Bob Corker grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He attended public schools, played sports, and from an early age learned to love and value hard work. He took his first job at age 13 picking up trash and spent his teenage years bagging ice, working at the Western Auto and putting in long hours as a construction laborer.

Bob graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1974 with a degree in Industrial Management, and after working four years as a construction superintendent, he started his own construction company with $8,000.  The company grew as it quickly gained a reputation for meeting deadlines on time and under budget and eventually expanded to operations in 18 states. Over time, Bob’s business interests evolved to acquiring and developing commercial real estate.  

After traveling with his church on a mission trip to Haiti in his late twenties, Bob began to take a closer look at needs in his own community. He led the creation of Chattanooga Neighborhood Enterprise, a non-profit organization that today has helped over 10,000 families secure decent, fit and affordable housing through low-interest loans and personal training in home maintenance.

In 1994, Bob was appointed Tennessee Commissioner of Finance and Administration, where he served for two years in the highest appointed office in state government. As commissioner, he tightened the state's budget and helped move almost 40,000 Tennesseans off welfare and into jobs.

In 2001, Bob was elected mayor of Chattanooga. He transformed Chattanooga’s waterfront – attracting $2.1 billion of investment to revitalize the city, implemented merit bonus pay for teachers which dramatically raised student achievement in some of the city’s most challenged schools, and worked with local law enforcement officials to cut violent crime in half.

On November 7, 2006, Bob Corker was elected to serve the people of Tennessee in the United States Senate. He is a member of the Senate Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Energy and Natural Resources; Foreign Relations; Small Business and Entrepreneurship; and the Special Committee on Aging.  

Bob and his wife, Elizabeth, have been married for over 20 years and have two college age daughters, Julia and Emily. The Corker family lives in Chattanooga.

 

Official Photograph of Senator Bob Corker
Official Photograph of Senator Bob Corker - Black and White