This Connecticut Democrat’s involvement in Irish political issues dates back to when he championed the cause of Joe Doherty, 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 the late Commerce Secretary Ron Brown last year. He was also a member of the delegation which accompanied President Clinton to Ireland in December, 1995. Dodd also threw his support behind the lobbying campaign to secure a visa for Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams.

First elected to the Senate in 1980, he is now serving his third term. 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 the House of Representatives in 1974. He is the son of the late Senator Thomas Dodd.