Christopher Andrew Coons (born September 9, 1963) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat serving as the senior United States senator from Delaware since 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, he first won election to the Senate in a 2010 special election and has been re-elected multiple times.

Early Life and Education

Coons was born on September 9, 1963, in Greenwich, Connecticut. He grew up in Hockessin, Delaware, and attended the Tower Hill School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and political science from Amherst College in 1985, a master’s degree from Yale Divinity School, and a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1992.

Senate Career

Christopher A. Coons has served as United States Senator from Delaware since 2010. He won a special election to fill the seat vacated by Joe Biden when Biden became Vice President. As a Democrat, Coons has been known as a moderate voice in the Senate, serving on the Foreign Relations, Judiciary, and Appropriations committees among others. He has been active on issues of foreign policy, intellectual property, and bipartisan cooperation.

Legacy

Coons’s service in Congress has contributed to the political history of Delaware and the United States, where he has been recognized as a key bipartisan figure in the Senate.