Harkin, Tom, 1939-

Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the U.S. Representative for Iowa's 5th congressional district from 1975 to 1985 and as U.S. Senator from Iowa between 1985 and 2015. He is the longest-serving senator to spend his whole tenure as a state's junior senator.

Born in Cumming, Iowa, Harkin graduated from Iowa State University and The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law. He served in the United States Navy as an active-duty jet pilot (1962–1967). In 1969, Harkin moved to Washington, D.C., and began work as an aide to Democratic U.S. Congressman Neal Smith. In 1972, the same year that he graduated from law school, Harkin returned to Iowa and immediately ran a losing campaign against incumbent Republican Congressman, William J. Scherle in Iowa's 5th congressional district. After his defeat, Harkin practiced law in Ames before seeking a rematch against Scherle in 1974. Thanks to the Watergate scandal, Harkin eked out a narrow victory. He went on to serve five terms in the House.

In 1984, Harkin won the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate and defeated freshman Republican Roger Jepsen by a surprisingly wide 11.8-point margin. He was re-elected in 1990, 1996, 2002, and 2008. Sen. Harkin’s legacy policy priorities have included federal farm policy, civil rights for Americans with disabilities, childhood nutrition and food access, healthcare access and reform, labor issues, and access to and improvement of education. By the end of his time in the senate served as chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. He notably authored the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and was its chief sponsor in the Senate. Harkin was not a candidate for re-election in 2014.