Flake, Jeff (1962-…), served as a United States senator from 2013 to 2019. Flake, a Republican, represented Arizona. Prior to his election as senator, Flake had served in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Jeffry Lane Flake was born on Dec. 31, 1962, in Snowflake, Arizona. He grew up on his family’s ranch. After high school, Flake served on a Mormon mission in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Brigham Young University in 1986. He received a master’s degree in political science from the university in 1987.
In 1989 and 1990, Flake worked in Namibia, in southern Africa, for a foundation promoting democracy there. At the time, Namibia was making the transition to independence from South Africa. Flake later became executive director of the Goldwater Institute, a conservative public policy research organization in Phoenix.
In 2000, Flake won election to the U.S. House. He represented a district in the Phoenix area. As a congressman, Flake became known as a strong opponent of tax increases and earmarks. Earmarks are funds designated for special projects as part of legislative spending bills.
As a senator, Flake gained a reputation as a conservative who would occasionally seek compromise with moderates on such issues as immigration and background checks for gun purchases. In his book Conscience of a Conservative: A Rejection of Destructive Politics and a Return to Principle (2017), he criticized what he considered to be the lowering of standards of U.S. political discussion and debate by President Donald Trump and certain other political figures.
Flake did not seek reelection to the Senate in 2018. In 2021, the Senate confirmed Flake as U.S. ambassador to Turkey.
