Honorable Thomas A. Daschle

Born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, Sen. Daschle began his distinguished public service as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Air Force Strategic Command. In 1978, he won his first election to represent South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives and served for eight years before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986. In 1994, he became the Senate Democratic Leader and served in this position for a decade. He is one of only two to serve twice as both Senate Majority and Minority Leader.

Since leaving the Senate, he has remained active in domestic and foreign public policy issues. He is the founder and CEO of The Daschle Group, a public policy advisory firm within the law firm of Baker Donelson. In 2007, Sen. Daschle joined former Senate leaders George Mitchell, Bob Dole and Howard Baker to create the Bipartisan Policy Center, an organization dedicated to finding common ground on pressing public policy challenges.

He has authored several books, including one that chronicles his time as Senate Leader during 9/11. He serves on numerous boards including the Center for American Progress, the National Democratic Institute, the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, the LBJ Foundation and the Harvard CH Chan School of Public Health.

Sen. Daschle has long been an aviation enthusiast having received his private pilot's license in the 1980s. He has been honored to fly with members of the U.S. military on the B2, the F-16 and F-18.

Daschle is married to the Hon. Linda Hall Daschle and has three children and six grandchildren.