Robert Foster Bennett
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| Bob Bennett | |
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1993-present |
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| Political party: | Republican |
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| Preceded by: | Jake Garn |
| Succeeded by: | Incumbent (2011) |
| Born: | September 18, 1933 Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Spouse: | Joyce McKay |
| Religion: | Mormon |
Robert Foster "Bob" Bennett (born September 18, 1933) is a Republican United States Senator from Utah.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Bennett was the son of Frances Grant Bennett and U.S. Senator Wallace Foster Bennett, as well as the grandson of Heber J. Grant, former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He attended Utah public schools and received a B.S. from the University of Utah in 1957.
Bennett married Joyce McKay in 1962; the couple have six children: James, Julie, Robert, Wendy, Heather, and Heidi.
He was a chaplain in the Army National Guard from 1957 to 1969, when he entered public service as congressional liaision of the United States Department of Transportation, serving from 1969 to 1970. That year he became president of Robert Mullen Associates, a Washington, D.C. public relations firm that was a front for the Central Intelligence Agency. Because his company employed Watergate burglar E. Howard Hunt, he was suspected of being Woodward and Bernstein's source Deep Throat.
In 1974, he became the public relations director for billionaire Howard Hughes's holding company, Summa Corporation, working there until 1978 when he became president of Osmond Communications. In 1979, he went into computers, first as chairman of American Computers Corporation, then as president of Microsonics Corporation from 1981 to 1984. In 1984, he was named CEO of Franklin Quest, the maker of organizers and appointment books.
A Senate seat opened up in 1992, when Jake Garn, who hated Washington and made no secret of it, refused to run for a fourth term. Bennett narrowly won the Republican primary (51%) in 1992, his opponent being another millionaire with famous forebears, and then went on to defeat his Democratic opponent, Congressman Wayne Owens, in the general election. He was re-elected in 1998 and 2004. His Democratic opponent in 2004 was Paul Van Dam and Bennett won by a vote of 68%-29%. Bennett currently serves as the Deputy Republican Whip.
On June 27, 2006, Bennett was one of only three Republicans to vote against the defeated Flag Desecration Amendment. The amendment's chief sponsor was Bennett's fellow Utah republican senator, Orrin Hatch.
In August 2006, Bennett, a Latter-day Saint (Mormon), called the Democratic party in Utah the "anti-Mormon party", to which many Utah Democrats objected.[1][2] [3]
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| Preceded by: Jake Garn |
U.S. Senator (Class 3) from Utah 1993- |
Succeeded by: Incumbent |
| Utah's current delegation to the United States Congress |
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| Senators: Orrin Hatch (R), Robert Bennett (R)
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