Arlen Specter

Arlen Specter
Specter c. 2007
United States Senator from Pennsylvania
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Richard Schweiker
Succeeded by	Pat Toomey
Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee
In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Orrin Hatch
Succeeded by	Patrick Leahy
Chair of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2005
Preceded by	Jay Rockefeller
Succeeded by	Larry Craig
In office January 3, 1997 – June 6, 2001
Preceded by	Alan K. Simpson
Succeeded by	Jay Rockefeller
Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997
Preceded by	Dennis DeConcini
Succeeded by	Richard Shelby
19th District Attorney of Philadelphia
In office January 3, 1966 – January 7, 1974
Preceded by	James C. Crumlish Jr.
Succeeded by	F. Emmett Fitzpatrick
Personal details
Born	(1930-02-12)February 12, 1930 Wichita, Kansas, U.S.
Died	October 14, 2012(2012-10-14) (aged 82) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic (1951–1965, 2009–2012) Republican (1965–2009)
Spouse	Joan Levy ​ (m. 1953)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Pennsylvania (BA) Yale University (LLB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	1951–1953
Rank	First lieutenant
Arlen Specter's voice Specter opens a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on oversight of the DOJ Civil Rights Division Recorded November 16, 2006

Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965,^[1][2][3] then a Republican from 1965 until 2009, when he switched back to the Democratic Party. First elected in 1980, he was the longest-serving senator from Pennsylvania, having represented the state for 30 years.

Specter was born in Wichita, Kansas, to immigrant Russian/Ukrainian Jewish parents. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and served with the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Specter later graduated from Yale Law School and opened a law firm with Marvin Katz, who would later become a federal judge. Specter served as assistant counsel for the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of John F. Kennedy and helped formulate the "single-bullet theory". In 1965, Specter was elected District Attorney of Philadelphia, a position that he held until 1973.

During his 30-year Senate career, Specter staked out a spot in the political center.^[4][5] He served as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2005 to 2007. In 2006, Specter was selected by Time as one of America's Ten Best Senators.^[6] Specter lost his 2010 re-election bid in the Democratic primary to former U.S. Navy vice admiral Joe Sestak, who then lost to Republican Pat Toomey in the general election. Toomey succeeded Specter on January 3, 2011.

In 1993, Specter underwent a surgery to remove a brain tumor.^[7] In early 2005 he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, but continued his work in the Senate while undergoing chemotherapy. He died from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on October 14, 2012.