Jon Kyl (R-AZ-Senator)

Arizona

Jon Kyl, Biography from Senate.gov

Biography of Congressman Jon Kyl

Senator Jon Kyl is currently serving his third term in the United States Senate, after having completed four terms representing Arizona’s Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was elected unanimously by his colleagues in 2008 to serve as Republican Whip, the second highest position in Senate Republican leadership.

Senator Kyl serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he has played key roles in the confirmation of John Roberts as Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and Samuel Alito as Associate Justice. As a member of the Judiciary Committee, he has also helped write the landmark Crime Victims Rights Act, and important provisions of the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and other anti-terrorism laws.

As a member of the Finance Committee, he has been the chief advocate of death-tax repeal and progrowth tax policies, including low tax rates on income, capital gains, and dividends. He has also been a strong proponent of step-by-step solutions for health-care reform that can improve access, lower costs, and preserve the sacred doctor-patient relationship.

Michael Barone wrote in the 2010 Almanac of American Politics that “the unassuming Kyl quietly built a reputation for hard work, for his knowledge of the nuances of policy, and for his ability to play the inside game.” Senator Kyl was recognized by Time magazine in 2006 as one of the 10 best Senators.

Before his public service, Kyl practiced law at Jennings, Strouss & Salmon in Phoenix. In 1985 he served as chairman of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce.

Born in Oakland, Nebraska, Kyl received both his bachelor’s and law degrees from the University of Arizona. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and was editor-in-chief of the Arizona Law Review. He and his wife Caryll have two children, Kristine Kyl Gavin and John Kyl, and seven grandchildren.

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