Dodd, Christopher J. (Christopher John), 1944-

<p>Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 1981.</p>

<p>Dodd is a Connecticut native and a graduate of Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, and Providence College. His father, Thomas J. Dodd, was also a United States Senator from 1959 to 1971. Chris Dodd served in the Peace Corps for two years prior to entering the University of Louisville School of Law, and during law school concurrently served in the United States Army Reserve.</p>

<p>Dodd returned to Connecticut, winning election in 1974 to the U.S. House of Representatives from Connecticut's 2nd congressional district and was reelected in 1976 and 1978. He was elected to the United States Senate in 1980. Dodd served as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1995 to 1997. He served as Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee from 2007 until his retirement from politics. In 2006, Dodd decided to run for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, but eventually withdrew after running behind several other competitors.</p>

<p>In January 2010, Dodd announced that he would not run for re-election. Dodd was succeeded by fellow Democrat Richard Blumenthal. Dodd then served as chairman and chief lobbyist for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 2011 to 2017. In 2018, Dodd returned to the practice of law, joining the firm Arnold & Porter. In addition to being a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One, Dodd is a close advisor to President Joe Biden and served on his vice presidential selection committee.</p>

<p>Senator Christopher J. Dodd is a member of the firm's Legislative and Public Policy group. His practice focuses on helping clients navigate the complex issues around numerous industries, including financial services, media and entertainment, intellectual property and data privacy, telecommunications, healthcare, national security, trade, and sovereigns. With more than three decades of experience on Capitol Hill, Senator Dodd brings strategic counsel to those seeking to address governmental, political, and business challenges.</p>

<p>Senator Dodd joined the firm after a long and distinguished career in the United States Senate, representing the State of Connecticut. He also served three terms in the US House of Representatives, representing Connecticut's 2nd District. During his tenure as Senator, he was Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and served on the Committees on Foreign Relations and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, among others. He was a principal author of numerous bills that became law, including the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Child Care Act, and the Help America Vote Act, among others, and he was deeply involved in the passage of the Affordable Care Act.</p>

<p>After leaving government service in 2011, Senator Dodd joined the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), serving as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. During his seven-year tenure, he helped move MPAA into the digital age, including spearheading content protection and anti-piracy initiatives, and expanding the access of US films and television programs to China and other international markets. He also established a coalition of film and television content creators, ACE (Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment), which includes the MPAA studios, Netflix, Amazon and others, to cooperate on the common issue of protecting intellectual property. He stepped down from the MPAA on January 1, 2018.</p>

DODD, Christopher John, (Son of Thomas Joseph Dodd), a Representative and a Senator from Connecticut; born in Willimantic, Windham County, Conn., May 27, 1944; graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School, Potomac, Md. 1962; graduated, Providence (R.I.) College 1966; served as Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic 1966-1968; graduated, University of Louisville (Ky.) School of Law 1972; admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1973 and commenced practice in New London; served in the United States Army 1969-1975; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-fourth Congress; reelected to the Ninety-fifth and Ninety-sixth Congresses (January 3, 1975-January 3, 1981); was not a candidate for reelection to the House of Representatives in 1980, but was elected to the United States Senate in 1980; reelected in 1986, 1992, 1998 and in 2004 and served from January 3, 1981, to January 3, 2011; chair, Committee on Rules and Administration (January 3-20, 2001; June 6, 2001-January 3, 2003), Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs (One Hundred Tenth and One Hundred Eleventh Congresses); was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic nomination for President in 2008; was not a candidate for reelection to the Senate in 2010.