Richard Shelby

Richard Shelby

Born: May 6, 1934
in Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Richard Craig Shelby (born May 6, 1934) is an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Alabama from 1987 to 2023. First elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 as a Democrat who later switched to the Republican Party in 1994, he chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee from 2018 to 2021. He previously chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee, the Senate Banking Committee, and the Senate Rules Committee. He was the longest-serving U.S. senator from Alabama, surpassing John Sparkman's record in March 2019.

Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Shelby received his law degree from the Birmingham School of Law in 1961. He went on to serve as city prosecutor from 1963 to 1971. During this period he worked as a U.S. magistrate for the Northern District of Alabama (1966–1970) and Special Assistant Attorney General of Alabama (1969–1971). He won a seat in the Alabama Senate in 1970. In 1978, he was elected from the 7th district to the United States House of Representatives, where he was among a group of conservative Democrats known as the boll weevils.

In 1986, Shelby won a tight race as a Democrat for the U.S. Senate. In 1994, the day after the Republican Revolution in which the GOP gained the majority in Congress midway through President Bill Clinton's first term, Shelby switched parties and became a Republican. He was reelected by a large margin in 1998, facing no significant electoral opposition thereafter. He was the dean of Alabama's congressional delegation.

In February 2021, Shelby announced that he would not seek reelection in 2022. Katie Britt, his former chief of staff, won the election to succeed him.

Due to his party switch, Shelby is the last Democrat to have held or won election to Alabama's Class 3 Senate seat.

Movies for Richard Shelby...

Return to Space
Title: Return to Space
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: April 7, 2022
Type: Movie
The inspirational rise of SpaceX as well as Elon Musk's two-decade effort to resurrect America’s space travel ambitions.
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Title: First Ladies
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 4, 2020
Type: TV
Blending in-depth interviews, rare archival footage, and cinematic recreations, this docuseries on the lives of America's most iconic First Ladies is a bold revision of each woman's traditional portrayal, revealing how they were impacted during their time in the White House, and how their achievements fundamentally shaped American and global history.
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Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis
Title: Panic: The Untold Story of the 2008 Financial Crisis
Character: Self
Released: December 11, 2018
Type: Movie
This documentary looks at the factors that led to the 2008 financial crisis and the efforts made by then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, Federal Reserve Bank of New York President Timothy Geithner, and Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke to save the United States from an economic collapse.
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The Words That Built America
Title: The Words That Built America
Character: Reader - The Constitution
Released: July 4, 2017
Type: Movie
In recognition of the 4th of July, several celebrities and politicians of differing ideologies join to read the historic documents which laid the foundation for the United States of America.
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Before the Flood
Title: Before the Flood
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: October 21, 2016
Type: Movie
A look at how climate change affects our environment and what society can do to prevent the demise of endangered species, ecosystems, and native communities across the planet.
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Title: The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: February 17, 2014
Type: TV
After Jay Leno's second retirement from the program, Jimmy Fallon stepped in as his permanent replacement. After 42 years in Los Angeles the program was brought back to New York.
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Loose Change: Final Cut
Title: Loose Change: Final Cut
Character: Self
Released: November 11, 2007
Type: Movie
Loose Change Final Cut is the third installment of the documentary that asks the tough questions about the 9/11 attacks and related events. This movie hopes to be the catalyst for a new independent investigation, in which the family members receive answers to their questions, and the TRUE PERPETRATORS of this horrendous crime are PROSECUTED and PUNISHED.
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Maxed Out
Title: Maxed Out
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: March 10, 2006
Type: Movie
Maxed Out takes us on a journey deep inside the American debt-style, where everything seems okay as long as the minimum monthly payment arrives on time. Sure, most of us may have that sinking feeling that something isn't quite right, but we're told not to worry. After all, there's always more credit!
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Title: 60 Minutes
Character: Self
Released: September 24, 1968
Type: TV
America's popular television News magazine in which an ever changing team of CBS News correspondents contribute segments ranging from hard news coverage to politics to lifestyle and pop culture.