Thomas Dodd was an Irish American politician from Connecticut who
served two terms in the House of Representatives from 1953-57 and two
terms in the U.S. Senate from 1957-1971. He was the father of
Chris Dodd, who replicated his
feat of serving in both the House and Senate. Both Dodds were
Democrats.
Tom Dodd had distinguished himself serving as a prosecutor at the
Nuremberg War Crime Trials. His Senate career was marred by his
alcoholism and unethical behavior. In 1967, he became one of only six
senators in the 20th Century to be censured by the Senate, for
unethically converting campaign funds to private use. He failed to win
the Democratic primary in 1970 but ran as an independent, siphoning off
enough votes so that the Republican,
Lowell Weicker, won his seat. He lived
long enough to see his son be elected to Congress in 1974, but he died
before Chris Dodd won a Senate seat in 1980.