Specter, Arlen, 1930-2012

Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician. Originally a member of the Democratic Party, Specter became a Republican to successfully run for District Attorney of Philadelphia, serving in that office from 1966 to 1974. In 1980, Specter was elected to the first of five terms in the U.S. Senate representing Pennsylvania. In 2009, Specter re-joined the Democratic Party. He is the longest-serving senator from Pennsylvania, having represented the state for 30 years.

Born in Wichita, Kansas, he grew up there and in Russell, Kansas. After graduating from Russell High School, Specter studied at the University of Oklahoma, later transferring to the University of Pennsylvania and earning a B.A. there. During the Korean War, he served stateside in the United States Air Force from 1951 to 1953 and obtained the rank of first lieutenant as an officer in the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Following the war, Specter attended Yale Law School, graduating in 1956. He was admitted to the Pennsylvania bar in 1956 and commenced practice in Philadelphia and ultimately served as assistant district attorney of Philadelphia from 1959 to 1964. After serving as assistant counsel for the Warren Commission, Specter left the Democratic Party to run successfully as a Republican for District Attorney of Philadelphia, serving two terms before being defeated. He lost the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate in 1976 and the Republican primary for Governor of Pennsylvania in 1978. He successfully ran for the U.S. Senate in 1980.

During his 30-year Senate career, Specter staked out a spot in the political center. He supported affirmative action and LGBT rights, voted in favor of the bill establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a federal holiday and the Civil Rights Restoration Act of 1987, and supported a woman's right to choose but strongly opposed most gun control measures and for the Supreme Court nominations of Clarence Thomas, John Roberts, and Samuel Alito. In 2006, he was selected by Time as one of America's Ten Best Senators. After re-joining the Democratic Party, Specter lost his 2010 re-election bid in the Democratic primary to former U.S. Navy vice admiral Joe Sestak, who then lost to Republican Pat Toomey in the general election. Toomey succeeded Specter on January 3, 2011.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in early 2005, he continued his work in the Senate while undergoing chemotherapy. He died from complications of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma on October 14, 2012.