John Kennedy was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 and reelected in 2022. He has built a distinguished career as a conservative champion for the people of Louisiana and a dedicated watchdog of taxpayer money.
Sen. Kennedy serves on the Appropriations, Banking, Budget, Judiciary, and Small Business Committees in the U.S. Senate. He serves as the top Republican of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, and Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy.
Prior to his election to the Senate, Sen. Kennedy served as state treasurer of Louisiana for five terms. As treasurer, he oversaw the state’s multi-billion-dollar investment portfolios. He also oversaw local and state bond issues and returned millions of dollars in unclaimed property each year. Sen. Kennedy served as secretary of the Department of Revenue, special counsel to Gov. Roemer and secretary of Gov. Roemer’s cabinet. He was also an attorney and partner in the Baton Rouge and New Orleans law firm of Chaffe McCall.
Sen. Kennedy graduated magna cum laude in political science, philosophy, and economics from Vanderbilt University, was president of his senior class, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an executive editor of the “Virginia Law Review” and elected to the Order of the Coif. He earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first class honors from Oxford University (Magdalen College) in England, where he studied under Sir Rupert Cross and Sir John H. C. Morris. He has written and published several books and articles on Constitutional law, the Louisiana Products Liability Act, and the Federal Power Commission.
Sen. Kennedy served as an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center from 2002 to 2016. He has regularly volunteered as a substitute teacher in Louisiana public schools. He resides in Madisonville, Louisiana, with his wife Becky and their dogs. The Kennedys are founding members of their local Methodist church.