Lott, Trent (1941-…), was a member of the United States Senate from 1989 to 2007. Lott, a Republican, represented Mississippi.
Lott served as leader of the Republicans in the Senate from 1996 until he resigned from the post in 2003. Lott stepped down from the position because of repeated calls for his resignation after a remark he made on the occasion of Senator Strom Thurmond’s 100th birthday. Lott said that the United States would have fewer problems if it had elected Thurmond president when he ran for that office in 1948. Thurmond had run on a pro-segregation platform. A number of Senate Republicans felt that Lott’s remark seriously damaged their party’s reputation.
Lott was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives before he became a senator. In Congress, he became known for his aggressive leadership style and his conservatism. He opposed increases in federal taxes and worked to limit federal spending. He supported a strong military.
Lott, whose full name is Chester Trent Lott, was born on Oct. 9, 1941, in Grenada, Mississippi. He attended the University of Mississippi, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1963 and a law degree in 1967. From 1968 to 1972, he worked as an assistant to William M. Colmer, a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives. Lott switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in 1972. That same year, he was elected to the U.S. House. He took office in 1973 and served until 1989. He was Republican House whip from 1981 to 1989.
Lott was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1988 and took office in 1989. He served as Senate Republican whip from January 1995 until June 1996, when he became Senate Republican leader. He was chosen to replace Robert J. Dole, who had resigned to run for president. In 2007, Lott became whip (assistant leader) of the Senate Republicans. Later that year, however, Lott resigned his Senate seat.
Lott wrote a political memoir, Herding Cats: A Life in Politics (2005). He is the coauthor, with former Democratic Senator Tom Daschle and writer Jon Sternfeld, of Crisis Point: Why We Must —and How We Can—Overcome Our Broken Politics in Washington and Across America (2016).
