Pat Roberts | Biography & Facts

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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pat-Roberts/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="qf-title font-weight-bold font-14 mb-10 text-center"> Quick Facts</div> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>In full: </dt> <dd>Charles Patrick Roberts</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Born: </dt> <dd>April 20, 1936, <a href="/place/Topeka">Topeka</a>, <a href="/place/Kansas">Kansas</a>, <a href="/place/United-States">U.S.</a> (age 88)</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Also Known As: </dt> <dd>Charles Patrick Roberts</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Title / Office: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Senate-United-States-government">United States Senate (1997-)</a>, <a href="/place/United-States">United States</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/House-of-Representatives-United-States-government">House of Representatives (1981-1997)</a>, <a href="/place/United-States">United States</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Pat-Roberts"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref1217856"></span>Pat Roberts</strong> (born April 20, 1936, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Topeka" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Topeka</a>, Kansas, U.S.) is an American politician who was elected as a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Republican-Party" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Republican</a> to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Senate-United-States-government" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">U.S. Senate</a> in 1996 and began his first term representing <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Kansas" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kansas</a> in that body the following year. He previously served in the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/House-of-Representatives-United-States-government" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">U.S. House of Representatives</a> (1981–97).</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Roberts’s family was involved in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/journalism" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">journalism</a> and politics; his father served as chairman of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Republican-National-Committee" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Republican National Committee</a> in 1953, and his great-grandfather founded a newspaper in the territorial era. Roberts <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="attended" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/attended" data-type="EB">attended</a> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kansas-State-University" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Kansas State University</a> in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Manhattan-Kansas" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Manhattan</a>, graduating with a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/bachelors-degree" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">bachelor’s degree</a> in journalism in 1958. He joined the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-United-States-Marine-Corps" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">U.S. Marine Corps</a> that year, leaving in 1962 with the rank of captain. He subsequently moved to <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Arizona-state" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Arizona</a> and worked as a reporter and editor for several newspapers. He returned to Kansas in 1967 to become an aide to U.S. Sen. <span id="ref1262861"></span>Frank Carlson, and the following year he began working for U.S. Rep. <span id="ref1262862"></span>Keith Sebelius (who would later become father-in-law to <span id="ref1259937"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kathleen-Sebelius" class="md-crosslink ">Kathleen Sebelius</a>, governor of Kansas in 2003–09 and U.S. secretary of health and human services in 2009–14). In 1969 Roberts married, and he and his wife, Franki, had three children.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><div class="assemblies"><div class="w-100"><figure class="md-assembly m-0 mb-md-0 card card-borderless print-false" data-assembly-id="198357" data-asm-type="image"><div class="md-assembly-wrapper card-media " data-type="image"><a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/182026-050-9DBC1CD3/Pat-Roberts.jpg" class="gtm-assembly-link position-relative d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center media-overlay-link card-media" data-href="/media/1/2027383/198357"><picture><source media="(min-width: 680px)" srcset="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/182026-050-9DBC1CD3/Pat-Roberts.jpg?w=300"><img src="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/182026-050-9DBC1CD3/Pat-Roberts.jpg?w=300" alt="Roberts, Pat" data-width="1378" data-height="1600" loading="eager"></picture><button class="magnifying-glass btn btn-circle position-absolute shadow btn-white top-10 right-10" aria-label="Zoom in"><em class="material-icons link-blue" data-icon="zoom_in"></em></button></a></div><figcaption class="card-body"><div class="md-assembly-caption text-muted font-14 font-serif line-clamp"><span><a class="gtm-assembly-link md-assembly-title font-weight-bold d-inline font-sans-serif mr-5 media-overlay-link" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/26/182026-050-9DBC1CD3/Pat-Roberts.jpg" data-href="/media/1/2027383/198357">Roberts, Pat</a><span>Pat Roberts.</span><button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-white js-content" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"><span class="link-blue">(more)</span></button></span></div></figcaption></figure></div></div><p class="topic-paragraph">When Sebelius announced his retirement in 1980, Roberts ran for his seat, easily winning in the predominantly Republican 1st congressional district. After taking office the following year, he generally pursued <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="conservative" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conservative" data-type="MW">conservative</a> policies, especially in social issues; he was a vocal opponent of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/abortion-pregnancy" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">abortion</a> and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/same-sex-marriage" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">same-sex marriage</a>. Roberts was reelected seven times. In 1996 he successfully ran for the Senate seat vacated by <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nancy-Kassebaum" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Nancy Kassebaum</a>. As a senator, Roberts notably voted (2002) for the use of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Iraq-War" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">military force</a> against Iraq and typically backed military spending. From 2003 to 2007 he served as chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. He later opposed the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/money/Patient-Protection-and-Affordable-Care-Act" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act</a> (2010) and a number of other <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Democratic-Party" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Democratic</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="initiatives" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/initiatives" data-type="MW">initiatives</a> during the administration of Pres. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Barack-Obama" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Barack Obama</a>. In 2014 Roberts faced the toughest reelection bid of his career, overcoming a surprisingly strong challenge in the primary before winning his closest general election.</p><div class="module-spacing"> </div><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In 2017 Republican <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Donald-Trump" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Donald Trump</a> became president, and Roberts helped advance a number of his policies. He notably played a key role in the passage of a massive tax-reform bill in December. In 2019 Roberts announced that he would not run for a fifth term the following year.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/Gregory-Lewis-McNamee/4763">Gregory Lewis McNamee</a></span> <span class="md-signature"><a href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</a></span><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":1,"pageId":2027383,"pageLength":378,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"D","adLeg":"D","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"BIO_MEDIUM","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Pat Roberts | Biography & Facts | Britannica