The Hill’s 2012 New Members Guide

Arkansas

Rep.-elect Tom Cotton (R-Ark.-04)

DATE OF BIRTH: May 13, 1977

BIRTHPLACE: Dardanelle, Ark.

RESIDENCE: Dardanelle, Ark.

OCCUPATION: Lawyer, business consultant

EDUCATION: B.A., J.D., Harvard University

PREVIOUS OFFICE HELD: None

FAMILY: Single

A veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Tom Cotton won the previously Democratic seat after Rep. Mike Ross, a 12-year incumbent and member of the Blue Dog Coalition, chose not to run. 

The district was made more competitive after the redistricting process.

Cotton received his undergraduate and law degree from Harvard University. Upon graduation, he clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals. 

He says the Sept. 11 attacks in New York prompted him to enrolled in the Army, volunteering as an officer in the infantry. 

He first served in Iraq in 2006, and in 2008 deployed to Afghanistan. Between overseas stints, he served on The Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery. He was awarded the Bronze Star. 

Following his military service, Cotton worked at a consulting firm in Washington, D.C.