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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.
He is the former Director of the Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Senator Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, whom he met when both were law
students at Chapel Hill, were married in 1977. They have had four children,
including: their eldest daughter, Catharine, who is attending law school;
eight-year-old Emma Claire; and a six-year-old son, Jack. Their first child,
Wade, died in 1996. |
