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Biography

Levin was born in Detroit to Jewish parents Bess Levinson and Saul R. Levin.^[1] He attended Detroit public schools and graduated from Swarthmore College in 1956 and from Harvard Law School in 1959. Soon after earning his law degree, he was admitted to the Michigan bar and opened a practice in Detroit, where he still lives. He received honorary degrees from Michigan State University in 2004, Wayne State University in 2005, and Michigan Technological University in 2008.

He was state assistant police officer and general counsel for the Michigan civil rights commission from 1964-67. He was special assistant attorney general for the State of Michigan and chief appellate defender for the city of Detroit from 1968-69. He was a member of the Detroit City Council from 1969 to 1977, two four-year terms, the last four years as council president.

Elections

He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978, defeating Senate Minority Whip Robert P. Griffin.

Levin faced a tough reelection bid in 1984 against former astronaut Jack R. Lousma, winning by only four points. However, he routed Congressman Bill Schuette in 1990, and was reelected in 1996 and 2002 against only nominal Republican opposition. In 2002, Levin garnered 61% of the vote against Republican Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski despite the then-high popularity of President George W. Bush and the GOP and a close gubernatorial race that year.

On December 4, 2006, Levin announced that he would run for a sixth term in the 2008 election.^[2] Levin won by a comfortable margin.

Miscellaneous

Following the 1990/91 revelations of Izvestia^[9]concerning the downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 near Moneron Island, Carl Levin, along with Sam Nunn and Bill Bradley wrote to the Soviet President, Mikhail Gorbachev requesting information about the flight.^[10]. Afterwards, on December 10. 1991, Senator Jesse Helms, at that time ranking member of the minority staff of the Committee on Foreign Relations pressed the matter with Boris Yeltsin. The Russian Federation's 1992 handing over the long concealed and denied Black Box and tapes, together with the Soviet military communications of the shootdown, might well have been the results of these senatorial attempts for more information, beginning with Senator Levin and the others.

Levin is a critic of the New Hampshire presidential primary's first-in-the-nation status, saying a more diverse state (such as his own Michigan) should hold its contest first.

In April 2006, Levin was selected by Time as one of "America's 10 Best Senators."[3]

The American Civil Liberties Union gave him a 78% rating on civil liberties issues in 2005.

A strong gun control advocate, Levin has been graded F by Gun Owners of America. He was one of the 16 senators who voted against the Vitter Amendment.

He is almost always seen wearing his glasses at the end of his nose, which has drawn much humorous attention. In response, he lightheartedly joked that the late Senator Strom Thurmond (while he was in office) would have never worn his glasses because they "make him look old."[4] Daily Show host Jon Stewart refers to him both as the "kindly old shoemaker", and "Grandpa Munster".

An avid supporter of the non-profit civil rights organization Focus: HOPE, Levin was instrumental in the procurement of equipment and funding for their Machinist Training Institute (MTI).

Family

Levin's family has long been active in Michigan politics.

His older brother, Sander M. Levin, has represented Michigan's 12th congressional district in the House of Representatives since 1983. Sandy's son (Carl's nephew) Andy Levin was a policy analyst for the AFL-CIO and later ran unsuccessfully for the Michigan Senate. Carl's uncle Theodore Levin, was a chief judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Carl's first cousin Charles Levin was a Michigan Supreme Court judge; another, first cousin, Joseph Levin, was a candidate for the House.

Carl Levin married Barbara Halpern in 1961 and they have three daughters: Kate, Laura, and Erica.