Republican Senior senator from Colorado,

Ben Nighthorse Campbell was born in 1933 in Auburn, California. His mother, Mary Vierra, was a Portuguese immigrant, and his father, Albert Campbell, was a Northern Cheyenne Indian making B. N. Campbell the only American Indian presently serving in the United States Senate. He is also one of 44 Chiefs of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

Before going to college Campbell served in the U.S. Air force from 1951-53, stationed in Korea, where he attained the rank of Airman 2nd Class. He received the Korean War Service Medal of Honor. He graduated from San Jose University in 1957 with a degree in physical education and fine arts and in 1960 attended Meiji University in Tokyo as a special research student.

Outside of his work for the senate Campbell is well know as a jewelry designer, rancher, and trainer of champion quarter horses. He has also been a judo instructor. Campbell has been married to his wife Linda Price for more than 35 years. He is the father of two grown children, Colin Campbell and Shanan Longfellow, and is the grandfather to Luke and Saylor Longfellow and Lauren Campbell.

He was elected to the Colorado State Legislature in 1982, serving for four years and served from 1987-92 in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Colorado's Third Congressional District. . Senator Campbell was elected to the U.S. Senate November 3, 1992, and again on November 3, 1998. Originally Campbell was a Democrat but he switched parties after the 1994 elections. Campbell is the first American Indian to chair the Indian Affairs Committee. His other committees are the Appropriations Committee; Energy and Natural Resources Committee; Veterans' Affairs Committee; and the Environment and Public Works Committee. Campbell chairs the Helsinki Commission.

His website and contact info is:

380 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-5852
http://campbell.senate.gov/email.htm
http://www.senate.gov/~campbell

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