List of Jewish-American politicians

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This page is a list of Jews.
For more on who is considered Jewish, see Who is a Jew?.

This is a list of famous Jewish American politicians, arranged chronologically. For other famous Jewish Americans, see List of Jewish Americans.

1 List
2 Footnotes
3 External links

[edit] List

[edit] Cabinet members and senior administration officials

Judah Benjamin, Confederate attorney general (1861), secretary of war (1861) & state (1862-65)
Oscar Straus, secretary of commerce & labor (1906-09)
Henry Morgenthau, Jr., secretary of the treasury (1934-45)

James Schlesinger, CIA Director 1973 Secretary of Defense (1973-75) (Converted to Christianity)
Henry Kissinger, national security advisor (1969-75), secretary of state (1973-77)
W. Michael Blumenthal, secretary of the treasury (1977-79)
Harold Brown, secretary of defense (1977-81)
Neil Goldschmidt, secretary of transportation (1979-1981)
Philip Morris Klutznick, secretary of commerce (1980-1981)
Kenneth Duberstein, chief of staff (1988-1989)
Robert Reich, secretary of labor (1993-97)
John M. Deutch, Belgian-born CIA director (1995-96)
Robert Rubin, secretary of the treasury (1995-99)
Madeleine Albright, secretary of state (1997-01) (raised Catholic by converted parents)
Sandy Berger, national security advisor (1997-01)
Larry Summers, secretary of the treasury (1999-01)
Ari Fleischer, white house press secretary (2001-03)
Michael Chertoff, homeland security secretary (2005-)
Leon Fuerth, national security advisor to Vice President Al Gore (1993-2001)
Edward Levi, attorney general (1975-1977)
Joshua Bolten, White House Chief of Staff (2006-)
Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture (1995-2001)
William Cohen, Secretary of Defense (1997-2001)
Jacob Lew, Director of Office of Mannagement and Budget (1999-2001)

[edit] Current Senators

Name	Party	District	Elected	Note
Carl Levin	Democrat	Michigan	1978
Arlen Specter	Republican	Pennsylvania	1980
Frank Lautenberg	Democrat	New Jersey	2002	Previously served 1982-2001
Herb Kohl	Democrat	Wisconsin	1988
Joseph Lieberman	Independent Democrat	Connecticut	1988	Formerly a Democrat, but lost 2006 party primary; currently serves as an Independent Democrat caucusing with Democrats.
Dianne Feinstein^[1]	Democrat	California	1992
Barbara Boxer	Democrat	California	1992
Russ Feingold	Democrat	Wisconsin	1992
Ron Wyden	Democrat	Oregon	1996
Charles Schumer	Democrat	New York	1998
Norm Coleman	Republican	Minnesota	2002
Ben Cardin	Democrat	Maryland	2006
Bernie Sanders	Independent	Vermont	2006	Caucuses with the Democrats

[edit] Former Senators

David Levy Yulee, senator (D-FL: 1845-51, 1855-61)
Judah Benjamin, senator (Whig-LA: 1853-61)
Benjamin F. Jonas, senator (D-LA: 1879-85)
Joseph Simon, senator (R-OR: 1898-03)
Isidor Rayner, senator (D-MD: 1905-12)
Simon Guggenheim, senator (R-CO: 1907-13)
Herbert Lehman, senator (D-NY: 1949-57)
Barry M. Goldwater, senator (R-AZ: 1953-1965, 1969-1987), raised as an Episcopalian
Richard L. Neuberger, senator (D-OR: 1955-60)
Jacob Javits, senator (R-NY: 1957-81)
Ernest Gruening, senator (D-AK: 1959-69)
Abraham Ribicoff, senator (D-CT: 1963-81)
Pierre Salinger, senator (D-CA: 1964)
Howard Metzenbaum, senator (D-OH: 1974, 1976-95)
Richard B. Stone , senator (D-FL: 1975-80)
Edward Zorinsky, senator (D-NE: 1976-87)
Rudy Boschwitz, senator (R-MN: 1978-91)
Warren Rudman, senator (R-NH: 1980-93)
Jacob Hecht, senator (R-NV: 1983-89)
Paul Wellstone, senator (D-MN: 1991-02)
George Allen, senator (R-VA: 2001-2007), raised as a Presbyterian

