Editing John Danforth (section)

== Career ==
Danforth practiced law at the New York law firm [[Davis Polk & Wardwell]] from 1964 to 1966. He was a partner at the law firm of Bryan, Cave, McPheeters and McRoberts in St. Louis from 1966 to 1968.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Danforth-tapped-for-U-N-post-Former-senator-2715979.php|title=Danforth tapped for U.N. post / Former senator has reputation for integrity|first=Robin|last=Wright|date=June 5, 2004|website=SFGATE}}</ref>

Before Danforth entered Republican politics, Missouri was a reliably Democratic state with its [[List of United States senators from Missouri|U.S. senators]] and [[List of Governors of Missouri|governors]] usually being Democrats. Danforth's seat in the Senate was previously held by Democrats [[Thomas Hart Benton (senator)|Thomas Hart Benton]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_congressional_delegations_from_Missouri#Historical_members |title=United States congressional delegations from Missouri: Historical members: Class 1 senators from Missouri |website=Ballotpedia |access-date=March 10, 2021 }}</ref> [[Harry S. Truman]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/08/03/us/former-governor-wins-missouri-gop-primary-for-governor.html |title=Former Governor Wins Missouri G.O.P. Primary for Governor |date=August 3, 1994 |newspaper=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |access-date=March 10, 2021 |page=A22 |quote=Danforth, a Republican, is retiring after three terms from the seat once held by Harry Truman }}</ref> and [[Stuart Symington]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/239/ |title=Alien Nation?: This Week's Interview: John Danforth |date=September 29, 2006 |work=PBS |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081021155531/http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/239/ |archive-date=October 21, 2008 |quote=Danforth succeeded retiring Senator Stuart Symington }}</ref>

===Missouri Attorney General===
In 1968, Danforth was elected [[Missouri Attorney General]], the first Republican elected to the office in 40 years,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/morning_call/2015/10/danforth-cites-long-friendship-in-choosing-hawley.html |title=Danforth cites long friendship in choosing Hawley in AG race |date=October 16, 2015 |work=St. Louis Business Journal |first=Diana |last=Barr |access-date=March 9, 2021 }}</ref> and the first from his party elected to statewide office in 22 years.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/08/06/GOP-88-Personality-SpotlightNEWLNJohn-Danforth-Vice-presidential-possibility/7220586843200/ |title=GOP '88 Personality Spotlight: John Danforth: Vice presidential possibility |work=[[United Press International]] |date=August 6, 1988 |access-date=March 9, 2021 }}</ref> On his staff of assistant attorneys general were future Missouri Governor and U.S. Senator [[Kit Bond]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mow.uscourts.gov/outreach/bond_courthouse |title=About the Christopher S. Bond U.S. Court House |website=United States Courts: Western District of Missouri |access-date=March 10, 2021 |quote=Bond became an assistant attorney general under former U.S. Senator John Danforth }}</ref> future Missouri Governor, U.S. Senator and U.S. Attorney General [[John Ashcroft]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-06-08/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-john-ashcroft |title=10 Things You Didn't Know About John Ashcroft |work=U.S. News & World Report |date=June 8, 2017 |first=Shelbi |last=Austin |access-date=March 10, 2021 }}</ref> future Supreme Court Justice [[Clarence Thomas]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/6091a9564d4b4a4d98c6145ecda02901 |title=Clarence Thomas: Sen. Danforth is 'the reason why I'm here' |date=May 5, 2017 |work=Associated Press |first=Jim |last=Salter |access-date=March 10, 2021 }}</ref> and future federal judge [[D. Brook Bartlett]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/05/archives/death-of-missouri-winner-roils-democratic-politics-death-of-winner.html |title=Death of Missouri Winner Roils Democratic Politics |date=August 5, 1976 |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Paul |last=Delaney |access-date=March 10, 2021 }}</ref> Danforth was reelected in 1972.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/US/9909/03/waco.danforth/ |title=Former Sen. Danforth likely head of independent Waco probe, official says |date=September 3, 1999 |work=CNN |access-date=March 10, 2021 |quote=He won re-election as attorney general in 1972. }}</ref>

===United States Senate===
[[File:Reagan Contact Sheet BW 4787 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Danforth greeting [[President of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]], 1981]]

====Elections====
In 1970, Danforth ran for the [[United States Senate]] for the first time, against Democratic incumbent [[Stuart Symington]]. He lost in a close race.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/11/04/archives/symington-wins-4th-senate-term-missouri-democrat-at-69-edges-a.html |title=Symington Wins 4th Senate Term |date=November 4, 1970 |first=B. Drummond Jr. |last=Ayres |newspaper=The New York Times |page=35 |access-date=March 9, 2021 }}</ref>

In 1976, Danforth [[1976 United States Senate election in Missouri|ran to succeed]] Symington, who was retiring.<ref name=nytfight>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/18/archives/hearnes-is-facing-difficult-fight-to-succeed-symington-in-senate.html |title=Hearnes Is Facing Difficult Fight To Succeed Symington in Senate |date=October 18, 1976 |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Paul | last=Delaney |page=33 |access-date=March 11, 2021 }}</ref> He had little opposition in the Republican primary.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=328080 |title=MO US Senate – R Primary |date=August 3, 1976 |website=Our Campaigns |access-date=March 11, 2021 }}</ref> The Democrats had a three-way battle among Symington's son [[James W. Symington]], former Missouri Governor [[Warren Hearnes]], and rising political star Congressman [[Jerry Litton]].<ref name="nytfight" /> Litton won the primary, but he and his family were killed when the plane taking them to their victory party in Kansas City crashed on takeoff in [[Chillicothe, Missouri]].<ref name=crash>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/08/04/archives/missouri-senate-nominee-dies-in-crash-after-upset-victory-missouri.html |title=Missouri Senate Nominee Dies In Crash Alter Upset Victory |date=August 4, 1976 |newspaper=The New York Times |page=1 |first=Paul |last=Delaney |access-date=March 11, 2021 }}</ref> Hearnes, who had finished second in the primary, was chosen to replace Litton as the Democratic nominee.<ref name="nytfight" /><ref name="crash" /> In the general election, Danforth defeated Hearnes with nearly 57% of the vote.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/1976election.pdf#page=26 |title=Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 2, 1976 |website=Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives |first=Benjamin J. |last=Guthrie |page=26 |access-date=March 11, 2021 }}</ref>

