García, Jesús, 1956 April 12-

Jesús G. "Chuy" García (born April 12, 1956) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the U.S. Representative for Illinois's 4th district since 2019.

Born in Los Pinos in the Mexican state of Durango, he moved with his family moved to the United States in 1965, settling in Chicago, Illinois. He attended St. Rita High School in Chicago, graduating in 1974. García became an American citizen three years later. García worked at the Legal Assistance Foundation from 1977 to 1980 as he worked towards a B.A. in Political Science at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He then became Assistant Director of the Little Village Neighborhood Housing Service, where he worked until 1984. In 1984, García challenged longtime Chicago alderman Frank Stemberk for his place as a Committeeman in the Cook County Democratic Party, receiving the endorsement of Mayor Harold Washington and narrowly defeating Stemberk. García was also appointed Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Water by Washington, a post he held from 1984 to 1986. In 1986, he was elected to the Chicago City Council, succeeding Stemberk. During his time as Alderman, Congressman García prevented non-attorney immigration practitioners from levying unreasonable fees. In 1986, he became the Chairman for the Council’s Committee on Aviation, where he helped implement the Automated Guideway Transit (ATG) at O’Hare International Airport. In 1992, García ran for the Illinois Senate in the 1st district, winning the primary and general election. He served there until being defeated in the 1998 Democratic primary.

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