John Kerry

John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who served as the 68th United States secretary of state from 2013 to 2017 in the administration of Barack Obama. A member of the Forbes family and of the Democratic Party, he previously represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1985 to 2013 and later served as the first U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate from 2021 to 2024. Kerry was the Democratic nominee for president of the United States in the 2004 election, losing to then-incumbent president George W. Bush.

Quick Facts 1st United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, President ...

John Kerry
Kerry in 2021
1st United States Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
In office January 20, 2021 – March 6, 2024
President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	John Podesta
68th United States Secretary of State
In office February 1, 2013 – January 20, 2017
President	Barack Obama
Deputy	William J. Burns Wendy Sherman (acting) Antony Blinken
Preceded by	Hillary Clinton
Succeeded by	Rex Tillerson
United States Senator from Massachusetts
In office January 2, 1985 – February 1, 2013
Preceded by	Paul Tsongas
Succeeded by	Mo Cowan
Committee chairmanships Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee In office January 6, 2009 – February 1, 2013 Preceded by Joe Biden Succeeded by Bob Menendez Chair of the Senate Small Business Committee In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009 Preceded by Olympia Snowe Succeeded by Mary Landrieu In office June 6, 2001 – January 3, 2003 Preceded by Kit Bond Succeeded by Olympia Snowe
66th Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts
In office January 6, 1983 – January 2, 1985
Governor	Michael Dukakis
Preceded by	Thomas P. O'Neill III
Succeeded by	Evelyn Murphy
Personal details
Born	John Forbes Kerry (1943-12-11) December 11, 1943 (age 80) Aurora, Colorado, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Julia Thorne ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1988)​ Teresa Heinz ​ (m. 1995)​
Children	Alexandra Vanessa
Parent(s)	Richard Kerry Rosemary Forbes
Relatives	Forbes family
Alma mater	Yale University (BA) Boston College (JD)
Occupation	Politician diplomat businessman activist
Civilian awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2024)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Navy
Years of service	1966–1978
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	USS Gridley (DLG-21) Coastal Squadron 1
Commands	PCF-44 PCF-94
Battles/wars	Vietnam War (WIA) Operation Sealords
Military awards	Silver Star Bronze Star (with valor) Purple Heart (3) Combat Action Ribbon
John Kerry's voice John Kerry speaks on the Ghouta chemical attack Recorded August 26, 2013

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Kerry grew up in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.. In 1966, after graduating from Yale University, he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve, ultimately attaining the rank of lieutenant. From 1968 to 1969, during the Vietnam War, Kerry served an abbreviated four-month tour of duty in South Vietnam. While commanding a Swift boat, he sustained three wounds in combat with the Viet Cong, for which he earned three Purple Heart Medals. Kerry was awarded the Silver Star Medal and the Bronze Star Medal for valorous conduct in separate military engagements. After completing his active military service, Kerry returned to the United States and became an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam War. He gained national recognition as an anti-war activist, serving as a spokesperson for the Vietnam Veterans Against the War organization. Kerry testified in the Fulbright Hearings before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, where he described the United States government's policy in Vietnam as the cause of war crimes.

In 1972, Kerry entered electoral politics as a Democratic candidate for the United States House of Representatives in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district. He won the Democratic nomination but was defeated in the general election by his Republican opponent. He subsequently worked as a radio talk show host and as the executive director of an advocacy organization while attending the Boston College School of Law. After obtaining his juris doctor in 1976, Kerry served from 1977 to 1979 as the first assistant district attorney of Middlesex County. After a period in private legal practice, he was elected the 66th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts in 1982. In 1984, Kerry was elected to the United States Senate. As a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, he led a series of hearings investigating narcotics trafficking in Latin America, which exposed aspects of the Iran–Contra affair.

Kerry won the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004, alongside vice presidential nominee and North Carolina Senator John Edwards. He lost the Electoral College and the popular vote by slim margins, winning 251 electors to Bush's 286 and 48.3% of the popular vote to Bush's 50.7%. Kerry remained in the Senate and chaired the Committee on Foreign Relations from 2009 to 2013.

In January 2013, Kerry was nominated by President Obama to succeed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and was subsequently confirmed by his Senate colleagues.^[1] He was U.S. secretary of state throughout the second term of the Obama administration from 2013 to 2017. During his tenure, he initiated the 2013–2014 Israeli–Palestinian peace talks and negotiated agreements restricting the nuclear program of Iran, including the 2013 Joint Plan of Action and the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In 2015, Kerry signed the Paris Agreement on climate change on behalf of the United States.

In January 2021, Kerry returned to government, becoming the first person to hold the position of U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, under President Joe Biden. On March 6, Kerry left this position to work on Biden's 2024 presidential campaign.^[2][3] Kerry was awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by Biden in May 2024.^[4]