Senator

The Democratic Senator from Connecticut, who chairs the Democratic National Committee, has a keen interest in Irish affairs, and is expected to be a key figure in President Clinton’s reelection campaign later this year. 

Senator Dodd’s involvement in things Irish dates back to the days when he championed the cause of political prisoner Joe Doherty, though it was an unpopular position at the time. A frequent visitor to Ireland, Dodd was a member of the American economic delegation to Northern Ireland led by Commerce Secretary Ron Brown last year. And he was a member of the delegation which accompanied President Clinton to Ireland last December. Chris Dodd threw his efforts into the lobbying campaign to secure a visa for Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, and continues to take an active interest in the peace process. 

First elected to the Senate in 1980, he is now serving his third term. He is a member of the Committees on Foreign Relations, Banking Housing, and Urban Affairs, and in 1983 he founded the Senate Children’s Caucus. A 1966 graduate of Providence College, Senator Dodd enlisted in the army and was honorably discharged in 1975. He graduated from the University of Louisville School of Law in 1972, and practiced until his election to Congress in 1974. Chris Dodd is the son of the late Senator Thomas Dodd.