Sheldon Whitehouse
Sheldon Whitehouse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Official portrait, 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Senator from Rhode Island | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office January 3, 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lincoln Chafee | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 71st Attorney General of Rhode Island | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 2, 1999 – January 7, 2003 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Governor | Lincoln Almond | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Jeffrey B. Pine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Patrick Lynch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office January 20, 1993 – June 8, 1998 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| President | Bill Clinton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Lincoln Almond | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Margaret Curran | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | October 20, 1955 New York City, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Sandra Thornton (m. 1986) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent(s) | Mary Rand Charles Whitehouse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Rufus Rand (grandfather) Edwin Sheldon Whitehouse (grandfather) See the Crocker family | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Yale University (BA) University of Virginia (JD) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | Senate website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) is an American lawyer and politician serving since 2007 as the junior United States senator from Rhode Island. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 1993 to 1998 as the United States Attorney for the District of Rhode Island and from 1999 to 2003 as the 71st attorney general of Rhode Island. In 2006, he was elected to the Senate, defeating Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee. He was reelected in 2012, 2018, and 2024.
A political progressive and climate hawk, Whitehouse became chair of the United States Senate Committee on the Budget in 2023. He has given hundreds of Senate floor speeches about climate change and asserted that politically conservative "dark money" groups are conducting a campaign to take control of the U.S. government, specifically the Supreme Court of the United States, to prevent climate action, among other reasons.