There are probably no more than a handful of people who can proudly say that they have served in both houses of the United States Congress, held senior diplomatic office, and also held office at the firm as Dan Coats. The longtime politician, who was recently nominated by President Trump to be the 5th Director of National Intelligence, has enjoyed a distinguished career that should serve as a model for many others. Learn more about him below.
Who is Dan Coats?
Dan Coats is an American politician born Daniel Ray Coats on May 16, 1943, in Jackson, Michigan. Her parents are Vera (Nora) Elisabeth (née Swanlund) and Edward Raymond Coats. He is American by nationality and of English, German and Swedish origin.
Coats received his basic education at a local public school Jackson High School, where he graduated in 1961. He then enrolled at Wheaton College in Illinois, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1965. Between 1966 and 1968 he served in the US Army Corps of Engineers before deciding to return to school. He went to Robert H. McKinney Law School at Indiana University in Indianapolis, where he earned a Juris Doctorate in 1972. While there, he served as associate editor of the Indiana Law Review before embarking on a political life.
5 interesting facts to know about Dan ribs
1. He served in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate
Four years after earning his Juris Doctor degree from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 1976, Dan Coats found work as a district representative in the then United States. Representative for Indiana’s 4th congressional district, Dan Quayle. He held the position for four years before deciding to run as a replacement for his boss, who himself had challenged the incumbent state senator.
From January 1981 to January 1989, Coats was a member of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana’s 4th District. He left his seat when he was appointed to the Senate following the resignation of his former boss, Quayle, who was at the time elected to the post of Vice President of the United States. Coats was then re-elected to the Senate for a first full term before declining to seek a second term in 1998. However, he announced that he would run for his previous Senate seat in 2010. This prompted his successor and incumbent seat to announce his retirement a few days later. Coats went on to serve one more term as a senator before choosing not to seek re-election in 2016.
2. Coats supported the war in Iraq
Prior to the Iraq War in 2003, Dan Coats served as US Ambassador to Germany. By his stance, he pressured the German government with threats of sanctions and soured bilateral relations if he opposed the war that ultimately led to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s government.
Coats served as Ambassador from August 15, 2001 to February 28, 2005. Although his efforts to pressure Germany to support the war are well documented, he also played a key role in establishing solid relations with Angela Merkel, who was the leader of the opposition at the time.
3. He is happily married
For more than five decades, Dan Coats has been happily married to his wife, Marsha Coats. Marsha is Indiana’s representative on the Republican National Committee. The couple reportedly met in college and after a few years of dating, they married in 1965. Together they have three children.
4. Coats don’t support same-sex marriage.
Like all other members of the Republican Party, Dan Coats does not support same-sex marriage; however, he opposes interference on people’s lifestyles. In 1993, the politician, who was then a United States senator, emerged as a strong opponent of efforts by his colleagues in the Democratic Party and President Bill Clinton to allow LGBT people to serve openly in the US armed forces.
In order to ensure that people don’t openly identify with their sexuality in the armed forces, he helped the Clinton administration draft the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. This policy openly prohibits gay, lesbian, or bisexual persons from military service and prohibits military personnel from discriminating against or harassing closed members or applicants of gay or bisexual services.
5. He is a former college athlete and sports enthusiast
Dan Coats was known for his athletic ability in Wheaton College in Illinois. The Michigan native was reportedly an important member of his school’s football team during his time there. After graduating, he became a sports fan, but not a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. The longtime lawmaker is a die-hard Major League Baseball fan, which he proved by taking his wife to a Cubs game just a day after they were married.