Chris Dodd was born May 27, 1944, in Willimantic, Connecticut, to the late Senator Thomas J. Dodd and Grace Murphy Dodd. From his childhood, he was taught the virtue of public service, of service to country; Chris' father was one of the lead prosecutors during the Nuremberg Nazi war crimes tribunals that set the standard for America's moral authority. In 1958, Thomas Dodd was elected from Connecticut to the United States Senate. Three of Chris Dodds aunts were well-known public school teachers in small communities. Forty-six years ago, Chris stood on the East Front of the Capitol and heard John Kennedy's inaugural address which called upon all Americans to become a part of something greater than themselves, which famously challenged us to ask what we could do for our nation. After graduating from Providence College, Chris joined the United States Peace Corps in 1966 and moved to the Dominican Republic where he built a school and a maternity clinic in rural communities, became fluent in Spanish, and saw what the world could achieve when America leads. Upon fulfilling his two-year commitment to the Peace Corps, Chris returned home to enlist in the Army National Guard, later serving in the US Army Reserves. In 1972, earning his law degree from the University of Louisville School of Law, Chris returned to Connecticut, building a law practice in New London. Soon, however, like his father before him, he was called to public service. Elected to Congress in 1974, Chris served three terms in the House of Representatives on behalf of Connecticut's Second District. He was elected to the US Senate in 1980.