Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Ted Stevens grew up amidst the turmoil of the Great Depression and World War II. On March 15, 1943, he joined the Army Air Corps and received his wings and commission as a Second Lieutenant in March 1944. Stevens served in the China-Burma-India Theater, also known as the “Hump,” with the 14th Air Force Transport Section, which became the 322nd Troop Carrier Squadron, flying C-46 and C-47 transport planes under the command of General Claire Chenault in support of the “Flying Tigers.”

Stevens was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Unit Badge, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Yuan Hai Medal awarded by the Republic of China, the World War II Victory Medal, and a Good Conduct Medal.

Following the war, Stevens received an undergraduate degree in political science from UCLA and a juris doctor from Harvard Law School. In December 1968, he was appointed to the U.S. Senate in the wake of Senator Bob Bartlett’s death. In 1970, Alaskans chose Stevens to finish Bartlett’s term in a special election, and he was subsequently re-elected six consecutive times.

From 1977 to 1985, Stevens served as the Assistant Republican Leader, or “Whip” and in 2002, he was elected President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

Senator Stevens is survived by his wife Catherine, six children, and thirteen grandchildren.