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Jim Webb

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The Honorable

Jim Webb
United States Senator
fromVirginia
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013
Preceded byGeorge Allen
Succeeded byTim Kaine
United States Secretary of the Navy
In office
May 1, 1987 – February 23, 1988
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byJohn Lehman
Succeeded byWilliam Ball
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs
In office
May 3, 1984 – April 10, 1987
PresidentRonald Reagan
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded byStephen Duncan
Personal details
Born
James Henry Webb, Jr.

(1946-02-09)February 9, 1946(age 78)
St. Joseph,Missouri,U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Barbara Samorajczyk(1968–1979)
Jo Ann Krukar(1981–2006)
Hong Le Webb(2006–present)
ChildrenAmy
Sarah
Jimmy
Julia
Georgia
Emily(Stepchild)
Alma materUniversity of Southern California
United States Naval Academy
Georgetown University
AwardsNavy Cross
Silver Star
Bronze Star(2)
Purple Heart(2)
Military service
AllegianceUnited States
Branch/serviceUnited States Marine Corps
Years of service1968–1972
RankFirst Lieutenant
UnitDelta Company
1st Battalion 5th Marines
Battles/warsVietnam War

James Henry"Jim"Webb, Jr.(born February 9, 1946) is anAmericanpolitician. He was aUnited States SenatorfromVirginiafrom 2007 to 2013. He is also an author and served asSecretary of the Navyfrom 1987 to 1988 under theRonald Reaganadministration. He is a member of theDemocratic Party.

Webb announced on November 19, 2014 that he is forming a committee to run forPresident of the United States in 2016.[1]On July 2, 2015, Webb announced that we willrunfor president in 2016.[2]He suspended his campaign and withdrew from the election on October 20, 2015.

Early life

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Webb was born inSt. Joseph, Missouri.His father, James Henry Webb, served in theUnited States Air Force.His mother, Vera Lorraine Hodges, was a housewife. His family descended fromIrish-Scotsimmigrants. Webb went to many schools in the U.S. and inEngland.He was raised inBellevue, Nebraska.

Webb graduated from theUniversity of Southern California,Georgetown University Law Center,and from theUnited States Naval Academy.

Early career

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Committee on Veterans Affairs (1977-1981)

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Webb in the 1980s

From 1977 to 1981, Webb worked on the staff of theHouseCommittee on Veterans Affairs. During this time, he also represented veteranspro bono.Webb also taught at the Naval Academy and was criticized for a 1979 article published in theWashingtonianmagazine titled "Women Can't Fight"[3](see "Senate Election" below).

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs (1984-1987)

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During theReagan Administration,Webb served as the nation's firstAssistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairsfrom 1984 to 1987.

During his time as Assistant Secretary, Webb sought to reorganize the Marine Corps. He was gravely concerned with the disarray the Marines had fallen into post-Vietnam: drug use, racial infighting, and low morale within the Corps left him with the impression it was no longer America's premier fighting force.

United States Secretary of the Navy (1987-1988)

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In 1987, he served asSecretary of the Navy,becoming the firstNaval Academygraduate to serve as the civilian head of the Navy. As Navy Secretary, Webb pushed the appointment ofAlfred M. Gray Jr.asCommandant of the Marine Corps,hoping that Gray could reshape the Corps into the elite unit it once was.[4]

Webb resigned in 1988 after refusing to agree to reduce the size of the Navy. Webb had wished to increase the Navy to600 ships.As revealed inThe Reagan Diaries,PresidentRonald Reaganwrote on February 22, 1988: "I don't think Navy was sorry to see him go."[5]

After his resignation, Webb earned his living primarily as an author and filmmaker. He won anEmmy Awardfor his 1983 PBS coverage of the U.S. Marines in Beirut.

United States Senator (2007-2013)

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On February 7, 2006, he announced that he would seek theDemocraticnomination for the 2006 Senate race against incumbentVirginiaSenatorGeorge Allen.[6]

In the Democratic primary on June 13, 2006, Webb faced longtime businessman and lobbyistHarris Miller.Webb won with 53.5% of the vote, in a race with low turnout.[7]On January 4, 2007, Webb was sworn into the110th U.S. Senate,accompanied by Sen.John Warner,R-Va., a fellow formerSecretary of the Navy;and former Virginia Democratic Sen.Chuck Robb,who held the same seat before losing to Allen.

