John Edwards’s life and political career

The former presidential candidate is facinig federal campaign-finance charges.

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Dec. 27, 2006

John Edwards speaks during a visit to the 9th Ward of New Orleans. Edwards, the Democratic vice presidential nominee in 2004, launched a run for the presidency on in December of 2006. He was charged with six felony and misdemeanor counts for allegedly taking $1 million from donors to help hide his pregnant mistress during his run for president. Edwards says he has been diagnosed with a medical condition that will make it difficult for him to attend his criminal trial over campaign finances. In a motion filed Dec. 22, 2011, Edwards's defense team asked a judge to delay the start of the trial, scheduled to begin Jan. 30, at least two months.

Sean Gardner / Reuters

Edwards was born in Seneca, S.C., in 1953 and raised in Robbins, N.C. He's pictured here as a boy styled on a traditional baseball card handed out to supporters at a campaign rally in Des Moines in 2004.

Jason Reed / Reuters

1971

Edwards was a 6-foot-tall, 156-pound walk-on safety at Clemson University. He later transferred to North Carolina State University, where he finished his bachelor's degree. Edwards later attended law school at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

/ AP

July 30, 1977

Edwards wed Elizabeth Anania. The couple met at UNC Law School and were married the Saturday after they took the bar exam.

Family Photo / Bloomberg News

2004

Edwards with his eldest daughter, Cate. In the 2004 presidential campaign, Cate Edwards joined her father on the campaign trail. She graduated from Princeton University in June 2004 and went on to Harvard Law School.

Family photo / Bloomberg News

1995

Edwards poses with his late son, Wade, during a trip to Mount Kilimanjaro. Wade was killed in a 1996 highway accident at the age of 16.

Family Photo / AP

April 2, 2007

John and Elizabeth Edwards stand with their children Cate, Emma Claire and Jack during a campaign stop in Concord, N.H.

Jim Cole / AP

Jan. 10, 1997

Then-lawyer John Edwards gives closing testimony during a civil trial against the manufacturer of a swimming pool drain. In the 20 years he practiced law, Edwards won $152 million in 63 lawsuits, many of them medical malpractice cases.

/ AP

Jan. 29, 2004

The best-known case that Edwards took on was that of Valerie Lakey, a 5-year-old whose intestines were ripped from her body when she was caught in the suction of a swimming pool drain. Edwards represented her parents Sandy and David Lakey in the trial.

Roger Winstead / The News & Observer

In 2003, during his first presidential campaign, Edwards published a book, "Four Trials," a biography that focused on cases he tried during his career as a personal injury attorney.

May 19, 1998

Sen. Lauch Faircloth (R-N.C.) calls for a cap on attorney's fees in the National Tobacco Policy and Youth Smoking Prevention Act. Edwards beat Faircloth by more than four percentage points in the race.

Ray Lustig / The Washington Post

Nov. 3, 1998

Edwards holds daughter Emma Claire, then 6 months old, in Raleigh, N.C., after winning election to the U.S. Senate.

Karen Tam / AP

Feb. 1, 1999

From left, Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), Mike DeWine (R-Ohio) and John Edwards (D-N.C.) speak with reporters after a deposition of Monica Lewinsky in Washington.

Gerald Martineau / The Washington Post

Marh 8, 2003

Edwards arrives for the Gridiron Dinner at the Capital Hilton in Washington. In 2000, People magazine named Edwards the Sexiest Politician Alive.

Stephanie K. Kuykendal / For The Washington Post

Jan. 1, 2003

A crowd of about 200 people gather for a New Year's Day party at the home of Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) in Raleigh, N.C. Edwards told guests at the New Year's Day party that he would form an exploratory committee for a possible presidential run.

Karl Deblaker / AP

Jan. 20, 2004

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) celebrates his second-place finish in the Iowa caucuses at the Concord, N.H., airport just after 3 a.m.

Robert Willett / The News & Observer

Feb. 12, 2004

Elizabeth Edwards joins her family at a rally after her husband John's withdrawal from the 2004 presidential race.

Robert Willett / The News & Observer

March 24, 2004

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, along with Edwards and former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, appears onstage at the Democratic Unity dinner and rally. In July 2004, Kerry announced that Edwards would be his running mate.

