Senator John Edwards

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Senator John Edwards

Senator John Edwards was born in Seneca, South Carolina on June 10, 1953. Edwards grew up in Robbins North Carolina. His father worked in a textile mill and his mother ran a shop and worked at the post office. While attending public schools in North Carolina, Edwards also worked alongside his father at the mill.

Edwards was the first person in his family to go to college. He graduated with honors from North Carolina State in 1974. Edwards went to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Law School. While in law school, Edwards met and married his wife, Elizabeth, also a lawyer.

Edwards practiced law until 1998, when he was elected a U.S. Senator for North Carolina. As a Senator, Edwards supported free college education for students that commit to community service and developed a bill of rights for hospital patients. He also voted to give President Bush the authority to go to war in Iraq. Edwards served on a special panel in Congress in charge of investigating the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

In 2003, Edwards decided not to run for a second term as Senator, instead focusing on a run for President. Edwards initially competed with Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts for the Democratic Presidential nomination. Edwards withdrew from the race in March and gave his support to Kerry. On July 6, Kerry chose Edwards as his vice presidential running mate saying, "John Edwards speaks the heart of America's hope and optimism."

Edwards and his wife have three children, Catharine, Emma Claire and Jack. Their oldest son, Wade, was killed in a car accident in 1996.