Jim Webb with his son Jimmy andGeorge W. Bush,March, 2008

On November 15, 2006, Senate majority-leader-in-waitingHarry Reidassigned Webb to three committees: the committees onForeign Relations,Veterans' Affairs,andArmed Services.[8]

Webb's official senate portrait

On January 23, 2007, Webb delivered theDemocraticresponse to the President'sState of the Union address,focusing on the economy and Iraq.[9]Webb's speech drew positive reviews, and was regarded as one of the stronger State of the Union responses in recent memory.[10]Webb, a decorated war veteran, spoke of his family’s military past, his own passionate attachment to the military, and the way in which previous presidents had always attempted to ensure that all precautions had been taken when sending young Americans into harm's way.

On August 14, 2009 Webb visitedMyanmar(Burma), seeing its junta's leader, Gen.Than Shwe,and also the pro-democracy leaderAung San Suu Kyi,who was under house arrest. During Webb's visit with Than Shwe, Webb negotiated the release and deportation of an imprisoned American,John Yettaw.[11]

On February 9, 2011, Webb announced that he would not run for re-election of his Senate seat in 2012.[12][13]

2016 presidential campaign

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See the main article:Jim Webb presidential campaign, 2016

On November 19, 2014, Webb announced the formation of anexploratory committeein preparation for a possible bid for theDemocratic Party's nominationforPresident of the United Statesin2016.[14][15]He made the announcement via a video posted on his website, as well as onYouTube.[16]

On June 15, 2015, Webb announced he would make a decision regarding a presidential bid by the end of the month.[17]He made a formal announcement on July 2, 2015.[18]He suspended his campaign and withdrew from the election on October 20, 2015.[19]

Personal life

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Webb married Barbara Samorajczyk in 1968. They divorced in 1979. Then, Webb married Jo Ann Kruckar in 1981. They divorced in 2004. Webb is currently married to Hong Lee since 2005. Webb has five children and a step-child.

References

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  1. ↑"Jim Webb: No to VP, door open for 2016".Politico.com.RetrievedNovember 20,2014.
  2. ↑"Democrat Jim Webb joins 2016 White House race".Fox News.
  3. ↑Webb, James (November 1979)."Women Can't Fight".Washingtonian.Washingtonian Magazine, Inc.Retrieved2008-03-04.
  4. ↑Ricks, Thomas E. (1997).Making the Corps.New York: Scribner.ISBN0-684-83109-0.
  5. ↑Reagan, Ronald (2007).The Reagan Diaries.HarperCollins. p.580.ISBN978-0-06-087600-5.
  6. ↑Shear, Michael D. (2006-02-08)."Reagan Navy Secretary Will Run for U.S. Senate".Washington Post.p. B05.Retrieved2006-10-29.
  7. ↑"Official Results: Primary Election, June 13, 2006".Commonwealth of Virginia. Archived fromthe originalon 2006-06-20.Retrieved2006-06-19.
  8. ↑Maze, Rick (November 15, 2006)."Webb to serve on key Iraq-related Senate panels".Air Force Times.
  9. ↑"Webb's 'aggressive' Democratic response to Bush 'State of Union' speech [includes transcript of Webb's response]".The Raw Story.January 23, 2007. Archived fromthe originalon September 6, 2015.RetrievedJuly 2,2015.
  10. ↑ Kurtz, Howard(January 25, 2005)."The Long Goodbye".The Washington Post.Retrieved2007-05-03.
  11. ↑"Senator wins release of US prisoner in Myanmar".Associated Press. August 15, 2009.
  12. ↑Geraghty, Jim (February 9, 2011)."As Predicted, Jim Webb Won't Run for Reelection in 2012".National Review.Archived fromthe originalon October 20, 2012.
  13. ↑Smith, Ben."Webb won't seek reelection".Politico.
  14. ↑Berman, Russell (November 20, 2014)."President Jim Webb?".The Atlantic.RetrievedNovember 20,2014.
  15. ↑Haberman, Maggie (2014-11-20)."Jim Webb launches 2016 committee".Politico.Retrieved2014-11-20.
  16. ↑Haberman, Maggie (November 20, 2014)."Jim Webb launches 2016 committee".Politico.RetrievedJanuary 22,2014.
  17. ↑Weiner, Rachel (2015-06-15)."Jim Webb to decide on presidential campaign in next two weeks".Washington Post.ISSN0190-8286.Retrieved2022-03-24.
  18. ↑Rachel Weiner (July 2, 2015)."Jim Webb announces 2016 presidential bid".Washington Post.
  19. ↑"Jim Webb drops out of Democratic primary race".news.yahoo.com.

Other websites

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Wikimedia Commons has media related toJim Webb.
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