A member of the Senate for over 35 years, Ted Stevens is Alaska's senior Senator. Stevens' tenure in the Senate makes him the fifth most senior member among his colleagues, and first among Republicans. Stevens holds the position of Senate President Pro Tempore. He is also the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, responsible for annually allocating more than a half-trillion dollars in federal funds among various government programs, agencies and departments. As President Pro Tempore, Stevens presides over the Senate in the absence of the Vice President. The President Pro Tempore is also the third person in the line of succession for the Presidency, following the Vice President and the Speaker of the House. In addition, the President Pro Tempore is a member of the party leadership team.

From 1997 to 2001, as well as the 108th Congress, Stevens held the position of Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. As chairman, Stevens has earned the respect of his colleagues through sheer tenacity and the efficient movement of appropriations bills. Stevens is also one of Congress' leading overseers of the national defense. As Chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, he has meticulously tracked defense requirements to ensure our security. This struggle often includes standing up for defense needs against other spending pressures. Stevens has continually worked for smarter, more efficient programs that can better meet the twenty-first century threats to our nation.

Ted Stevens was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, November 18, 1923. During World War II he was a pilot in the China-Burma-India theater, supporting the Flying Tigers of the 14th Air Force. He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Air Medals, and the Yuan Hai medal awarded by the Republic of China. Following the war he graduated from UCLA and Harvard Law School, and practiced law in Washington, D.C. In the early 1950's he moved to Alaska, at the time a territory of the U.S. He practiced law in Fairbanks, and subsequently was appointed U.S. Attorney in Fairbanks in 1953, a position he held for three years.

He then transferred to Washington, D.C., in 1956 to work as legislative counsel and then as an assistant to the Secretary of the Interior Fred Seaton. In 1960, he was appointed Solicitor (chief counsel) of the Department of the Interior by President Eisenhower. While in Washington, Stevens worked successfully for Alaska's and Hawaii's admissions to the Union.

Upon returning to Alaska Stevens practiced law in Anchorage. In 1964, he was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives. In his second term in Alaska's legislature he was the House Majority Leader.

Following the death of Senator E.L. Bob Bartlett in December of 1968, then-Governor Walter Hickel appointed Stevens to fill the vacancy. Under Alaska law, Stevens had to stand for election in 1970 to complete Bartlett's term, which expired in 1972. Stevens was subsequently elected for a full term in 1972, and re-elected in 1978, 1984, 1990, 1996 and 2002.

From 1977 to 1985 Stevens served as the Assistant Republican Leader (the Whip). In 1994, Stevens was appointed Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. He then served as chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee in 1996. Stevens also has served as Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee, the Arms Control Observer Group, and the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress.

In addition to his duties on the Senate Appropriations Committee and Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Stevens serves on the Appropriations Subcommittees on Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary; Interior; Labor, Health, Human Services and Education; and Legislative Branch. He is also a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the Special Committee on Aging and serves as Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress.

Known as the "Work Horse" of the Senate, Stevens tries to find time for tennis matches and his other favorite hobby reading. Give him a few free hours on an Alaska summer day, and he'll head for the nearest fishing hole to indulge in his favorite pastime. Testament to his skills as an angler is the 71-pound Kenai Peninsula King Salmon he caught which is mounted on the wall of his Washington, D.C., office.

When tough issues arise in the Senate, Ted's motto has always been, "Do what's best for Alaska." And he has. Virtually every Senator is aware that Alaska is one-fifth the size of the entire United States, thanks to Stevens' constant reminders on the Senate floor and elsewhere. Unique characteristics such as this often drive the special requirements, as well as the spectacular benefits, associated with the Greatland.

Senator Stevens is married to Catherine Ann Chandler of Anchorage, a fourth generation Alaskan. They have one child and eleven grandchildren. He also has five other children by his first wife Ann Cherrington of Denver, now deceased. Three of Stevens' six children and seven of his eleven grandchildren currently reside in Alaska.