Chambliss, Saxby (1943-…), served as a member of the United States Senate from 2003 to 2015. Chambliss, a Republican, represented Georgia. Before becoming a senator, he served for eight years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Chambliss was born on Nov. 10, 1943, in Warrenton, North Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia in 1966 and a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 1968. After graduation, he joined a law firm in Moultrie, Georgia, where he practiced law until the early 1990’s.
In 1992, Chambliss campaigned for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives but was defeated in the primary. He ran again in 1994 and was elected. He won reelection in 1996, 1998, and 2000.
In the House of Representatives, Chambliss served as chairman of the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee. He also chaired the Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security. He was vice chairman of the House Budget Committee. In 1996, he played a key role in securing passage of a landmark farm bill that discontinued most agricultural subsidies and ended government control over what crops farmers could plant.
Chambliss won election to the U.S. Senate in 2002 and took office in January 2003. He was reelected in 2008. As a senator, Chambliss became known as an expert on terrorism and homeland security issues. He served on a number of Senate committees, including the Armed Services Committee; the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; and the Rules Committee. In 2011, he became a member of the so-called “Gang of Six,” a group of senators who worked to reach a bipartisan agreement to reduce federal budget deficits. Chambliss did not seek reelection to the Senate in 2014.
