Tom Harkin (19 November 1939-) was a member of the US House of Representatives (D-IO 5) from 3 January 1975 to 3 January 1985 (succeeding William J. Scherle and preceding Jim Ross Lightfoot) and a US Senator from 3 January 1985 to 3 January 2015 (succeeding Roger Jepsen and preceding Joni Ernst).
Biography[]
Tom Harkin was born in Cumming, Iowa in 1939, and he served as a US Navy jet pilot from 1962 to 1967. He served as a congressional aide for several years before serving in the US House of Representatives from 1975 to 1985 and in the US Senate from 1985 to 2015, serving as a Democrat. He was an early forerunner for his party's nomination during the 1992 presidential election, but he ultimately dropped out in favor of Bill Clinton. He retired from the Senate in 2014.