John Edwards, the former senator from North Carolina, was born on June 10, 1953, in Seneca, South Carolina. His father, Wallace Edwards, worked in a textile mill, while his mother, Catherine "Bobbie" (Wade) Edwards, was a postal worker. On July 30, 1977, Edwards married Elizabeth (Anania) Edwards; their marriage lasted until her death on December 7, 2010.
Together, Edwards and Elizabeth had four children: Jack, Emma Claire, Cate, and Wade. Tragically, Wade died in a car accident in 1996. Additionally, Edwards fathered a child, Frances Quinn Hunter, with Rielle Hunter. A devout Methodist, Edwards earned his B.S. with honors from North Carolina State University in 1974 and his J.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina in 1977.
Edwards had no previous political experience when he won the Senate election in 1998. He went on to be a Democratic presidential candidate in both 2004 and 2008, becoming the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2004. Controversy surrounded his 2008 campaign when Edwards admitted to having an extramarital affair with documentary filmmaker Rielle Hunter.
In 1981, he joined the Wade Smith Law Firm in Raleigh, North Carolina. He established his own firm, specializing in personal injury law, with partner David Kirby in 1993. Edwards was elected to the US Senate in 1998, receiving 51.2% of the vote, and was sworn in in 1999.
During his tenure, Edwards co-sponsored the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act with Senator John McCain in 2001. In 2003, he announced his candidacy for president in his hometown of Robbins, North Carolina. He took second place in the Iowa caucuses in 2004 and won the South Carolina Primary but later dropped out.
He continued his presential bid in 2008 but suspended his campaign and endorsed Barack Obama. In a 2008 ABC News interview, Edwards confessed to his affair with Hunter. This led to an investigation into his campaign finances, culminating in a 2011 indictment on charges including conspiracy, issuing false statements, and violating campaign contribution laws.
The trial ended in a mistrial, with Edwards being declared not guilty on one count and the jury deadlocked on the remaining five. The charges were later dismissed. After separating from his wife and dealing with the scandal, Edwards reactivated his license to practice law, forming Edwards Kirby Attorneys at Law in 2013, reuniting him with his former law partner.
