Bob Kerrey Joseph Robert " Bob " Kerrey ( born August 27 , 1943 ) is an American politician who served as the 35th Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and as a United States Senator from Nebraska from 1989 to 2001 . Before entering politics , he served in the Vietnam War as a U . S . Navy SEAL officer and was awarded the Medal of Honor ( MOH ) for heroism in combat . During the same action for which he was awarded the MOH , he was also severely wounded , precluding further naval service . Kerrey was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992 . From 2001 to 2010 , he served as president of The New School , a university in New York City . In May 2010 , he was selected to become the head of the Motion Picture Association of America , but he and the MPAA could not reach an agreement , so former Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd was chosen instead . In 2012 , Kerrey sought election to his old Senate seat to succeed retiring Democratic incumbent Ben Nelson . He lost to Republican nominee Deb Fischer . In 2013 , Kerry joined the Carmen Group lobbying firm . Early life and education . Kerrey was born in Lincoln , Nebraska , the son of Elinor Fern ( née Gonder ) , a University of Nebraska instructor , and James Kerrey , a builder and businessman . He attended public schools , graduating from Lincoln Northeast High School . He credits Bob Reese , his chemistry teacher , for inspiring his pursuit of a career in the sciences . He went on to earn a degree in pharmacy from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln in 1966 . Kerrey pledged Phi Gamma Delta fraternity , and during his senior year he was tackled into the Society of Innocents , the chancellor ' s senior honorary society of spirit boosters . Military service . Kerrey served in the United States Navy as a SEAL officer from 1966 to 1969 during the Vietnam War . He lost the lower part of one leg in combat and received the Medal of Honor for action near Nha Trang Bay in South Vietnam on March 14 , 1969 . Medal of Honor citation . His Medal of Honor citation reads : Thanh Phong raid . In 2001 , the " New York Times Magazine " and " 60 Minutes II " carried reports on an incident that occurred during Kerrey ' s Vietnam War service . On February 25 , 1969 , he led a Swift Boat raid on the isolated peasant village of Thanh Phong , Vietnam , targeting a Viet Cong leader that intelligence suggested would be present . The village was considered part of a free - fire zone by the U . S . military . Kerrey ' s SEAL team first encountered a peasant house , or hooch . Later , according to Kerrey , the team was shot at from the village and returned fire , only to find after the battle that some of the deceased appeared to be under 18 , clustered together in the center of the village . " The thing that I will remember until the day I die is walking in and finding , I don ' t know , 14 or so , I don ' t even know what the number was , women and children who were dead , " Kerrey said in 1998 . " I was expecting to find Vietcong soldiers with weapons , dead . Instead I found women and children . " Kerrey expressed anguish and guilt over the incident : You can never , can never get away from it . It darkens your day . I thought dying for your country was the worst thing that could happen to you , and I don ' t think it is . I think killing for your country can be a lot worse . Kerrey was awarded a Bronze Star for the raid on Thanh Phong . The citation for the medal reads , " The net result of his patrol was 21 Viet Cong killed , two hooches destroyed and two enemy weapons captured . " A display at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City is based on the incident . It includes several photos and a drain pipe , which it describes as the place where three childen hid before they were found and killed . The display reads : From 8PM to 9PM February 25th , 1969 , a group of Seal Rangers ( one of the most selective rangers of U . S . Army ) led by Lieutenant Bob reached for Hamlet 5 , Thanh Phong Village , Thanh Phu District , Ben Tre Province . They cut 66 year - old Bui Van Vat and 62 year - old Luu Thi Canh ' s necks and pulled their three grandchildren out from their hiding place in a drain and killed two , disembowelled one . Then , these rangers moved to dug - outs of other families , shot dead 15 civilians ( including three pregnant women ) , disembowelled a girl . The only survivor was a 12 - year - old girl named Bui Thi Luom who suffered a foot injury . It was not until April 2001 that U . S . Senator Bob Kerrey confessed his crime to the international public . Nebraska governor . In 1982 , Kerrey ran for Governor of Nebraska and defeated incumbent Republican Charles Thone . He served as Governor from 1983 to 1987 . In 1986 , he served as the Chairman of the Midwestern Governors Association . U . S . Senate . Elections . In 1988 , Kerrey ran for the U . S . Senate seat held by recently appointed incumbent Republican David Karnes . He won the Democratic primary with 92 % of the vote . In the general election , he defeated Karnes 57 % - 42 % . Kerrey won re - election to a second term defeating businesswoman Jan Stoney 55 % - 45 % Tenure . Senator Kerrey was a member of the Agriculture Committee and the Finance Committee , and was a member of the Appropriations Committee from 1989 to 1996 . He also served as vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee from 1995 to 1999 . He was the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 104th Congress before retiring in 2000 . Kerrey voted for the Gramm - Leach - Bliley Act which repealed the Glass – Steagall Act in 1999 , defending his position against opposition by stating , " The concerns that we will have a meltdown like 1929 are dramatically overblown , " . National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States . After his retirement from the Senate , Kerrey served on the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States , commonly known as the 9 / 11 Commission . The commission was created by Congressional legislation to investigate the circumstances of the attacks on September 11 , 2001 , and to provide recommendations of actions that could help prevent future similar attacks . It was a bipartisan commission of five Democrats and five Republicans . The commission issued its final report , the 9 / 11 Commission Report on July 22 , 2004 . 