In 1982, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate was [[Harriett Woods]], a relatively unknown state senator from the St. Louis suburb of [[University City, Missouri|University City]]. She was active in women's rights organizations and collected union support and was a cousin of Democratic Senator [[Howard Metzenbaum]] of [[Ohio]]. Her speeches denounced [[Ronald Reagan]]'s policies so vigorously that she ran on the nickname "Give 'em Hell, Harriett" (a play on the famous [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] phrase). Danforth defeated Woods 51% to 49%, with Woods's pro-choice stance said to be the reason for her loss.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.umsl.edu/~whmc/guides/whm0490.htm |title=WHMC-St. Louis sl 490 Woods, Harriett F. (1927– ), Addenda, 1975–1983 |publisher=Umsl.edu |date=1982-01-12 |access-date=2010-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601195825/http://www.umsl.edu/~whmc/guides/whm0490.htm |archive-date=2010-06-01 }}</ref>

In 1988, Danforth defeated Democrat [[Jay Nixon]], 68%–32%. He chose not to run for a fourth term and retired from the Senate in 1995. He was succeeded by former Missouri governor [[John Ashcroft]]. Nixon was later elected Missouri Attorney General, and, in [[2008 Missouri gubernatorial election|2008]], governor of Missouri.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-04-27 |title=Jay Nixon |url=https://theforum.sph.harvard.edu/expert-participants/jay-nixon/ |access-date=2022-05-03 |website=The Forum at Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health |language=en-US}}</ref>

In January 2001, when Missouri Democrats opposed Ashcroft's nomination for U.S. Attorney General, Danforth's name was invoked. Former U.S. Senator [[Thomas Eagleton|Tom Eagleton]] reacted to the nomination by saying: "John Danforth would have been my first choice. John Ashcroft would have been my last choice."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://judiciary.senate.gov/oldsite/te011601hw.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174814/http://judiciary.senate.gov/oldsite/te011601hw.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |date=January 19, 2001 |title=Testimony for the Judiciary Committee Hearing on the Nomination of John Ashcroft |website=U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee }}</ref>

====Tenure====
{{expand section|date=January 2021}}
During the 1991 Senate confirmation hearings for [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] nominee [[Clarence Thomas]], Danforth used his clout to support Thomas, who had served Danforth during his state attorney general years and later as an aide in the Senate.<ref name="auto1"/>

Danforth portrayed himself as a political moderate, but voted like his right-wing Republican colleagues, including sustaining filibusters. He was once quoted as saying he joined the Republican Party for "the same reason you sometimes choose which movie to see—[it's] the one with the shortest line."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/nov/15/usa.marktran|title=Names in the frame|first=Mark|last=Tran|date=Nov 15, 2004|access-date=Sep 17, 2020|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref>

Danforth is a longtime opponent of [[capital punishment]], as he made clear on the Senate floor in 1994.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=1940 |title=New Voices – Conservative Voices |publisher=Deathpenaltyinfo.org |access-date=2013-12-30 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070713112245/http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/article.php?did=1940 |archive-date=2007-07-13 }}</ref>

In 1988, [[George H. W. Bush]]'s presidential campaign vetted Danforth as a potential running mate. Bush selected Indiana Senator [[Dan Quayle]] instead.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=123349&page=1|title=Danforth, Cheney on Bush V.P. Short List|date=2006-01-06|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=2019-03-07}}</ref>

===UN Ambassador===
[[Image:John Danforth being sworn in by Clarence Thomas.jpg|thumb|left|Danforth's swearing in to be the United States Ambassador to the United Nations by [[Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court|Justice]] [[Clarence Thomas]], his former assistant, 2004]]

On July 1, 2004, Danforth was sworn in as the [[United States Ambassador to the United Nations]], succeeding [[John Negroponte]], who left the post after becoming the [[U.S. Ambassador to Iraq]] in June. He is best remembered for attempts to bring peace to the Sudan but stayed at the UN for just six months. Danforth was mentioned as a successor to Secretary of State [[Colin Powell]]. Six days after the announcement that [[Condoleezza Rice]] was going to take the position, Danforth submitted his resignation on November 22, 2004, effective January 20, 2005. His resignation letter<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.un.int/usa/JCD%20Resignation.pdf |title=Resignation letter from Ambassador Danforth to President G.W. Bush |access-date=2004-12-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050128202017/http://www.un.int/usa/JCD%20Resignation.pdf |archive-date=2005-01-28 |date=November 22, 2004 |first=John C. |last=Danforth |website=United Nations }}</ref> said, "Forty-seven years ago, I married the girl of my dreams, and, at this point in my life, what is most important to me is to spend more time with her."<ref>{{cite web|author=Christine Lagorio |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-rep-resigns-after-5-months/ |title=U.N. Rep Resigns After 5 Months |work=CBS News |date=2004-12-02 |access-date=2010-03-16}}</ref>