 Senator John Edwards
2004 Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate, Former Senator
from North Carolina
John Edwards was born in Seneca, South Carolina and raised in
Robbins, North Carolina, a small town in the Piedmont. There
John learned the values of hard work and perseverance from his
father, Wallace, who worked in the textile mills for 36 years,
and from his mother, Bobbie, who ran a shop and worked at the
post office. Working alongside his father at the mill, John
developed his strong belief that all Americans deserve an equal
opportunity to succeed and be heard.
A proud product of public schools, John became the first person
in his family to attend college. He worked his way through
North Carolina State University where he graduated with high
honors in 1974, and then earned a law degree with honors in
1977 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
For the next 20 years, John dedicated his career to representing
families and children just like the families he grew up with
in Robbins. Standing up against the powerful insurance industry
and their armies of lawyers, John helped these families through
the darkest moments of their lives to overcome tremendous
challenges. His passionate advocacy for people like the folks
who worked in the mill with his father earned him respect
and recognition across the country.
In 1998, John took this commitment into politics to give
a voice in the United States Senate to the people he had represented
throughout his career. He ran for the Senate and won, defeating
an incumbent Senator.
In Congress, Senator Edwards quickly emerged as a champion
for the issues that make a difference to American families:
quality health care, better schools, protecting civil liberties,
preserving the environment, saving Social Security and Medicare,
and reforming the ways campaigns are financed.
As a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator
Edwards worked tirelessly for a strong national defense and
to strengthen the security of our homeland. He authored key
pieces of legislation on cyber, bio, and port security.
Senator Edwards brought a positive message of change to the
2004 presidential primaries. During the primary season he
spoke about the two Americas that exist in our country today:
one for people at the top who have everything they need and
one for everybody else who struggle to get by. This powerful
message resonated with voters all across America.
After the Democratic primaries, Senator John Kerry picked
Senator Edwards to serve as his running mate in the 2004 general
election, and Senator Edwards crisscrossed the country and
campaigned tirelessly on Senator Kerry's behalf.
Today, he is the Director of the Center on Poverty, Work,
and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill.
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