The Life of U.S. Senator John Chafee (posted October 25, 1999)

The surprise death of U.S. Senator John Chafee last night from heart failure has stunned the state of Rhode Island and robbed the country of one of our most distinguished public servants. Born in 1922, Chafee entered public life in 1956 by winning a seat in the Rhode Island General Assembly. He was elected Governor in 1962 and re-elected in 1964 and 1966, before losing a 1968 re-election effort. He served for three years as Secretary of the Navy below losing to Claiborne Pell in 1972. Chafee was elected U.S. Senator in 1976, where he has served since that time. Earlier this year, he announced he would not run for re-election in 2000.

Senator Chafee left his mark on many different areas. He was a champion of the environment throughout his career and was instrumental in passing the Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. As chair of the Public Works committee, he helped bring money to the state that will finance a new rail commuter station at Green Airport. A staunch advocate of abortion rights and fiscal discipline, Chafee represented want now has become a fading species in Washington, D.C., that of the moderate Republican. Upset with extremists in both parties, Senator Chafee gained great influence by being a crucial swing vote. With political power closely divided between Republicans and Democrts, Chafee was one of the 4-5 Republicans who often decided the actual outcome of key votes. Earlier this year, for example, Chafee was one of the few Republicans who voted against the impeachment of President Clinton.

With this vacancy, Republican Governor Lincoln Almond has the power to appoint an interim replacement who will serve out the next year of the term. According to state law, if there is a vacancy more than 70 days before an election, the governor appointments the successor for the reminder of that term. In this situation, governors typically have two options. They can appoint a caretaker who serves out the term and does not run in the following election or choose to advantage their candidate in the next election by appointing their leading party candidate.

With so few leading Republicans left in Rhode Island due to their overwhelming defeat in last year's election, the logical appointment is Warwick Mayor Lincoln Chafee, the son of John Chafee and the only announced GOP candidate for the U. S. Senate. Look for Almond to appoint Lincoln Chafee to this seat, which will give the Mayor a tremendous advantage in next year's election. With a year's opportunity in the Senate to build his name, raise money, and bring grants home to the state, Chafee will be in a stronger position to do well next year as a sitting Senator than as a Rhode Island Mayor. Democrats normally would cry foul with this kind of appointment, but with short-term sympathy for the Chafee family due to the surprising death of the Senator, it will be hard for Democrats to turn this sad event into a partisan issue.