Jim Webb
Jim Webb | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2007 | |
| United States Senator from Virginia | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | George Allen |
| Succeeded by | Tim Kaine |
| 66th United States Secretary of the Navy | |
| In office May 1, 1987 – February 23, 1988 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | John Lehman |
| Succeeded by | William Ball |
| 1st Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs | |
| In office May 3, 1984 – April 10, 1987 | |
| President | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Duncan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Henry Webb Jr. February 9, 1946 St. Joseph, Missouri, U.S. |
| Party | Republican (before 2006) Democratic (2006–present) |
| Spouses |
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| Children | 6 (1 stepchild) |
| Education | University of Southern California United States Naval Academy (BS) Georgetown University (JD) |
| Signature | |
| Website | Official website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1968–1972 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Delta Company, 1st Battalion 5th Marines |
| Battles/wars | Vietnam War (WIA) |
| Awards | |
James Henry Webb Jr. (born February 9, 1946) is an American politician and author. He has served as a United States senator from Virginia, Secretary of the Navy, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Counsel for the United States House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and is a retired Marine Corps officer. Webb has been a member of the Democratic Party since 2006, having initially been a Republican. He was the first Democratic U.S. senator to be elected in Virginia since 1994 and most recently elected who did not serve as Governor of Virginia.
Outside of working in government, Webb has also worked as a journalist, filmmaker, and author of ten books. In addition, he taught literature at the United States Naval Academy and was a Fellow at the Harvard Institute of Politics. As a member of the Democratic Party, Webb announced on November 19, 2014, that he was forming an exploratory committee to evaluate a run for President of the United States in 2016. On July 2, 2015, he announced that he would be joining the race for the Democratic nomination for president, but stepped down from running in the primaries on October 20, 2015, stating that he was "not comfortable" with many political positions from the party's leadership.
In 2020, Webb was named the first distinguished fellow of University of Notre Dame's International Security Center.