Born:
October 9, 1941 Grenada, Mississippi
Political party:
Republican
Assumed office:
January 3, 1989
Religion:
Baptist
Phone:
(202) 224-6253

Chester Trent Lott, Sr. attended college at the University of Mississippi where he obtained an undergraduate degree in public administration in 1965 and a law degree in 1967. After obtaining his law degree, he moved to Pascagoula and began a law practice.

Lott was raised as a Democrat. He served as administrative assistant to House Rules Committee chairman William M. Colmer, also of Pascagoula, from 1968 to 1972.

When Colmer, one of the leading segregationists in the Democratic Party, retired after 40 years in Congress, he endorsed Lott as his successor in Mississippi's 5th District, located in the state's southwestern tip, even though Lott ran as a Republican. Lott won handily.

Lott's party switch was part of a growing trend in the South. During the 1960s, cracks had begun to appear in the Democrats' "Solid South", as most white segregationists became more willing to vote Republican after the national Democratic Party strongly endorsed racial integration.

See also:
lott.senate.gov
en.wikipedia.org