Born:
May 13, 1930
Springfield, Massachusetts
Education:
Columbia University, B.S. (Economics)
Political Career:
U.S. Senator from Alaska, 1969 - 1981
U.S. Representative from Alaska, 1963 - 1966
House Speaker, 1965 - 1966
Biography:
Mike Gravel represented Alaska in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1981. He played a key role in the release the Pentagon Papers, the secret government documents pertaining to the Vietnam War. In 1971, he successfully blocked an attempt by the Nixon Administration to renew the military draft.
Gravel served on the Finance, Interior and Environmental Public Works committees. In 1973 he introduced an amendment to give Congress the power to make the policy decision about the construction of the Alaska Pipeline.
Gravel studied at the American International College in Springfield for one year before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1951. He served in West Germany as a Special Adjutant in the Communication and Intelligent Services. He moved to Alaska in 1956.
After leaving the Senate, Gravel was a real estate developer in Anchorage and Kenai, Alaska. He also worked as a consultant and stockbroker.
Gravel and his wife Whitney Steward Gravel live in Virginia. They have two grown children and four grandchildren.
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