Tom Cotton currently represents Arkansas in the United States Senate.

Tom is a sixth generation Arkansan who was born and raised on his family’s cattle farm in Yell County. He graduated from Dardanelle high school, Harvard, and Harvard Law School.

The September 11th attacks occurred during Tom’s final year in law school, causing him to leave law after a clerkship with the U.S. Court of Appeals and a brief period in private practice to join the armed forces. Tom declined a commission as a JAG attorney and instead joined the United States Army as an Infantry Officer.

Tom served nearly five years on active duty, completing two combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He served in Iraq with the 101st Airborne, where he led an infantry platoon in daily combat patrols. Tom’s military decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, and Ranger Tab. Between his two combat tours, Tom served as a platoon leader with The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. He then served in Afghanistan as the operations officer for a Provincial Reconstruction Team.

After leaving active duty, Tom worked as a management consultant for McKinsey & Co. He was elected to the United States House of Representatives in November of 2012 where he served one term.

Tom and his wife Anna live in Dardanelle and are expecting their first child, a son, this spring.