Lloyd Bentsen

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Lloyd Bentsen
Official portrait, 1993
69th United States Secretary of the Treasury
In office January 20, 1993 – December 22, 1994
President	Bill Clinton
Preceded by	Nicholas F. Brady
Succeeded by	Robert Rubin
Chair of the Senate Finance Committee
In office January 3, 1987 – January 20, 1993
Preceded by	Bob Packwood
Succeeded by	Daniel Patrick Moynihan
United States Senator from Texas
In office January 3, 1971 – January 20, 1993
Preceded by	Ralph Yarborough
Succeeded by	Bob Krueger
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 15th district
In office December 4, 1948 – January 3, 1955
Preceded by	Milton West
Succeeded by	Joe M. Kilgore
Personal details
Born	Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (1921-02-11)February 11, 1921 Mission, Texas, U.S.
Died	May 23, 2006(2006-05-23) (aged 85) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Beryl Ann Longino ​ (m. 1943)​
Children	3
Education	University of Texas at Austin (LLB)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army United States Army Air Forces  United States Air Force United States Air Force Reserve
Years of service	1942–1947 (Active) 1950–1959 (Reserve)
Rank	Colonel
Unit	15th Air Force 449th Bombardment Group
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal (4)
Lloyd Bentsen's voice Bentsen speaks on the achievements of the Clinton administration at the end of his time as Treasury Secretary Recorded December 6, 1994

Lloyd Millard Bentsen Jr. (February 11, 1921 – May 23, 2006) was an American politician who was a four-term United States Senator (1971–1993) from Texas and the Democratic Party nominee for vice president in 1988 on the Michael Dukakis ticket. He also served as the 69th United States Secretary of the Treasury under President Bill Clinton.

Born in Mission, Texas, Bentsen graduated from the University of Texas School of Law before serving in the Air Force during World War II. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service in Europe. After the war, he won election to the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1948 to 1955. He defeated incumbent Senator Ralph Yarborough in the 1970 Democratic Senatorial primary and won the general election against George H. W. Bush. He was reelected in 1976, 1982, and 1988, and served as the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee from 1987 to 1993. In the Senate, he helped win passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and played a role in the creation of the individual retirement account. Bentsen sought the 1976 Democratic presidential nomination but was unable to organize an effective national campaign.

Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis chose Bentsen as his running mate in the 1988 presidential election, while the Republicans nominated Vice President George H. W. Bush and Senator Dan Quayle. During the 1988 vice presidential debate, Quayle responded to a question about his purported inexperience by comparing his time in office up to that point to that of John F. Kennedy, leading Bentsen to famously castigate Quayle: "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy." Though Dukakis hoped that the selection of Bentsen would help the Democratic ticket win Texas, the Republican ticket won the state and prevailed by a wide margin in the nationwide electoral and popular vote. Bentsen considered running for president in 1992 but chose not to challenge Bush, who was popular after the Gulf War.

After Bill Clinton defeated Bush in the 1992 general election, Clinton offered Bentsen the position of Secretary of the Treasury. Bentsen accepted, though he told Clinton that he would not serve a full four-year term in the office. As Treasury Secretary, he helped win the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the passage of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993. Bentsen retired in December 1994 and was succeeded by Robert Rubin. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1999.