Tom Carper

Born in West Virginia and raised in Virginia, Tom Carper attended The Ohio State University on a Navy R.O.T.C. scholarship, graduating in 1968 with a B.A. in economics. After graduation, he served for five years as a naval flight officer, completing three tours of duty in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Tom moved to Delaware in 1973, where he earned his M.B.A at the University of Delaware and continued his military service in the Naval Reserve as a P-3 aircraft mission commander. After 23 years of service in the military, he retired with the rank of captain in 1991.

When Tom was 29, he ran a successful campaign to serve as Delaware’s state treasurer, going on to serve three terms at a time when the state had the worst credit rating in the country. Six years later, that credit rating was restored to a respectable “AA.” He then ran successfully in the state’s race for its at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives.

In 1992, after five terms in Congress, Tom was elected the 78th governor of Delaware and served two terms, during which he led the National Governor’s Association and served as a member of Amtrak’s board of directors, vice-chairman of Jobs for America’s Graduates, and founding vice-chairman of the American Legacy Foundation. In early 2001, Tom stepped down two weeks early to become Delaware’s junior senator, an office to which he has been reelected twice. When Senator Joe Biden assumed the office of the Vice President in 2009, Tom became the state’s senior senator.

During more than 30 years of public service, Tom has worked tirelessly to develop practical solutions to real problems. His ability to work across party lines has earned him a reputation for consensus building that is unique in today's political climate. He believes Americans have sent a very clear message to Washington – they want members of Congress to work together, they want them to get things done, and they want them to do everything in their power to continue our country's economic recovery. He works hard every day to answer that call.