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Sen. John Edwards to Speak at NC State's May Commencement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sen. John Edwards, a graduate of North Carolina State University, will deliver the NC State Commencement address on Saturday, May 15, at Carter-Finley Stadium.
The 46-year-old Edwards went from political newcomer to the U.S. Senate in 1998, where he was appointed to the influential Senate Banking Committee as well as the Senate Small Business Committee. Edwards earned praise from both sides of the Senate aisle after being tapped to take depositions during the impeachment proceedings. His colleagues took note of his keen legal analytical skills.
Edwards earned his Senate seat after pledging to "speak for all the people of North Carolina." His focus on "regular people" reflects his background. Edwards, born in Seneca, S.C., grew up in Robbins, N.C., where his father worked in textile mills and his mother ran a small furniture refinishing business.
Edwards -- the first in his family to go to college -- worked his way through N C State and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor of science degree in textile technology in 1974. He earned a law degree, also with honors, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He began practicing law in Raleigh in 1982, and established his own firm, Edwards and Kirby in 1993. Edwards gained national attention in 1997 when he represented a young girl from Cary who was permanently injured by a faulty swimming pool drain. Because of the incident, the North Carolina legislature enacted a drain-safety law to protect against such tragedies.
It also prompted the United States Consumer Product Safety commission to issue new pool guidelines. As a result, he and his partner, David Kirby, were awarded the Association of Trial Lawyers of America's Steven J. Sharp Public Service Award. They were among Lawyers' Weekly USA's eight national Lawyers of the Year in 1996.
Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married more than 20 years and have two daughters, Kate and Emma. The Edwards are members of Raleigh's Edenton Street Methodist Church and have been active in public schools. They established an after-school computer learning lab for public high school students and teachers, where Mrs. Edwards is an active volunteer.
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