Richard Shelby
Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Alabama from 1987 to 2023. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 as a Democrat who later switched to the Republican Party in 1994, he chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee from 2018 to 2021. He previously chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee, the Senate Banking Committee, and the Senate Rules Committee. He was the longest-serving U.S. senator from Alabama, surpassing John Sparkman's record in March 2019. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Shelby received his law degree from the Birmingham School of Law in 1961. He went on to serve as city prosecutor from 1963 to 1971. During this period he worked as a U.S. magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama (1966–1970) and Special Assistant Attorney General of Alabama (1969–1971). He won a seat in the Alabama Senate in 1970. In 1978, he was elected from the 7th district to the United States House of Representatives, where he was among a group of conservative Democrats known as the boll weevils. In 1986, Shelby won a tight race as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate. In 1994, the day after the Republican Revolution in which the GOP gained the majority in Congress midway through President Bill Clinton's first term, Shelby switched parties and became a Republican. He was reelected by a large margin in 1998, facing no significant electoral opposition thereafter. He was the dean of Alabama's congressional delegation. In February 2021, Shelby announced that he would not seek reelection in 2022. Katie Britt, his former chief of staff, won the election to succeed him. Due to his party switch, Shelby is the last Democrat to have held or won election to Alabama's Class 3 Senate seat.
Return to Space
as Self (archive footage)The inspirational rise of SpaceX as well as Elon Musk's two-decade effort to resurrect America’s...
Movie pageBefore the Flood
as Self (archive footage)A look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do to prevent the...
Movie pagePanic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis
as SelfThis documentary looks at the factors that led to the 2008 financial crisis and the efforts made...
Movie pageThe Words That Built America
as Self - Reader: The ConstitutionIn recognition of the 4th of July, several celebrities and politicians of differing ideologies...
Movie pageMaxed Out
as Self (archive footage)Maxed Out takes us on a journey deep inside the American debt-style, where everything seems okay...
Movie pageLoose Change: Final Cut
as SelfLoose Change Final Cut is the third installment of the documentary that asks the tough questions...
Movie pageThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
as Self (archive footage)After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent...
TV Show page60 Minutes
as SelfAmerica's popular television News magazine in which an ever changing team of CBS News...
TV Show pageFirst Ladies
as Self (archive footage)Blending in-depth interviews, rare archival footage, and cinematic recreations, this docuseries...
TV Show page