Jeanne Shaheen
DemocratU.S. Senator, NH| Age | 79 (b. 1947-01-28) |
| Gender | Female |
| In office since | 2009-01-06 (~17 yrs) |
| Race / ethnicity | White |
| Religion | Protestant; the family attends a Maronite Catholic church in Dover, NH tied to her husband's Lebanese-American community |
| Education | B.A. in English, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (1969); M.S.S. in Political Science, University of Mississippi (1973) |
| Prior occupation | High school teacher (Mississippi and New Hampshire); small business owner; Director of Harvard University's Institute of Politics (2005-2007) |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | St. Charles, Missouri |
| Marital status | Married — William (Bill) Shaheen |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Madbury, New Hampshire |
| Notable relatives | Daughter Stefany Shaheen is a 2026 candidate for New Hampshire's 1st congressional district; husband William Shaheen is a prominent attorney, former federal judge nominee, and longtime Democratic activist |
Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1990 |
| Previous offices | New Hampshire State Senate (21st District), 1990-1996 · Governor of New Hampshire (78th), 1997-2003 (three terms) · Director, Harvard Institute of Politics, 2005-2007 |
| Committees | Senate Committee on Appropriations · Senate Committee on Armed Services · Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (Ranking Member) · Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship · Senate Select Committee on Ethics |
| Caucuses | Senate National Guard Caucus (Democratic co-chair) · Senate Taiwan Caucus · Senate Afterschool Caucus · Senate Rare Disease Caucus |
| Leadership | Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (2025-present) · Chair, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship (2021-2023) · Dean of the New Hampshire congressional delegation (since 2011) · Governor of New Hampshire (1997-2003) |
| Ideology | Centrist/establishment Democrat; consistently ranked among the most bipartisan members of the Senate |
| Signature legislation | Medicare Independence at Home / Medicare transitional care provisions (with Sen. Susan Collins) · Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (Shaheen-Portman energy efficiency bill) · Respect for Marriage Act (co-sponsor) |
Financial
Net worth: disclosed $1,690,000–$8,450,000 (2023) · estimate
| Raymond James money market deposit | fund · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Citizens Bank deposit | other · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Route 125 Associates (Dover, NH commercial rental property) | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Molly O's Restaurant property (York, ME commercial real estate) | real_estate · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
| Emerald Group LLC (consulting company) | business_owned · $500,001–$1,000,000 · 2023 |
Top industries: Lawyers/Law Firms · Retired · Health Professionals · Securities & Investment · Education
Scandals & crimes ledger
No recorded incidents. Under the adjudicated-only methodology, an entry appears only when a court or official body has formally acted and the record is cited.