Senator Lincoln served the State of Rhode Island in the United States Senate from 1999-2007.  A graduate of Brown University, Chafee entered politics in 1985 as a delegate to the Rhode Island Constitutional Convention.  A year later, he was elected to the Warwick, Rhode Island City Council, where he served until his election as Warwick's mayor in 1992, a post he held until he was appointed to his father John Chafee's seat in the Senate upon his sudden death in 1999. 

 

Serving as a Republican in the Senate, Chafee has long been a supporter of gay rights, environmental causes, and pro-choice policies.  He was also the only Republican in the Senate to vote against the use of force in Iraq.  Chafee eventually left the party to become an Independent, and during the 2008 presidential elections, Chafee was a high-profile supporter of Barack Obama. 

 

Chafee now serves as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Brown University, and on the advisory board of J Street, a pro-Israel lobbying group that promotes diplomatic relations between Israel and its neighbors.