Tom Udall

Tom Udall (born May 18, 1948, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.) is an American Democratic politician who served in the U.S. Senate (2009–21), representing New Mexico. He had previously been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives (1999–2009). In 2021, Udall became the ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa.

Udall was born into a political family. His father, Stewart Udall, practiced law in Tucson, Arizona, before becoming a U.S. representative (1955–61) and later secretary of the interior in the administrations of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. Stewart’s brother, Morris Udall, was a longtime Tucson representative and presidential candidate, and Morris’s son Mark served as a U.S. senator (2009–15) from Colorado. (Mike Lee and Gordon Smith, second cousins of Tom, also served in the U.S. Senate.)

After graduating from Prescott College (B.A, 1970), Udall earned a Bachelor of Law degree (1975) at the University of Cambridge and a Doctorate of Jurisprudence (1977) at the University of New Mexico. He worked in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Denver, Colorado, before returning to New Mexico to become assistant U.S. attorney (1978–81). He also worked as chief counsel (1983–84) to the New Mexico Department of Health and Environment, where he litigated violations of state environmental and health regulations.

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In 1982 Udall ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives but lost in the primary election to future New Mexico governor Bill Richardson. Udall lost a second bid in 1988. From 1990 to 1998 he was New Mexico attorney general. In 1998 he again ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, and this time he won. During his five terms (1999–2009) in the House, Udall was especially known for his interest in environmental matters, and he cofounded the Congressional International Conservation Caucus. In 2008, following the retirement of Sen. Pete Domenici, Udall ran for and won a seat in the U.S. Senate. He took office in 2009.

Udall was considered a liberal to moderate Democrat who typically voted with his party and who was closely allied with the administration of Pres. Barack Obama. He was instrumental in the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”—a policy under which gay and lesbian service members were forced to conceal their sexuality or risk expulsion from the military—and was a leading supporter of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (2010), which reformed health care. In addition, Udall championed legislation advancing the interests of Native American groups and remained involved in conservation and environmental protection efforts. In 2019 Udall announced that he would not seek a third term in the Senate. The following year he voted to impeach Pres. Donald Trump, who was accused of withholding aid to Ukraine in order to pressure the country into opening a corruption investigation into Joe Biden, a political rival. Trump, however, was acquitted in a largely party-line vote. Later in 2020 Udall endorsed Biden as the Democratic presidential candidate, and Biden ultimately won the nomination and defeated Trump. Udall left office on January 3, 2021. Later that year Biden nominated him ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa, and Udall was confirmed by the Senate in October.