Trailblazing Jewish Democrat #18: Chuck Schumer

Jason Attermann — May 25, 2011 – 6:31 pm | Jewish American Heritage Month 2011 Comments (0) Add a comment

Charles “Chuck” E. Schumer is a third term Senator from New York. He is the Vice Chair of the Democratic Conference, the third highest position in Democratic Party leadership.

Charles “Chuck” E. Schumer was born on November 23, 1950 in Brooklyn, NY. He attended Harvard College and graduated from Harvard Law School in 1974. While at Harvard, his involvement with Eugene McCarthy’s campaign sparked an interest in politics. At 23, Schumer ran for the New York State Assembly from the 45^th district. He won the election, and became the youngest member of the State Legislature since former President Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1980, Schumer chose to run for New   York’s 9^th Congressional district at 29 years old. During his 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, he authored and sponsored many key pieces of legislation, including the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, Violence Against Women Act, the Brady Bill, and the Assault Weapons Ban.

After 9 terms in the House, Schumer was elected as New York’s Senator in 1998. When Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan retired 2 years later, Schumer became the senior Senator. At the beginning of his first term, he began a tradition of visiting every county in New York every year, which he continues to do today.

In his 2004 re-election race, he gained 71% of the vote and carried every county in New York except Hamilton County. After the election, Schumer was offered a seat on the Senate Finance Committee, among other powerful committees.

In 2006, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) asked Schumer to chair the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). In his first term as Chair, the Democratic Party gained 6 seats and a majority in the Senate. He served a second term for the 2008 election cycle. His efforts led to a filibuster-proof majority for the Democrats in 2009. For his efforts, Schumer was elected as the Vice Chair of the Democratic Conference, the third highest position in Democratic leadership. He continues to hold this position.

Schumer currently serves as Chairman of the Rules and Administration Committee and Vice Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, and sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

Schumer married Iris Weinshall on September 21, 1980. Weinshall is the former New York City Commissioner of Transportation. The couple has two children. In 2007, Schumer published a book called Positively American, discussing strategies for the Democratic Party.

Comments

There are no comments for this entry