma mater	Yale Law School (J.D.) Wesleyan University (B.A.)
Occupation	political assistant, college administrator, media executive
Religion	Unspecified[1]

Michael Farrand Bennet (born November 28, 1964) is an American politician and the junior United States Senator from Colorado.

Early life, family, and education

He was born in New Delhi while his father, Douglas J. Bennet, was serving as an aide to Chester Bowles, then the U.S. ambassador to India.^[1] The elder Bennet ran the United States Agency for International Development under President Jimmy Carter,^[2] served as President and CEO of National Public Radio (1983-1993), Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs in the Clinton Administration (1993-1995), and President of Wesleyan University (1995-2007). His grandfather, Douglas Bennet, had been an economic adviser in Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration.^[2] His grandmother, Phoebe Bennet née Benedict, is a direct-line descendant of Edward Fuller, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean from England to Plymouth Colony on the Mayflower in 1620.^[3]

Bennet's mother, Susanne Bennet née Klejman, immigrated to the United States with her family from Warsaw, Poland in 1950. Her parents were Polish Jews and survived imprisonment in the Warsaw Ghetto.^[1] Bennet's mother is a retired school librarian who teaches English as a second language for a Washington nonprofit,^[4] and is also an art historian specializing in Roman antiquities.^[5] She is fluent in English, Polish, Swedish and Spanish.^[1]

His brother, James Bennet, is editor of Atlantic Monthly and a former correspondent of The New York Times.^[5]

He grew up in Washington, D.C. as his father served as an aide to Vice President Hubert Humphrey, among others. Bennet was held back in second grade because of his struggle with dyslexia.^[1][6] He was enrolled at St. Albans School, an all-boys preparatory school, and served as a page on Capitol Hill.^[7]

On October 26, 1997, he married natural resources attorney Susan Daggett in Marianna, Arkansas.^[8] They have three daughters and reside in Denver's Congress Park neighborhood.^[9]

Bennet earned his bachelor's degree in history with honors from Wesleyan University, where he was a member of Beta Theta Pi, and his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law Journal.^[10]

Though neither of his parents were religiously observant, Bennet has stated that he was "raised with two different heritages, one [that] was Jewish and one [that] was Christian," and that he believes in God.^[1]

Background

Bennet began his career in public service as an aide to Ohio Governor Richard Celeste in 1988. In 1990, he left Ohio public service in order to attend law school.^[11]

Prior to moving to Denver, Bennet served as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General during Bill Clinton's administration.^[12] His father, Douglas J. Bennet, worked in the Clinton White House as well, as Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs.

He worked for six years prior to his tenure at the City of Denver as Managing Director for the Anschutz Investment Company in Denver, where he had direct responsibility for the investment of over $500 million. He led the reorganizations of four distressed companies including Forcenergy (which later merged with Denver-based Forest Oil), Regal Cinemas, United Artists and Edwards Theaters, which together required the restructuring of over $3 billion in debt. Bennet also managed, on behalf of Anschutz, the consolidation of the three theater chains into Regal Entertainment Group, the largest motion picture exhibitor in the world.^[12]

Bennet served for two years as the Chief of Staff to Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. Highlights of his accomplishment at the city include: closing an initial 10 percent budget gap in the first two months of office; balancing two consecutive budgets in Denver's worst recession in history while preserving city services and avoiding layoffs almost entirely; conducting five collective bargaining negotiations; devising strategies to pass five ballot initiatives; and assembling a very diverse widely-acknowledged leadership team for the city.^[12]

Bennet was appointed superintendent of Denver Public Schools on June 27, 2005, taking office on the following July 1. During his tenure, he revised a merit pay proposal that earned the support of local teachers^[13] and was initially opposed to closing the failing Manual High School^[14], which was later reopened.

Bennet supports the establishment of the U.S. Public Service Academy. A bill to create the Academy is expected to be re-introduced in the Senate in 2009.^[15]

Bennet and his wife were early supporters of Barack Obama's presidential bid during the 2008 Democratic primaries^[16] and he was among those who advised Barack Obama on education.^[17] He had been among the many officials whose names were circulated for United States Secretary of Education in the incoming Obama Administration yet the position ultimately went to Arne Duncan.^[14][18]

On January 3, 2009, he was named by Colorado Governor Bill Ritter to fill the seat in the United States Senate vacated by United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar on January 20.^[11] Since taking office on January 21, 2009, he has stated that he will seek election at the end of his term in 2010.^[14]

2010 U.S. Senatorial Election

Since taking office on January 21, 2009, he has stated that he will seek election at the end of his term in 2010.^[14] On September 16, 2009, Former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff officially announced his campaign to challenge Bennet for the Democrat Senate nomination of 2010.^[19]

Bennet has received an endorsement from President Barack Obama, Senator Mark Udall, Representatives Betsey Markey, Jared Polis, and John Salazar of the Colorado Congressional Delegation.^[20]

Committee assignments

U.S. Senate, 2009-present

• Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry
  • Subcommittee on Rural Revitalization, Conservation, Forestry and Credit
  • Subcommittee on Energy, Science and Technology
  • Subcommittee on Hunger, Nutrition and Family Farms
• Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
  • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions
  • Subcommittee on Security and International Trade and Finance
  • Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
• Special Committee on Aging

References

External links

• Senator Michael Bennet official U.S. Senate website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
• Michael Bennet at Mahalo.com
• Michael Bennet's political prospects at the Cherry Creek News
• Michael Bennet's big gambles at the North Denver News

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