[edit] Current Representatives

Name	Party	District	Elected	Note
Henry Waxman^[2]	Democrat	CA-30	1974
Barney Frank^[3]	Democrat	MA-04	1980
Tom Lantos^[4]	Democrat	CA-12	1980	Only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress^{[citation needed]}
Gary Ackerman^[5]	Democrat	NY-05	1982	Currently heads the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP)
Howard Berman^[6]	Democrat	CA-28	1982
Sander M. Levin^[7]	Democrat	MI-12	1982
Eliot L. Engel^[8]	Democrat	NY-17	1988
Nita Lowey^[9]	Democrat	NY-18	1988	First female chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which she chaired from 1991 to 1992
Bob Filner^[10]	Democrat	CA-51	1992
Jane Harman^[11]	Democrat	CA-36	1992	Served 1993-1999 and 2001 - Present
Jerrold Nadler^[12]	Democrat	NY-08	1992
Steve Rothman^[13]	Democrat	NJ-09	1996
Robert Wexler^[14]	Democrat	FL-19	1996
Shelley Berkley^[15]	Democrat	NV-01	1998	First Jewish congresswoman from Nevada
Jan Schakowsky^[16]	Democrat	IL-09	1998
Brad Sherman^[17]	Democrat	CA-27	1998
Anthony D. Weiner^[18]	Democrat	NY-09	1998
Eric Cantor^[19]	Republican	VA-07	2000
Susan Davis^[20]	Democrat	CA-53	2000
Steve Israel^[21]	Democrat	NY-02	2000
Adam Schiff^[21]	Democrat	CA-29	2000
Rahm Emanuel^[22]	Democrat	IL-05	2002	Former chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
Allyson Schwartz^[23]	Democrat	PA-13	2004	Pennsylvania's first Jewish congresswoman
Debbie Wasserman Schultz^[24]	Democrat	FL-20	2004	First Jewish congresswoman from Florida
Steve Cohen^[25]	Democrat	TN-09	2006	Tennessee's first Jewish congressman^[25]
Gabrielle Giffords^[26]	Democrat	AZ-08	2006	Arizona's first Jewish congresswoman
Paul Hodes^[27]	Democrat	NH-02	2006	New Hampshire's first Jewish Congressmen
Steve Kagen^[28]	Democrat	WI-08	2006
Ron Klein^[29]	Democrat	FL-22	2006
John Yarmuth^[30]	Democrat	KY-03	2006	Kentucky's first Jewish congressmen

[edit] Former Representatives

Prominent representatives only – for a full list see jewishvirtuallibrary.org.
(Chronologically)

Francis Salvador, first Jewish member of a colonial legislature.
Lewis Charles Levin, first Jewish representative (PA: 1845-51)
David Spangler Kaufman, first Jewish representative from Texas (TX: 1846-1851)
Victor L. Berger, socialist (Soc-WI: 1911-13, 1919, 1923-29)
Florence P. Kahn, first Jewish woman representative (R-CA: 1925-37)
Allard K. Lowenstein, civil rights activist (D-NY: 1969-1971)
Bella Abzug, feminist leader & gay rights activist (D-NY: 1971-77)
Martin Frost, former chairman of the House Democratic Caucus and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (D-TX: 1979-2005)
Sam Gejdenson, (D-CT: 1981-2001)
Benjamin Gilman, (R-NY: 1973-2003)
Bernie Sanders, independent (Ind-VT: 1991-)^[31]
Peter Deutsch (D-FL: 1993-2005)
Ben Cardin (D-MD: 1986-)^[32]

[edit] Ambassadors

Henry Morgenthau Sr., ambassador to Ottoman Empire (1913-16)
Henry Grunwald, ambassador to Austria (1988-1990)
Martin Indyk, ambassador to Israel (1995-97, 2000-01)
Dennis Ross, Middle East envoy
Don Bandler, ambassador to Cyprus ()
Robert Schwarz Strauss,ambassador to the Soviet Union during the presidency of George H. W. Bush

Martin Silverstein, ambassador to Uraguay appointed by GWB.

