Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was a prominent American attorney, author, and politician, best known for his lengthy tenure as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania, where he served from 1981 until 2011. Initially a member of the Democratic Party from 1951 to 1965, he switched to the Republican Party, remaining with them until 2009, when he returned to the Democratic fold. Specter's three-decade career in the Senate made him the longest-serving senator from Pennsylvania.
Born in Wichita, Kansas, to Jewish immigrants from Russia and Ukraine, Specter completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Pennsylvania and later served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He earned his law degree from Yale Law School and began his legal career by founding a law firm with Marvin Katz, who would later assume a federal judgeship. Specter gained national attention as an assistant counsel for the Warren Commission, where he played a key role in developing the "single-bullet theory" regarding President John F. Kennedy's assassination. His political career included serving as the District Attorney of Philadelphia from 1965 to 1973.
Throughout his Senate career, Specter positioned himself as a centrist, chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee from 2005 to 2007. In 2006, Time magazine recognized him as one of America's Ten Best Senators. Despite facing health challenges, including a brain tumor and Hodgkin's lymphoma, he continued to serve until his defeat in the 2010 Democratic primary. Specter passed away from complications related to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2012.
