John V. Tunney | |
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United States Senator from California |
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In office January 2, 1971 – January 2, 1977 |
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Preceded by | George Murphy |
Succeeded by | S. I. Hayakawa |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 38th district |
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In office January 3, 1965 – January 2, 1971 |
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Preceded by | Patrick M. Martin |
Succeeded by | Victor Veysey |
Personal details | |
Born |
John Varick Tunney June 26, 1934 New York City, New York |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Mieke Sprengers (1959–1973) Kathinka Osborne Tunney (1977–present) |
Children | Edward (Teddy), Mark, and Arianne |
Alma mater |
Yale University Hague Academy of International Law University of Virginia |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Military service | |
Service/branch | United States Air Force |
Years of service | 1960–1963 |
Rank | Captain |
Unit | Judge Advocate General's Corps |
John Varick Tunney (born June 26, 1934) is a former United States Senator and Representative from the state of California.
He is the son of heavyweight boxing champion Gene Tunney and Connecticut socialite Polly Lauder Tunney. He grew up on the family's Star Meadow Farm in Stamford, Connecticut and attended New Canaan Country School and the Westminister prep school.
Tunney graduated from Yale University, where he was a member of St. Anthony Hall, in 1956. He attended the Hague Academy of International Law in the Netherlands and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1959, where he was a roommate of future Massachusetts senator Ted Kennedy, who remained a close friend. Tunney was admitted to the Virginia and New York bars in 1959 and practiced law in New York City. Tunney married his first wife, Mieke Sprengers, on February 5, 1959.
Tunney joined the United States Air Force as a judge advocate and served until he was discharged as a captain in April 1963. He taught business law at the University of California, Riverside in 1961 and 1962. In 1963 he was admitted to practice law in California. He was a special adviser to the President's Committee on Juvenile Delinquency and Youth Crime from 1963 until 1968.