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Home | Office Holder | Trent Lott
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He entered Congress as one of the first of a wave of Republicans winning seats in Southern states that had been solidly Democratic for a century, rose to the position of Senate majority leader, then fell from power after praising Strom Thurmond's 1948 segregationist Dixiecrat presidential bid. Lott entered Congress in 1968 as an administrative assistant to Representative William M. Colmer of Mississippi, who was also House Rules Committee Chairman. After Colmer retired, Lott won Colmer's former seat in the House of Representatives. In 1988, Lott ran for Senate to replace another retiree, Senator John Stennis and won. After Republicans took the majority in the Senate, Lott became Senate Majority Whip in 1995 and then Senate Majority Leader in 1996. On December 20, 2002, after significant controversy following comments regarding Strom Thurmond's presidential candidacy, Lott resigned as Senate Minority Leader. In December 2007, he resigned from the Senate and became a Washington-based lobbyist. Republican Roger Wicker won the 2008 special election to replace him. Lott serves as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he focuses on issues related to energy, national security, transportation and congressional reforms. |
