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Sen. Shelby, who recently announced his own retirement, tweeted Monday, \"Over the past 47 years, Chairman Leahy has had a remarkable career in the Senate. As chairman of the Appropriations, Judiciary, and Agriculture committees and president pro tempore of the Senate, Pat has served Vermont well and with honor. His devotion to our nation and his state merits praise. I thank Pat for his friendship and wish he and his wife, Marcelle, all the best.\"

\"PHOTO:
Herb Swanson/EPA via Shutterstock
PHOTO: Senator Patrick Leahy and his wife Marcelle Pomerleau hug as he announces his decision to not run for another term in the Senate, outside the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier, Vt., Nov. 15, 2021.
>

A prolific legislator, Leahy touted his work creating the watershed Innocence Protection Act of 2004 that guaranteed access to DNA testing for those on death row, the Freedom of Information Act -- a pinnacle of transparency for journalists and others -- and the Violence Against Women Act. He has worked for years to help with the reestablishment of normal relations with Cuba and Vietnam.

Before seeking political office, Leahy -- a prosecutor by training -- served as State’s Attorney in Chittenden County for eight years and was chosen as one of three outstanding prosecutors in the country in 1974, the year he decided to seek a Senate seat.

He has also enjoyed something of a cult status for Batman movie buffs, having appeared in five of the blockbuster hits, including Christopher Nolan's \"The Dark Knight.\"

A self-confessed Batman movie fan, he wrote the forward to a related book in 1992 and then first appeared in 1995 alongside Val Kilmer, Jim Carey, and Tommy Lee Jones with an uncredited cameo. Perhaps his best-known appearance came In 2008 when he played a Wayne Enterprises board member in \"The Dark Knight.” A wide-eyed Leahy was manhandled by the Oscar-winning Heath Ledger, who played the Joker.

Despite a hectic work - sometimes play - schedule, Leahy, an avid photographer, is almost never seen without a camera in hand taking photos around Capitol Hill and sharing the stories behind those pics with any willing journalist. He has had several of his photos published and has been invited to judge the annual White House News Photographers Association contest, a distinct honor.

The senator is also a champion marksman.

\"PHOTO:
Herb Swanson/EPA via Shutterstock
PHOTO: Senator Patrick Leahy announces his decision to not run for another term in the Senate, outside the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier, Vt., Nov. 15, 2021.
>

He and Marcelle, who is practically a fixture at the Capitol with her husband, are avid travelers, only recently curbing their affinity for deep-sea diving as age and health concerns set in. Most recently, in January, the senator had to be hospitalized overnight with chest pains after he finished a long day presiding over the second Senate trial of former President Trump.

The Leahys travel between Washington and their tree farm in Middlesex, Vermont, a home about which the senator often reminisces.

Patrick Leahy has been married to Marcelle Pomerleau Leahy since 1962. The couple has a daughter, two sons, and five grandchildren. His son-in-law, Lawrence Jackson, is currently Vice President Kamala Harris’ photographer.

Leahy's term is slated to expire in January 2023.

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