Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. November 18, — August 9, [ 1 ] [ 2 ] was an American politician and lawyer who served as a U. Senator from Alaska from to He was the longest-serving Republican Senator in history at the time he left office. Stevens was the president pro tempore of the United States Senate in the th and th Congresses from to , and was the third U.
Senator to hold the title of president pro tempore emeritus. He was previously Solicitor of the Interior Department from to Stevens served for six decades in the American public sector , beginning with his service as a pilot in World War II.
In , his law career took him to Fairbanks, Alaska , where he was appointed U. Attorney the following year by President Dwight D. In , he returned to Washington, D. After unsuccessfully running to represent Alaska in the United States Senate , Stevens was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in and became House majority leader in his second term. In , Stevens again unsuccessfully ran for Senate, but he was appointed to Bob Bartlett 's vacant seat after Bartlett's death later that year.
As a senator, Stevens played key roles in legislation that shaped Alaska's economic and social development, [ 9 ] with Alaskans describing Stevens as "the state's largest industry" and nicknaming the federal money he brought in "Stevens money".
In , Stevens was embroiled in a federal corruption trial as he ran for re-election to the Senate. He was initially found guilty , and, eight days later, he was narrowly defeated by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich.
