John Danforth is a former United States ambassador to the United Nations. Before becoming the UN Ambassador he was the attorney general of Missouri and the United States senator from Missouri. He is also an ordained Episcopal priest.

At the age of 32, Danforth was elected as Missouri Attorney General and was re-elected the following term. After his tenure, Danforth ran for the United States Senate for the first time, against Democratic incumbent Stuart Symington. Danforth was defeated in a close race. His second time around, he ran in the Republican primary with little opposition and ended up winning the seat. He was re-elected in 1982.

Danforth was re-elected for three terms and chose not to run for a fourth in 1995. He was succeeded by former Missouri governor John Ashcroft.

A political moderate, Danforth was once quoted as saying he joined the Republican Party for "the same reason you sometimes choose which movie to see — [it's] the one with the shortest line." Danforth is a longtime opponent of capital punishment, as he made clear on Senate floor in 1994. When Danforth entered politics, Missouri was a reliably Democratic state with both its U.S. senators and governors regularly being Democrats.

In 2004, Danforth was sworn in as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, succeeding John Negroponte, who left the post after becoming the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq in June. Danforth is best remembered for attempts to bring peace to the Sudan but only stayed at the UN for five months. Danforth was mentioned as a successor to Secretary of State Colin Powell. Six days after the announcement that Condoleezza Rice was going to take the position Danforth submitted his resignation on November 22, 2004, effective January 20, 2005.

In September 2001, President Bush appointed Danforth a special envoy to Sudan. Danforth was in the running to become vice president, but Bush chose Cheney instead. In his new position, Danforth brokered a peace deal that officially ended the civil war in the South between Sudan's Islamic government and Christian-backed Sudanese rebels.

Danforth is the author of the book "Faith and Politics: How the 'Moral Values' Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together."

Missouri, Politicians, Political Pundits & Commentators, Government & Political Professionals, Global Economy, Political,