Sires, Albio, 1951-

Albio B. Sires (born January 26, 1951) is an American businessman, teacher, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the U.S. Representative for New Jersey's 13th and 8th congressional districts since 2006.

Born in Bejucal, Cuba, he emigrated to the United States at age 11; eventually, his family settled in West New York, New Jersey where he learned English. He subsequently attended Memorial High School in West New York, where he was a star basketball player, whose skills on the court helped him obtain a basketball scholarship to Saint Peter's College. He received a B.A. in 1974 in Spanish and marketing. He later received an M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College in 1985.

Employed as a teacher and businessman, he first ran for office in 1986 as the Republican nominee for New Jersey's 14th congressional district. Sires served as the mayor of West New York, New Jersey, from 1995 to 2006. While mayor, he was concurrently elected to the New Jersey State Assembly, representing district 33 there from 2000 to 2006 and serving as Speaker of the New Jersey House from 2002 to 2006. In 2006, he was elected to succeed Bob Menendez after Menendez's appointment to the U.S. Senate, winning both the special and general elections that November.

During his first term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Sires served on the Financial Services Committee. There he focused on housing, introducing legislation to aid public housing authorities and supporting housing for low-income seniors. Today, Congressman Sires serves on three Committees: Foreign Affairs, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Budget. On the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Sires is the Chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee and serves on the Europe and Eurasia Subcommittee. He is focused on improving human rights and freedoms across the globe and building international partnerships to improve our nation’s security.