Thad Cochran

William Thad Cochran was an American attorney and politician who served as a <a href="/facts/United_States_Senate/VyzXHE01">United States senator</a> for <a href="/facts/Mississippi/7KwuWxxT">Mississippi</a> from 1978 to 2018. A <a href="/facts/Republican_Party_(United_States)/XXM1EVPr">Republican</a>, he previously served in the <a href="/facts/United_States_House_of_Representatives/cdBPb9pY">U.S. House of Representatives</a> from 1973 to 1978.
Born in <a href="/facts/Pontotoc%2c_Mississippi/25pwCfwy">Pontotoc, Mississippi</a>, Cochran graduated from the <a href="/facts/University_of_Mississippi/X25o3J7T">University of Mississippi</a>. He served in the <a href="/facts/United_States_Navy/xYK0fUou">United States Navy</a> as an <a href="/facts/Ensign_(rank)/K6EuCgvs">ensign</a> (1959–1961) before graduating from the <a href="/facts/University_of_Mississippi_School_of_Law/peEPu17V">University of Mississippi School of Law</a>. After practicing law for several years in <a href="/facts/Jackson%2c_Mississippi/mlWqJqUI">Jackson, Mississippi</a>, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives <a href="/facts/United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections%2c_1972/05voAQh9">in 1972</a>. He served three terms in the House representing Jackson and portions of southwest Mississippi.
Cochran won a three-way race for U.S. Senate <a href="/facts/United_States_Senate_election_in_Mississippi%2c_1978/XQuI3vE8">in 1978</a>, becoming the first Republican to win a United States Senate election in Mississippi since <a href="/facts/Blanche_Bruce/s3KsKMyH">Blanche Bruce</a> was elected during <a href="/facts/Reconstruction_era/W6lgbxvn">Reconstruction</a>. He was re-elected to six terms by wide margins. He was chairman of the <a href="/facts/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Appropriations/UNpSUwtl">Senate Appropriations Committee</a> from 2005 to 2007 and again from 2015 to 2018. He also chaired the <a href="/facts/United_States_Senate_Committee_on_Agriculture%2c_Nutrition_and_Forestry/dp43t8jY">Senate Agriculture Committee</a> from 2003 to 2005. With over 45 years of combined House and Senate service, Cochran is the <a href="/facts/List_of_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_by_longevity_of_service/X2dJxFPL">second longest-serving</a> member of Congress ever from Mississippi, only after former <a href="/facts/Democratic_Party_(United_States)/MNe3nDrL">Democratic</a> U.S. Representative <a href="/facts/Jamie_Whitten/g5fzGyM2">Jamie L. Whitten</a>.
Cochran resigned from the Senate due to health issues in April 2018. Cochran died on May 30, 2019 in <a href="/facts/Oxford%2c_Mississippi/ovx5JRCX">Oxford, Mississippi</a>.

Thad Cochran open-in-new

Thad Cochran