In 2008, Governor Ruth Ann Minner appointed Edward E. "Ted" Kaufman to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by Joseph R. Biden, Jr., who had just been elected Vice President of the United States. Senator Kaufman agreed not to seek re-election, noting that he had not raised money to become a Senator and would not fundraise to remain one. Kaufman fulfilled his promise, representing the state of Delaware only until a 2010 special Senate election was held, but he left the Senate with a reputation as a courageous and competent leader.
In his brief twenty-two month term, Kaufman became a knowledgeable advocate for financial reform, confronting the causes of the 2008-2009 financial crisis head on. As the only engineer serving in Congress, he was an active promoter of the expansion of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, and he worked to procure funds for research and extension grants for women and minorities in STEM fields. Kaufman’s service on the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees took him on several trips to the Middle East, and he actively promoted international human rights and freedom of the press issues.
In 2010, the University of Delaware Library acquired the Edward E. "Ted" Kaufman papers, which document the time Kaufman spent as a United States Senator, with additional materials related to his earlier political career and post-Senate activities. This website accompanies the opening of the papers for research.
A biographical sketch of Senator Kaufman and his long career in service to Delaware is found on the "about" page. The exhibit, 22 Months: Ted Kaufman in the U.S. Senate, highlights Senator Kaufman’s work during his short but distinguished term as a U.S. Senator. The “research” page is a gateway to the Edward E. "Ted" Kaufman papers finding aid and additional resources to help scholars, students, and the public in their research.
All content found on this site is located in the Edward E. "Ted" Kaufman papers, Special Collections, University of Delaware Library. Rights information is displayed with most items, but conflicting information should be sent to askspec@udel.edu. Please contact the library with questions about materials and information about visiting Special Collections to view the papers.
This site was created by Danielle Emerling and Tammi Kim, Assistant Librarians, Manuscripts and Archives Department; and Audrey Hamelers, Assistant Librarian and Digital Humanities and Web Services Librarian, Library Information Technology User Support Department.