1992 presidential election . In September 1991 , Kerrey announced his candidacy for the 1992 Democratic nomination for president . In a small field of five second - tier candidates devoid of an early frontrunner , Kerrey was seen as the early favorite . However , his performance on the campaign trail sometimes seemed lackluster , especially in comparison to the dynamic Arkansas Governor , Bill Clinton . Kerrey finished third in the New Hampshire primary in February 1992 , despite spending heavily on TV advertising . He briefly rebounded after winning the South Dakota primary but soon dropped out of the race after finishing fourth in the Colorado primary . Kerrey was on Clinton ' s " short list " for vice presidential candidate , but Tennessee Senator Al Gore received the nod instead . The New School . Kerrey served as President of the New School from 2001 to 2010 . During this time he more than doubled the endowment , taking it from $ 94 million in 2001 to $ 206 million today . He also secured substantial federal funding for the school . Both of these factors helped the New School accomplish major academic growth and expansion in the decade that Kerrey was President . One of the largest projects that Kerrey initiated was the new University Center building , currently being built , to open in fall 2013 . The University Center will house classroom and studio space , a dining facility , a student commons , and residence for 600 students . It is the largest building project in the school ’ s history , and is expected to have a U . S . Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ( LEED ) rating of Gold . Kerrey presided over an ambitious program of academic development at the university . Under his leadership , the university launched numerous new academic programs , including several joint degree programs . Enrollment increased by 44 % to over 10 , 200 , and online course enrollment doubled . He also oversaw an increase in the size of the faculty . The number of full - time faculty members grew from 156 in 2001 to more than 372 in 2009 . He also helped to establish the Faculty Senate , which allowed the school to set university - wide standards for promotion , hiring , and faculty evaluation . Additionally , tenure was instituted for all academic departments . On April 14 , 2005 , Kerrey announced that the university was changing its name from " New School University " to " The New School " , and rebranding its eight divisions as specialized , separate entities serving different constituencies . On December 10 , 2008 it was announced that Kerrey had received a vote of no confidence from the University ' s senior faculty . This was perceived to have come as a response to his management style . The no - confidence vote was largely a symbolic gesture . The Board of Trustees offered their unanimous support for Kerrey at a meeting following the faculty vote . On December 16 , 2008 , dozens of students took over the cafeteria in the 65 5th Avenue building ; as the occupation continued , the group grew into hundreds of students from the New School , other New York City based universities , labor union members , and other supporters . Initially , the students stated that they would not leave the building unless several school officials resigned . Kerrey attempted to have a discussion with the students at the beginning of the occupation , but the students voted down that option . The occupation ended after 30 hours when the two parties accepted a treaty ; Kerrey agreed to amnesty for the students involved in the occupation , more student space , and more student input in school investments and decision making . Early in the morning of April 10 , 2009 , 19 students took over the 65 5th Avenue building , erecting an anarchist flag and demanding once again that Kerrey resign . A few hours later , about 20 police officers entered the building , arresting 22 students and ending the occupation after five hours . In December 2012 , the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that in 2010 , the year of his anticipated departure , his salary was more than $ 600 , 000 , and his total take - home pay , including bonuses , deferred compensation and nontaxable benefits , was $ 3 , 047 , 703 , making Kerrey the highest - paid private college president in the United States . Kerrey ’ s time as President concluded on January 1 , 2011 . He was succeeded by David E . Van Zandt . Kerrey was then appointed President Emeritus . Return to politics . 2012 U . S . Senate election . On December 27 , 2011 , Political Wire reported that Ben Nelson , who had succeeded Kerrey in the Senate , would not seek re - election , and asserted that Kerrey was in talks with senior Democrats about the possibility of replacing him . The Washington Post reported that Kerrey would neither confirm nor deny the rumor . American Crossroads had been running advertisements critical of Kerrey ' s potential Nebraska Senate run , focusing on the fact that Kerrey had been living in New York for the last ten years . Kerrey responded to the ads with an invitation for Karl Rove to eat at one of Kerrey ' s restaurants in Nebraska , or to work out at one of his gyms that he owns in that state . On February 27 , 2012 , the Washington Post reported that Kerrey had earlier decided against a run , but that an aide had confirmed that he was now filing to seek election to his old Senate seat . He won the May 15 Democratic primary against four minor candidates . However , he was defeated on November 6 by Republican state senator Deb Fischer . Kerrey narrowly won the state ' s two largest counties , Douglas and Lancaster — home to Omaha and Lincoln , respectively — but only won three other counties . His margin in Omaha and Lincoln was not nearly enough to overcome Fischer ' s margin in the more rural parts of the state . Personal life . While he was Governor of Nebraska , Kerrey dated actress Debra Winger while the latter was in Lincoln filming " Terms of Endearment " ( part of which is set in Nebraska ) , which won the 1983 Oscar for Best Picture . When confronted with intense questioning by the press over the nature of the relationship , Kerrey famously replied ; " What can I sayshe swept me off my foot , " alluding to the fact that the lower part of one of his legs was amputated because of injuries sustained in his Medal of Honor action in Vietnam . Kerrey is friends with fellow Vietnam veteran James H . Webb . In 2006 he became involved in convincing Webb to run for the US Senate . Webb entered the Virginia Democratic Primary , and Kerrey volunteered to serve as Webb ' s National Finance Chair . Webb went on to win the extremely close election in Virginia , defeating George Allen . Kerrey has also endorsed , and appeared at campaign events for , Al Franken in his bid for the U . S . Senate in Minnesota . Kerrey is married to Sarah Paley . They have a son , Henry ( b . September 10 , 2001 ) . He has two children from his previous marriage : Ben and Lindsey . A 2012 " New York Times " op - ed by columnist Frank Bruni states that Kerrey describes himself as an agnostic . On September 9 , 2008 , a pedestrian bridge connecting Omaha , Nebraska with Council Bluffs , Iowa was named in Kerrey ' s honor by the Omaha City Council .