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Jeff Sessions has been honored to represent the people of Alabama
in the United States Senate since 1997. His days in the Senate
continue to be defined by the fundamental principles learned from
his parents in rural Alabama: integrity, hard work, and respect for
God and country.
Born the son of a country store owner in Hybart, Alabama,
Sessions adopted early the diligent and common sense style that
would later define his years of public service. He became an Eagle
Scout in 1964 - the scouts' "Be Prepared" motto can still
be found on the desk in his Senate office - and is the recipient of
the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. After graduating in a class of
thirty from Camden High School, Sessions worked his way though
Huntingdon College in Montgomery, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1969. He continued his education at the University of
Alabama School of Law, where he excelled and received a Juris Doctor
degree in 1973.
After a distinguished legal career, first as a practicing
attorney in Russellville, and later in Mobile, Sessions served as an
Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of
Alabama. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated him to serve as
a United States Attorney in Alabama, a position he held for 12
years.
Sessions was elected as Alabama's Attorney General in 1994 and
served as the state's chief legal officer until 1997, when he
entered the United States Senate.
In the Senate, Sessions quickly gained the respect of colleagues
and constituents alike for his conscientious work ethic,
straightforward style, and mastery of complicated issues. He is a
strong voice for those that believe in limited government,
low-taxes, upholding the rule of law, and maintaining a strong
national defense.
Sessions, upholding his commitment to stay in close contact with
constituents throughout the state, has visited each of Alabama's 67
counties every year for over a decade.
His efforts have not gone unnoticed. Since he came to the Senate
in 1997, Sessions has received numerous awards: the Reserve Officers
Association Minuteman of the Year Award, the National Taxpayers
Union Friend of the Taxpayer Award, the Watchdogs of the Treasury
Golden Bulldog Award, the National Federation of Independent
Business Guardian of Small Business Award, the Coalition of
Republican Environment Advocates Teddy Roosevelt Environmental
Award, the Alabama Farmers Federation Service to Agriculture Award,
and the prestigious Ballington and Maud Booth award from the
Volunteers of America.
Family and faith continue to be guiding forces in Sessions' life.
He has served as a lay leader and a Sunday school teacher at his
family's church, Ashland Place United Methodist Church, in Mobile.
He has served as the Chairman of his church's Administrative Board
and for over two decades has been selected as a delegate to the
annual Alabama Methodist Conference. Sessions and his wife, Mary
Blackshear Sessions, live in Mobile. They have three children, Ruth
Sessions Walk, Mary Abigail Reinhardt, and Sam. They welcomed their
first grandchild this summer. |