Bob Corker

Robert Phillips Corker Jr. (born August 24, 1952), is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States Senator from Tennessee since 2007. He is the current chairman of the Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations in the 115th Congress. He is a member of the Republican Party. In 1978, Corker founded a construction company, which he sold in 1990. He ran in the 1994 U.S. Senate election in Tennessee, but was defeated in the Republican primary by future Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist. Appointed by Governor Don Sundquist, Corker served as Commissioner of Finance and Administration for the State of Tennessee from 1995–96. He later acquired two of the largest real estate companies in Chattanooga, Tennessee, before being elected the 71st Mayor of Chattanooga in 2000; he served one term as mayor from 2001–05. Corker announced his candidacy for the 2006 U.S. Senate election in Tennessee after Frist announced his retirement. Corker defeated Democratic Representative Harold Ford, J