University of Pennsylvania (BA) Yale University (LLB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
United States
Branch/service
United States Air Force
Years of service
1951–1953
Rank
First lieutenant
Arlen Specter's voice
Specter opens a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the DOJ Civil Rights Division Recorded November 16, 2006
Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965,[1][2][3] then a Republican from 1965 until 2009, when he switched back to the Democratic Party. First elected in 1980, he was the longest-serving senator from Pennsylvania, having represented the state for 30 years.
Specter was born in Wichita, Kansas, to immigrant Russian/Ukrainian Jewish parents. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and served with the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Specter later graduated from Yale Law School and opened a law firm with Marvin Katz, who would later become a federal judge. Specter served as assistant counsel for the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy and helped formulate the "single-bullet theory". In 1965, Specter was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia, a position that he held until 1973.
During his 30-year Senate career, Specter staked out a spot in the political center.[4][5] He served as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2005 to 2007. In 2006, Specter was selected by Time as one of America's Ten Best Senators.[6] Specter lost his 2010 re-election bid in the Democratic primary to former U.S. Navy vice admiral Joe Sestak, who then lost to Republican Pat Toomey in the general election. Toomey succeeded Specter on January 3, 2011.
In 1993, Specter underwent a surgery to remove a brain tumor.[7] In early 2005 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, but continued his work in the Senate while undergoing chemotherapy. He died from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on October 14, 2012.
^"Former Sen. Specter dies at 82, switched parties, hailed by Washington leaders". Fox News. October 14, 2012.
^"Former senator Arlen Specter dies". The Washington Post. October 14, 2012.
^"Upset in Philadelphia" (PDF). The New York Times. November 2, 1965. Retrieved April 28, 2009.
^Krawczeniuk, Borys (April 28, 2009). "Specter is a marked 'moderate'". The Daily Review. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009.
^Krawczeniuk, Borys (April 28, 2009). "Specter is a marked 'moderate'". The Daily Review. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009.
^"Arlen Specter: The Contrarian". Time. April 14, 2006. Archived from the original on February 12, 2007.
^"SPECTER'S BRAIN TUMOR REMOVED". Washington Post. January 4, 2024. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
ArlenSpecter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania...
2010, when Congressman Joe Sestak defeated incumbent ArlenSpecter, which led to the end of Specter's five-term Senatorial career. Just before the start...
Electoral history of ArlenSpecter, former United States Senator from Pennsylvania (1981–2011), Chairman of the Senate Committees on Intelligence (1995–1997)...
Philadelphia City Council, and the widow of former U.S. Senator ArlenSpecter. Specter holds a BA from Southern Connecticut College and an MA in food and...
Pennsylvania was held on November 2, 2004. Incumbent Republican Senator ArlenSpecter won re-election to a fifth term. As of 2024, this is the last time a...
midterm elections. Incumbent Republican-turned-Democrat U.S. Senator ArlenSpecter ran for reelection to a sixth term, but lost in the Democratic primary...
Pennsylvania was held November 3, 1998. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator ArlenSpecter won re-election to a fourth term. Jack Iannantuono (Libertarian) William...
decided to retire, instead of seeking a third term. Republican nominee ArlenSpecter won the open seat, defeating Democratic nominee Peter F. Flaherty. As...
Judiciary Committee for committee chairs Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and then ArlenSpecter (R-PA) during the 109th United States Congress. Tolman's most noteworthy...
Senate term. This may have been partly due to Santorum's support for ArlenSpecter, over Congressman Pat Toomey in the 2004 Republican primary for the...
floor with an unfavorable recommendation, which passed 9–5. Republican ArlenSpecter voted with the Democratic majority on both votes. Following the decisive...
the Senate. In the Democratic primary he defeated incumbent Senator ArlenSpecter, in office since 1981, 54% to 46%, but lost the general election to...
Terrorism, Technology and Government Information, chaired by Senator ArlenSpecter, observed that the government's position at trial was that Cooper had...
successor, factoring into account bipartisan suggestions by Senators ArlenSpecter and Patrick Leahy, that the nominee should come from outside the appellate...
proclaimed the month on April 20, 2006, as a result of cooperation with Sen. ArlenSpecter (R-PA), as well as the Jewish Museum of Florida and the South Florida...
Leader Hugh Scott. Heinz narrowly won in the primary over future Senator ArlenSpecter, and defeated William Green III. Heinz won re-election in 1982 and 1988...
Pennsylvania was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator ArlenSpecter narrowly won re-election to a third term, garnering just forty-nine...
in 2004. He decided to challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Senator ArlenSpecter in the primary instead. He lost the primary by a narrow margin. Toomey...
Obama addressed a joint session of Congress April 28, 2009: Senator ArlenSpecter switched from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. September...
Preceded by ArlenSpecter Succeeded by ArlenSpecter In office January 3, 2001 – January 20, 2001 Preceded by ArlenSpecter Succeeded by ArlenSpecter In office...
Democrats Bob Casey Jr. (since 2007) and John Fetterman (since 2023). ArlenSpecter was Pennsylvania's longest-serving senator (1981–2011). "Pennsylvania...
against Wecht. Shortly after the press release of this letter, Senator ArlenSpecter publicly recommended against a retrial for Wecht. Former jurors stated...
Republican nominee ArlenSpecter won the open seat, defeating Democratic nominee Peter F. Flaherty, former Mayor of Pittsburgh. ArlenSpecter, formerly a member...
Smerconish was responsible for managing Philadelphia for U.S. Senator ArlenSpecter's re-election. In 1987, Smerconish served as Frank Rizzo's political...
Global Information
United States
United States Air Force
First lieutenant