Thad Cochran was born December 7, 1937, in Pontotoc, Mississippi to William Holmes Cochran and Emma Grace Cochran.  The Cochran family moved quite a bit and one time lived in Walnut where Thad started school.  In 1946 they moved to Hinds County near Jackson.  It was there that he began to show leadership qualities as a junior scout leader.

Sen. Cochran enrolled in the school of liberal arts at the University of Mississippi and earned a B.A. degree with a major in psychology and a minor in political science.  Eventually he would enroll in the Ole Miss Law School and become a successful lawyer in the Jackson area.

In 1946 he married Rose Clayton from New Albany.  For several years he was on active duty for the Navy and taught military law and naval orientation at the Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island.  

In 1972, he began his political career when he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served until 1978 when he was elected Senator.  In the Senate he has held key positions in committees dealing with ethics, the judiciary, and defense appropriations.