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

Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Connecticut's 2nd congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1981 and as U.S. Senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the longest-serving senator in Connecticut's history.

Born in Willimantic, Connecticut, he graduated from Georgetown Preparatory School in Bethesda, Maryland, and Providence College before serving in the Peace Corps for two years prior to entering the University of Louisville School of Law; during law school, he concurrently served in the United States Army Reserve. 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. During his tenure in the House, he served on the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations.

Dodd was elected to the United States Senate in 1980. 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. Dodd served as general chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 1995 to 1997. 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.

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.