There is no doubt that you, as a United States Senator, will receive so much media attention. Such is the life of the United States Senator from South Carolina, Lindsey Graham. But one part of his life that gets him more media attention than any other ordinary senator is his striking bachelorhood at 63.
His relationship status may be bleak, but the opposite can be said about his consistently impressive work status. His persistent service in the Senate has made him an admired public figure.
Lindsey Graham Brief Bio
Born as Lindsey Olin Graham to Millie and Florence Graham on July 9, 1955, in Central, South Carolina. His mother Millie Graham was born on September 2, 1925, and she died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma on June 9, 1976. His father Florence James Graham was born on December 28, 1908, and died of a heart attack on September 22, 1977. The family is of Scottish descent.
His Education
Lindsey Graham graduated from D.W. Daniel High School in South Carolina in 1973. He was the first member of his family to attend college when he was admitted to the University of South Carolina. He graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1977 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. In 1981, he received his Juris Doctor degree from the Law School of the University of South Carolina.
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He joined the United States Air Force in 1982 as an officer and judge advocate. In 1984, he was transferred to the Rhine-Main Air Force Base near Frankfurt as a military prosecutor and criminal defense attorney. After four years of active service in Europe, Graham returned to his home country. One year later he left active duty and began practicing as a private attorney.
In 1989 he joined the South Carolina Air National Guard, served until 1995, and then became a member of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Graham earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force Reserve in 1998. In 2004 he was promoted to the rank of colonel. A year before he left the Air Force, he was awarded a Bronze Star Medal for his service in the Task Force that oversaw the detention of military prisoners. In 2005, Graham resigned from the U.S. Air Force after serving his country for over thirty years. He retired as a colonel at the legal retirement age of 60.
In 1992, he was elected from District 2 to the lower house of the South Carolina General Assembly, the South Carolina House of Representative, beating his Democratic opponent Lowell W. Ross by 20%. He served only one term as 2nd district representative.
Graham then decided to represent the 3rd Congressional District of South Carolina. In the general election, he defeated James Bryan of the Democratic Party by 60% to 40%. However, he was the first Republican to represent the 3rd District since 1877. Graham subsequently ran again for the second, third, and fourth terms and was re-elected on all occasions he was challenged.
After more than three decades in office, Democratic Senator Strom Thurmond resigned from the office of Senator of the United States of South Carolina in 2002. His resignation prompted Graham to run for that office. He ran without running against him in the Republican primary and then defeated his Democratic opponent Alex Sanders in the 2003 general election. He became the first new U.S. Senator in South Carolina since 1965, serving as a junior state senator for the first two years of his term before Ernest Hollings retired in 2005.
In 2008, Graham ran for the second term. He defeated his Republican counterpart Buddy Witherspoon in the Republican primary. He then ran against Bob Conley in the general election, winning 57.53% to 42.25% against his Democratic opponent.
In 2014, Graham ran again for his incumbent office, and as with previous results, he ended up retaining his position as U.S. Senator of South Carolina. His ambition became possible after his victory over Democratic candidate Brad Hutton in the general election.
In 2015, Graham declared his intention to run for President of the United States. However, his presidential candidacy was aborted shortly after it became clear that Donald Trump would be the candidate who would emerge from the Republican Party.
Lindsey Graham Sister
Lindsey has a sister named Darline Graham Nordone, who is nine years older than him. When Lindsey was 22 years old, he took on the responsibility of being father and brother to his little sister after both became orphans after the death of their parents. Lindsey adopted his little sister as she was only 13 years old at the time. Since he was still in college, Darline lived with her uncle and aunt, and Graham came to visit on weekends. Darline is now married to Larry Nordon.
Net Worth
Lindsey Graham earns $174,000 per year as a salary. This is the standard salary of a United States Senator. His net worth is estimated at $3 million.
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Is He Gay, Who Is His Wife?
So many have questioned the sexuality of the United States Senator because there is no record that he has ever been married, has no children, or is in any kind of romantic relationship. Such facts have led so many to believe that the ex-military might be gay.
Lindsey Graham had come out on several occasions to dispel rumors about his homosexuality by declaring that he had had relationships with some ladies but never intended to. He was reportedly in a relationship with a girl named Debbie during law school. He also had a romantic relationship with two other ladies while serving in the Air Force in Europe. The two ladies he was alleged with are Carol a JAG officer and Sylvia, a Lufthansa flight attendant. He is currently not seen with any lady in his life, but he believes he would soon find his love.