Rich Lipski / The Washington Post

July 7, 2004

Kerry and Edwards appear together in Pittsburgh. Kerry and Edwards were formally nominated at the 2004 Democratic Convention in Boston as the party's challengers to President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

Jim Young / Reuters

July 28, 2004

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards speaks to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. Sen. John Kerry would become the Democratic nominee.

Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images

July 30, 2004

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry and his running mate Sen. John Edwards say goodbye to supporters as their campaign bus leaves a rally in downtown Scranton, Pa. More than 15,000 people stood outside in the 90-degree heat for several hours to see the candidates.

Robert Willett / The News & Observer

Sept. 21, 2004

John Edwards greets supporters at a campaign rally at TD Waterhouse Center in Orlando.

Luke Frazza / AFP/Getty Images

Sept. 28, 2006

Elizabeth Edwards was diagnosed with breast cancer the day after the 2004 general election. In 2006, Elizabeth Edwards published a book about her experience called "Saving Graces."

Susan Biddle / The Washington Post

March 1, 2007

Edwards addresses a crowd during a rally at Metropolitan State College in Denver. He made the stop as part of his college tour that has carried him to several campuses across the country to drum up support for his campaign.

David Zalubowski / AP

March 22, 2007

Elizabeth Edwards announces that her cancer has relapsed during a news conference in Chapel Hill, N.C. "The campaign goes on," John Edwards said. "The campaign goes on strongly."

Ellen Ozier / Reuters

July 28, 2004

Edwards's presidential campaign reported in early April that they had raised least $14 million for the first quarter of 2007.

Dave Martin / AP

Aug. 6, 2009

Rielle Hunter, the former mistress of John Edwards, leaves the federal courthouse in Raleigh, N.C. Hunter was on hand as federal investigators and a grand jury examined Edward's finances when he was a presidential candidate. Hunter is carrying her daughter, Frances Quinn Hunter, who was born Feb. 27, 2008. Edwards later confirmed that he had an affair with Rielle Hunter in 2006, but he denied being the father of the girl.

Shawn Rocco / The News & Observer

March 9, 2010

Andrew Young, former John Edwards campaign staffer, answers Rielle Hunter's attorneys on the witness stand regarding a missing disc and lost flash drive in Chatham County Superior Court. Young, his wife and their attorneys had one last chance to turn over all the remaining items related to Hunter to court custody or face a contempt charge. The judge later gave them more time.

Harry Lynch / The News & Observer

Dec. 11, 2010

Elizabeth Edwards died of cancer on Dec. 7, 2010. Four days later, John Edwards and his children, Emma Claire, left, Jack and Cate, far right, left her funeral service in Raleigh, N.C.

Jim R. Bounds / AP

June 1, 2011

Former U.S. senator John Edwards is given instructions by public relations adviser Rikki Seidman, left, about his upcoming appearance before the media inside Hiram H. Ward Federal Building in Winston-Salem, N.C., where he was arraigned June 3, 2011.

Chuck Liddy / The News & Observer

June 3, 2011

Former Democratic presidential hopeful and former senator John Edwards is accompanied by his daughter, Cate Edwards, left, as he departs the U.S. District Court after pleading not guilty to six federal charges in Winston-Salem, N.C. Edwards was indicted Friday for allegedly using nearly $1 million in illegal campaign funds to help cover up an extramarital affair during his White House bid.

Davis Turner / Reuters

June 3, 2011

John Edwards is pictured outside the North Carolina courthouse.

Steve Exum

Oct. 26, 2011

Former U.S. senator John Edwards leaves federal court after an appearance in Greensboro, N.C. A federal judge in North Carolina held a hearing Wednesday in response to five motions filed by lawyers for John Edwards seeking the dismissal of the case against the former presidential candidate.

Chuck Burton / AP

Dec. 16, 2011

Former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards, center, leaves a federal courthouse with attorney Abbe Lowell, to right of Edwards, after a hearing in Greensboro, N.C. Edwards says he has been diagnosed with a medical condition that will make it difficult for him to attend his criminal trial over campaign finances. In a motion filed Dec. 22, 2011, Edwards's defense team asked a judge to delay the start of the trial, scheduled to begin Jan. 30, at least two months.

Chuck Burton / AP

Feb. 11, 2004

John Edwards pauses during his speech at Broughton High School where he announced his withdrawal from the presidential race during a gathering with supporters, staff and family in Raleigh in 2004.

Robert Willett / The News & Observer

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