[edit] Governors

Edward S. Salomon, governor of the Washington Territory (R-WA: 1870-72)
Franklin Israel Moses, Jr., governor of South Carolina (R-SC: 1872-74) (raised Episcopalian)
Moses Alexander, governor of Idaho (D-ID: 1915-19)
Simon Bamberger, governor of Utah (D-UT: 1917-21)
Arthur Seligman, governor of New Mexico (D-NM: 1931-33)
Julius L. Meier, governor of Oregon (Ind-OR: 1931-35)
Henry Horner, governor of Illinois (D-IL: 1933-40)
Herbert H. Lehman, governor of New York (D-NY: 1933-42)
Ernest Gruening, territorial governor of Alaska (D-AK: 1939-53)
Abraham Ribicoff, governor of Connecticut (D-CT: 1955-61)
Samuel H. Shapiro, governor of Illinois (D-IL: 1968-69)
Frank Licht, governor of Rhode Island (D-RI: 1969-73)
Marvin Mandel, governor of Maryland (D-MD: 1969-77)
Milton Shapp, governor of Pennsylvania (D-PA: 1971-79)
Madeleine M. Kunin, governor of Vermont (D-VT: 1985-91)
Neil Goldschmidt, governor of Oregon (D-OR: 1987-91)
Bruce Sundlun, governor of Rhode Island (D-RI: 1991-95)
Linda Lingle, governor of Hawaii (R-HI: 2002-)
Ed Rendell, governor of Pennsylvania (D-PA: 2003-)
Eliot Spitzer, governor of New York (D-NY: 2007-)

[edit] Mayors

Prominent mayors/major cities only.

Cincinnati: Bill Gradison (1971), Jerry Springer^[33] (1977-78)
Las Vegas: Oscar Goodman (1999-)
Louisville: Jerry E. Abramson (1985-98, 2002-)
New York: Fiorello LaGuardia (1934-45; Jewish mother)
New York: Abe Beame (1974-77)
New York: Ed Koch (1978-89)
New York: Michael Bloomberg (2002-)
Philadelphia: Edward Rendell (1992–2000)
Pittsburgh: Sophie Masloff (1988-1993)
Portland, Oregon: Vera Katz (1992-2004)
San Diego: Susan Golding (1992-2000)
San Francisco: Adolph Sutro (1894-1896)
San Francisco: Dianne Feinstein (1978–88)^[1]
Seattle: Bailey Gatzert (1875-76)
Indianapolis: Stephen Goldsmith (1992-99)
Portland, Maine: Jim Cohen (2002-)
Dallas, Texas: Laura Miller (2002-)

[edit] Economists

Bernard Baruch, economic adviser to many U.S. presidents, statesman, stock market speculator
Ben Bernanke, chairman of the Federal Reserve (2006-)
Milton Friedman
Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve (1987-2006)
Eugene Meyer, chairman of the Federal Reserve (1930-1933), president of the World Bank (1946)
Haym Solomon, financier during the American Revolution
James Wolfensohn, president of the World Bank (1995-2005)
Paul Wolfowitz, president of the World Bank (2005-)

[edit] Other

Elliott Abrams, current National Security Council staff candidate; an Assistant Secretary of State in the 1980s; enmeshed in Iran-Contra scandal
Irving Kristol, one of the founders of the neoconservative movement, along with wife, Gertrude Himmelfarb
Kitty Dukakis, wife of former Massachusetts Governor and 1988 Democratic Party Presidential candidate Michael Dukakis
William Kristol, neoconservative editor of The Weekly Standard (son of Irving Kristol) (son of Gertrude Himmelfarb)
Jean Lafitte, Buccaneer leader of the early 1800s.
Monica Lewinsky (1973 - ) sex scandal intern, fashion designer^[34]
Ken Mehlman, current (since 2005) Head of Republican National Committee
Dick Morris, is a political author and commentator who was once a successful pollster and campaign consultant. Morris is best known for managing Bill Clinton's successful 1996 bid for re-election.
Franklin J. Moses, Sr., politician, judge, and attorney important in the history of 19th Century South Carolina
Norman Podhoretz, one of the founders of the neoconservative movement, along with wife, Midge Decter
Judith Steinberg Dean, wife of Democrat Howard Dean
Bernard Stone
Kinky Friedman, 2006 Texas Independent Gubernatorial Candidate
Robert Schwarz Strauss, longtime prominent Democratic Party activist from Texas, former Head of Democratic National Committee, Ambassador to the former Soviet Union during the presidency of George H. W. Bush
Jason Bedrick, first Orthodox elected official in New Hampshire
Stan Greenberg, prominent Democratic pollster and strategist, husband of US Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Mark Mellman, Democratic pollster/strategist, columnist for "The Hill" newspaper, covering Congress

