Alan Cranston

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Alan Cranston
Cranston in 1969
United States Senator from California
In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Thomas Kuchel
Succeeded by	Barbara Boxer
Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Frank Murkowski
Succeeded by	Jay Rockefeller
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981
Preceded by	Vance Hartke
Succeeded by	Alan K. Simpson
Senate Majority Whip
In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1991
Leader	Robert Byrd George Mitchell
Preceded by	Alan K. Simpson
Succeeded by	Wendell Ford
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981
Leader	Robert Byrd
Preceded by	Robert Byrd
Succeeded by	Ted Stevens
Senate Minority Whip
In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987
Leader	Robert Byrd
Preceded by	Ted Stevens
Succeeded by	Alan K. Simpson
25th Controller of California
In office January 5, 1959 – January 2, 1967
Governor	Pat Brown
Preceded by	Robert C. Kirkwood
Succeeded by	Houston I. Flournoy
Personal details
Born	Alan MacGregor Cranston (1914-06-19)June 19, 1914 Palo Alto, California, U.S.
Died	December 31, 2000(2000-12-31) (aged 86) Los Altos, California, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Geneva McMath ​ ​ (m. 1940; div. 1977)​ Norma Weintraub ​ ​ (m. 1978; div. 1989)​
Children	2
Education	Stanford University (BA)
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1944–1945
Battles/wars	World War II
Alan Cranston's voice Alan Cranston on legislation sanctioning South Africa for apartheid Recorded July 19, 1986

Alan MacGregor Cranston (June 19, 1914 – December 31, 2000) was an American politician and journalist who served as a United States Senator from California from 1969 to 1993, and as a President of the World Federalist Association from 1949 to 1952.

Born in Palo Alto, California, Cranston worked as a journalist after graduating from Stanford University. After serving as California State Controller, he was elected to the Senate in 1968. He served as the Senate Democratic Whip from 1977 to 1991. In 1984, Cranston sought the Democratic presidential nomination, advocating a nuclear freeze during the later stages of the Cold War. He dropped out after the first set of primaries.

In 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee reprimanded Cranston for his role in the savings and loan crisis as a member of the Keating Five. After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, he decided not to run for a fifth term. After his retirement from the Senate, he served as president of the Global Security Institute and advocated for the global abolition of nuclear weapons.