Patrick Leahy is an American politician and attorney who is the senior United States senator from Vermont, as well as the president pro tempore of the United States Senate. He was the first ever Democrat to be elected to the Senate from Vermont, in 1974 and has since been undefeated in the seat. He is currently serving his eighth term, which will be his final term as he has announced not seeking a re-election. He served as the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee from 1987 to 1995. He served as the ranking member of the Appropriations Committee from 2017 to 2021 and became its chairman in 2021. He has been the dean of the United States Senate, the senator with the longest continuous service, since December 2012 and became the most senior member of Congress following the death of Representative Don Young's in March 2022. He is the last of the Senate's "Watergate Babies” – Democrats first elected to Congress following President Richard Nixon's resignation.
