Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Brown (born November 9, 1952), of Lorain, Ohio is an American politician who serves as a U.S. representative from the Democratic party, representing the 13th congressional district of Ohio (map).
Brown was born in Mansfield, Ohio. He became an Eagle Scout in 1967. He received a bachelor of arts degree in Russian studies from Yale University (New Haven, Connecticut) in 1974 and a master of arts degree in education and public administration from Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio) in 1981. He taught at the Mansfield branch campus of Ohio State University from 1979 to 1981.
Career in politics
Brown served as an Ohio state representative from 1975 to 1982. He was one of the youngest state representatives in Ohio history, and supposedly, shortly after taking office, he was mistaken for an intern and asked to fetch coffee by a staffer. In 1982, he won a four-way Democratic primary that included Dennis Kucinich, now a Cleveland Congressman, then defeated Republican Virgil E. Brown in the general election for the office of Ohio Secretary of State, succeeding Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr.. In 1986, Brown won re-election as secretary of state, defeating Vincent C. Campanella. In 1990, Brown lost when trying for a third term as secretary of state to Republican Bob Taft.
In 1992, Brown ran for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives and won. He began serving in 1993 (103rd Congress).
Brown was an Ohio delegate to the 2000 Democratic National Convention. He was an unpledged delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston.
Brown is the ranking minority member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee. He also serves on the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet and the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection. A member of the House International Relations Committee, he also serves on the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific.
Brown, relatively young and telegenic, is considered one the stars of the Ohio Democratic Party. In 2001, when the Republican-controlled legislature threatened to gerrymander him out of office, Brown threatened to run for governor in 2002. The Republicans backed down, preserving Brown's majority Democratic district, and Brown stayed in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In the summer of 2005, Congressman Brown announced he would not run for the United States Senate seat held by Republican Mike DeWine. However, that fall, Brown reconsidered his decision to enter the ring. This announcement came shortly after Democrat Paul Hackett also stated that he would soon announce his candidacy. Within Ohio, Brown's decades of involvement in Ohio politics, including his years in statewide office, have given him high name recognition amongst Ohioans and a considerable fundraising advantage. In addition to his Senate campaign, Brown is also helping to support the Reform Ohio Now effort that is promoting several state jurisdictional changes on the ballot in November 2005.
Family
Brown's wife, Connie Schultz, is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for Cleveland's Plain Dealer newspaper. Brown's daughter Emily works for the Service Employees International Union. His daughter Elizabeth and stepdaughter Caitlin are both college students. His stepson Andrew Gard is a doctoral student at Ohio State University.
Author
Brown is the author of two books:
- Congress from the Inside: Observations from the Majority and the Minority ISBN 0873386302
- Myths of Free Trade: Why American Trade Policy Has Failed ISBN 1565849280
See also
- Election Results, U.S. Representative from Ohio, 13th District
- List of United States Representatives from Ohio
- Election Results, Ohio Secretary of State
- Ohio Secretary of State