Alan Cranston
Alan MacGregor Cranston (June 19, 1914 – December 31, 2000) was an American politician and journalist who served as a United States Senator from California from 1969 to 1993, and as a President of the World Federalist Association from 1949 to 1952.
Alan Cranston | |
|---|---|
Cranston in 1969 | |
| United States Senator from California | |
| In office January 3, 1969 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Kuchel |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Boxer |
| Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Frank Murkowski |
| Succeeded by | Jay Rockefeller |
| In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Preceded by | Vance Hartke |
| Succeeded by | Alan K. Simpson |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1991 | |
| Leader | Robert Byrd George Mitchell |
| Preceded by | Alan K. Simpson |
| Succeeded by | Wendell Ford |
| In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1981 | |
| Leader | Robert Byrd |
| Preceded by | Robert Byrd |
| Succeeded by | Ted Stevens |
| Senate Minority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 1987 | |
| Leader | Robert Byrd |
| Preceded by | Ted Stevens |
| Succeeded by | Alan K. Simpson |
| 25th Controller of California | |
| In office January 5, 1959 – January 2, 1967 | |
| Governor | Pat Brown |
| Preceded by | Robert C. Kirkwood |
| Succeeded by | Houston I. Flournoy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alan MacGregor Cranston June 19, 1914 Palo Alto, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 31, 2000 (aged 86) Los Altos, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Geneva McMath
(m. 1940; div. 1977)Norma Weintraub
(m. 1978; div. 1989) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Stanford University (BA) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1944–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Born in Palo Alto, California, Cranston worked as a journalist after graduating from Stanford University. After serving as California State Controller, he was elected to the Senate in 1968. He served as the Senate Democratic Whip from 1977 to 1991. In 1984, Cranston sought the Democratic presidential nomination, advocating a nuclear freeze during the later stages of the Cold War. He dropped out after the first set of primaries.
In 1991, the Senate Ethics Committee reprimanded Cranston for his role in the savings and loan crisis as a member of the Keating Five. After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, he decided not to run for a fifth term. After his retirement from the Senate, he served as president of the Global Security Institute and advocated for the global abolition of nuclear weapons.