[edit] Footnotes

^ ^a ^b Chang, Richard. "Slain journalist's father brings message of peace", OC Register, 2006-11-20. Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
^ Tom Tugend. "Undefeated Champion Rep. Henry Waxman wants to help Democrats", The Jewish Journal, 2001-01-26. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Charles P. Pierce. "To Be Frank Twenty-five years after he went to Washington, and 15 years after he survived a sex scandal that it's hard to imagine any politician surviving today, this once-rumpled, still-gay congressman from Bayonne, New Jersey, is one of the most formidable and influential members of the House. Barney Frank's powerhouse role on Capitol Hill is a triumph both public and private.", The Boston Globe, 2005-10-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Janine Zacharia. "Lantos's list", Jerusalem Post, 2001-04-13. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Gary Ackerman. "Few Jewish Republicans seeking office: no surprise (letter to the editor)", 2006-10-06. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Ron Kampeas. "Dems lash out at RJC Israel ads", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2006-10-06. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
^ Elections 2006 AP Coverage. Associated Press (2006-11-09). Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Kandea Mosley. "A Rumble in the Bronx Feuding Politicos Pull No Punches in Congressional Race", The Village Voice, 2000-09-12. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Jennifer Jacobson. "Jewish women on rise in Congress", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2006-10-23. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Peter Savodnik. "A Party Divided? Jewish and Latino Democrats have long stood on common ground. But tensions are starting to show between old-line liberals and conservative newcomers.", Los Angeles Times, 2006-05-16. Retrieved on 2006-10-11.
^ Jennifer Siegel. "Democratic Fight Looms Over House Intel Post", The Forward, 2006-06-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Jerrold Nadler (D - NY - 8). CNN. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Matthew Dorf. "Jewish representation in House may see decline", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 1998-10-30. Retrieved on 2006-11-12.
^ Larry Luxner. "US midterm elections: Jews key in South Florida vote", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2006-11-01. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Steve Friess. "Jewish settlers find Las Vegas to be a good bet Their numbers have doubled in the past decade", San Francisco Chronicle, 2004-04-05. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Todd Winer. "3 Jewish Democrats vying in Illinois Congress race", Chicago Jewish News, 1998-03-13. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Sharon Samber. "Jewish minyan grows in Senate; Jew elected to House", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2002-11-08. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Burnett, James. "Life of the Party", New York, 2001-12-03. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Diana Cantor: Helping Families Finance College, Jewish Woman, Fall 2003
^ Stuart Rothenberg. "Top House races of 2000", CNN, 2000-11-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ ^a ^b Sharon Samber. "New faces offset losses as Jews gain seats in Congress", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2000-11-10. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Steve Hendrix. "Fighting for the Spoils Lawmaker and Rainmaker Rahm Emanuel Wants a Nov. 7 Victory for the Democrats So Bad He Can Almost Taste It. If Only He Had Time to Eat.", Washington Post, 2006-08-22. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Matthew E. Berger. "Congress Bids Goodbye to Frost, Welcomes Two New Jewish Women", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2004-11-03. Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ Elections 2006 AP Coverage: Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Dem). Associated Press (2006-11-09). Retrieved on 2006-11-10.
^ ^a ^b Woody Baird. "Congressional incumbents re-elected, Cohen takes lead in Memphis", Associated Press, 2006-11-07. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Jennifer Siegel. "A Tribe of Candidates Leads Drive To Retake House for Democrats", The Forward, 2006-09-22. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Anne Saunders, Associated Press. "Democrat Paul Hodes heads to Congress to stand up and speak out", Boston Globe, 2006-11-08. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ "Jews take root in Capitol Hill", Ynetnews, 2006-11-09. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Larry Luxner. "Riding Jewish support and opposition to war, Klein takes close Florida race", Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2006-11-08. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Shmuel Rosner. "Louisville's Jews vote Democratic - but not because the candidate's Jewish", 2006-11-05. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
^ Sanders - [1] "Two Jews won their bids to become the Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate — Ben Cardin in Maryland and Bernie Sanders in Vermont."
^ Cardin - [2] "Two Jews won their bids to become the Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate — Ben Cardin in Maryland and Bernie Sanders in Vermont."
^ Springer - [3] "The Jewish talk-show host..."
^ Lewinsky - [4] "When a `nice Jewish girl' gets embroiled in a scandal"

[edit] External links

Most Jews ever set to enter Congress -- from The Jerusalem Post (Jan. 7th, 2007)
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee

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