Amy Klobuchar is a well-known political figure who became Minnesota’s first female member of the US Senate, but does she have a military past?
During her political career, Amy Klobuchar has been a supporter of those who serve in the military, working to improve the opportunities of veterans, however, she is not thought to have served in the military herself, instead choosing to pursue careers in law and later politics.
Read more below about Amy Klobuchar and her work for military personnel.
Who is Amy Klobuchar?
Amy Klobuchar was born in 1960 and spent her childhood in Minnesota. Her family was working class, with her mother working as a teacher and her father earning a living working for a newspaper.
She is the eldest of two children, with a younger sister. During her teenage years, Klobuchar’s parents divorced, and her relationship with her father became fraught due to his alcohol issues, though he would eventually achieve sobriety and they would reconcile.
From an early age, she showed promise academically. In her high school graduation, she was valedictorian.
After high school, she enrolled at Yale to study political science, graduating with honors from her studies in 1982. She continued her college education by enrolling at the University of Chicago.
Studying law, she graduated for a second time in 1985, again achieving honors.
In 1993, she married John Bessler, and the couple shares a daughter named Abigail.
Political and Legal Career
After graduating college, Klobuchar became a partner at multiple law companies, but took her first step into politics after the birth of her daughter.
The newborn suffered from health conditions, but Klobuchar was asked to leave the hospital after 24 hours. Following this incident, she began campaigning for all newborn babies and their mothers to be allowed to stay in hospitals for 48 hours.
This became state law and under President Clinton, was eventually made a federate legal requirement. Working Mother Magazine named her ‘Best in Congress’ in recognition of her work for families.
Before devoting herself full time to politics, she had a successful legal career as a prosecutor and claims to have focused on white-collar crime. “She led the effort for the successful passage of Minnesota’s first felony DWI law, and received the leadership award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Her safe schools initiative, community prosecution efforts, and criminal justice reforms earned national awards from both the Bush and Clinton Justice Departments,” her senator profile says of her time as a prosecutor.
In 2006, Klobuchar was elected to the Senate for the first time and won reelection in 2012 and 2018. In Minnesota, she is the first woman to be elected into this position.
“Senator Klobucher has always understood that her first duty is to represent the people of Minnesota,” her profile says.
Politically, she has lobbied for stricter environmental practices and has stated that by 2050, she wishes for America to reach net-zero emissions. Regarding college fees, she has not backed the total abolition of fees but has proposed that community college courses should not be chargeable.
She is pro-choice surrounding abortion and believes in the reformation of ICE, though does not think that it should be removed entirely.
Klobucher has been a strong supporter of those who have served in the military, working to end sexual assault from within the military, an effort which she was rewarded for by the Service Women’s Action Network. She has also pushed to improve employment options and education for veterans.
This work was recognized by the Disabled American Veterans.
Klobuchar ran alongside Joe Biden in a bid to become Vice President in the 2020 election campaign. She ultimately withdrew herself from the race, however, explaining that she believed that the role should go to a woman of color.
“I thought a lot about it, and I truly believe that this is a historic moment for our country,” she said in a statement. “I think the right thing to do right now, and I told this to Vice President Biden, is to put a woman of color on the ticket as the next vice president of our country.”