A portrait of Charles Patrick (Pat) Roberts, born April 20, 1936, in Topeka, Kansas. After graduating from Kansas State University in 1958, Roberts served in the United States Marine Corps for four years and then worked as a reporter and editor for several Arizona newspapers. He joined the staff of United States Senator Frank Carlson in 1967. In 1969, Roberts became Administrative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Keith Sebelius. Roberts was elected to Congress in 1980, succeeding Sebelius upon his retirement. He was first elected to the U. S. Senate in 1996 following the retirement of Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker and own-election in 2002.