Schumer, Charles Ellis "Chuck", 1950-

<p>SCHUMER, CHARLES ELLIS (CHUCK), a Senator and a Representative from New York; born in Brooklyn, N.Y., November 23, 1950; attended the public schools; graduated from Madison High School, Brooklyn 1967; A.B., Harvard University 1971; J.D., Harvard Law School 1974; admitted to the New York bar in 1975; served in the New York State assembly 1975-1980; elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-seventh and to the eight succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1981-January 3, 1999); was not a candidate in 1998 for reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives, but was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 1998; reelected in 2004, 2010, and again in 2016 for the term ending January 3, 2023; chair, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (2005-2008); chair, Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (2011-2017); chair, Joint Economic Committee (One Hundred Tenth and One Hundred Eleventh Congresses), Committee on Rules and Administration (One Hundred Eleventh to One Hundred Thirteenth Congresses); minority leader and Democratic caucus chairman (2017-).</p>

<p>Charles Ellis Schumer (born November 23, 1950) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from New York, a seat to which he was first elected in 1998. A member of the Democratic Party, he has also served as the Senate minority leader since 2017. He first defeated three-term Republican incumbent Al D'Amato before being reelected in 2004 with 71 percent of the vote, in 2010 with 66 percent of the vote, and in 2016 with 70 percent of the vote. He is the current dean of New York's congressional delegation.</p>

<p>Before his election to the Senate, Schumer served in the House of Representatives from 1981 to 1999, first representing New York's 16th congressional district before being redistricted to the 10th congressional district in 1983 and 9th congressional district ten years later. A native of Brooklyn and a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he was a three-term member of the New York State Assembly from 1975 to 1980.</p>

<p>Schumer was chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee from 2005 to 2009, during which time he oversaw 14 Democratic gains in the Senate in the 2006 and 2008 elections. He was the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, behind Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Whip Dick Durbin. He was elected Vice Chairman of the Democratic Caucus in the Senate in 2006. In November 2010, he was also chosen to hold the additional role of chairman of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee. Schumer won his fourth term in the Senate in 2016 and was then unanimously elected Minority Leader to succeed Harry Reid, who was retiring.</p>

<p>Schumer was born in Brooklyn, the son of Selma (née Rosen) and Abraham Schumer. His father ran an exterminating business, and his mother was a homemaker. He and his family are Jewish, and he is a second cousin, once removed, of actress Amy Schumer. His ancestors originated from the town of Chortkiv, Galicia, in what is now western Ukraine.</p>

<p>He attended public schools in Brooklyn, scoring a super-scored 1600 on the SAT, and graduated as class valedictorian from James Madison High School, in 1967. Schumer competed for Madison High on the <i>It's Academic</i> television quiz show. He attended Harvard College, where he became interested in politics and campaigned for Eugene McCarthy, in 1968. After completing his undergraduate degree, he continued to Harvard Law School, earning his Juris Doctor with honors, in 1974. Schumer passed the New York state bar in early 1975. However, he never practiced law, choosing instead a career in politics.</p>

<p>U.S. Senator Charles Ellis “Chuck” Schumer has dedicated his career to being a tireless fighter for New York. He visits all 62 counties every year and has delivered countless large and small victories across the state, including delivering $20 billion to rebuild after the 9-11 terror attacks and passing a $63 billion relief package to help New York recover from Superstorm Sandy. From massive snowstorms in Western New York to numerous floods across Upstate, Sen. Schumer has been there to deliver aid and support to New Yorkers in their time of need.</p>

<p>From authoring a permanent tax credit to offset the rising costs of college tuition, protecting Social Security and Medicare to encouraging job-creating infrastructure projects, Senator Schumer has made it a hallmark of his career to protect the middle class and those working to reach it – including finding common sense solutions to national issues.</p>

<p>Chuck was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, where his dad owned a small exterminating business and his mom was a housewife. He attended public school and graduated from James Madison High School before heading to Harvard University, and then Harvard Law School. Chuck has two daughters, Jessica and Alison, and he still resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Iris Weinshall.</p>

<p>After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1974, Chuck was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he soon made his mark with his trademark vigor and relentless advocacy. In 1980, at 29, Chuck was elected as a congressman from the 9th Congressional District.</p>

<p>Chuck represented the 9th CD in Brooklyn and Queens for eighteen years, where he established his reputation as a consumer advocate and a pioneer in the fight against crime during the days of sky-high crime and murder rates that plagued communities throughout America. He was the leading sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act, which combats domestic violence and sexual assault, and the Brady Bill, which instituted mandatory background checks for handgun purchases. He championed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which organized data on crimes of bigotry and allowed federal authorities to prosecute these crimes. He also sponsored legislation that required banks and credit card companies to provide greater disclosure to consumers.</p>

<p>In 1998, Chuck was elected to the U.S. Senate; he became New York's senior senator when Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan retired in 2000. Chuck kicked off his first Senate term by announcing he would visit each of New York's 62 counties every year, a tradition he continues today to keep in touch with voters from every corner of the state.</p>

<p>Throughout his time in the Senate, Chuck has made improving New York's economy his top priority, bringing affordable air service, like JetBlue, to Upstate New York. He has worked to successfully retain New York jobs that were at risk of leaving and to attract many new firms to New York to create many thousands of family-supporting new jobs. Chuck was the author of legislation that eliminated barriers that delay low-cost generic medications from entering the marketplace and led the charge to make college tuition tax deductible. He also aggressively championed agricultural measures to preserve vital market support programs for New York’s dairy farmers and crop growers. In 2013, Chuck worked across the aisle to pass a comprehensive immigration reform package, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.</p>

<p>After New Yorkers re-elected him in 2004, Chuck secured two powerful posts: a seat on the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the nation’s tax, trade, social security and healthcare legislation, and the Chairmanship of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). Chuck successfully led the DSCC for two consecutive cycles and greatly expanded the number of seats in his conference.</p>

<p>Following the elections of 2006, then-Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) appointed Chuck to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic Conference, the number three position on the Democratic Leadership team. In 2016, Chuck was once again re-elected by the people of New York and at the same time, his colleagues elected him to serve as Leader of the Democratic Caucus, the first time a New York Senator has held the position.</p>