Adam Schiff
Encyclopedia
Adam Bennett Schiff is the U.S. Representative
for . He has served in Congress since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party
. The district, which was numbered as the 27th District during his first term, includes Alhambra
, Altadena
, San Gabriel
, Burbank
, Glendale
, South Pasadena
, Temple City
, Monterey Park
, and Pasadena
.
In 2007, he became a member of the House Appropriations Committee
. He is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
, Massachusetts
to a traditional Jewish family. He received a political science degree from Stanford University
and a law degree from Harvard University
. He was a lawyer, working as an assistant prosecutor in the Los Angeles branch of the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was a member of the California State Senate
, serving as the chair of that body's judiciary committee during his one term.
issues; he claims to have over 70,000 Armenian-Americans in his district. He has strongly pushed for signing of the US House Resolution 106 recognizing the Armenian Genocide
. On October 11, 2007, the resolution sponsored by Schiff was approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Turkey's prime minister said that approval of the resolution would endanger U.S.-Turkey relations. A full House vote on the resolution was called off by Adam Schiff in 2007 even though he had over 330+ co-sponsors and votes. The resolution was again approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 4, 2010 by a 23-22 margin.
In 2010, Schiff defeated Tea Party backed Republican John Colbert for a 6th term.
with his wife Eve and two children, Alexa and Elijah.
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for . He has served in Congress since 2001. He is a member of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. The district, which was numbered as the 27th District during his first term, includes Alhambra
Alhambra, California
Alhambra is a city located in the western San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, which is approximately eight miles from the Downtown Los Angeles civic center. As of the 2010 census, the population was 83,089, down from 85,804 at the 2000 census. The city's...
, Altadena
Altadena, California
Altadena is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Los Angeles County, California, United States, approximately from the downtown Los Angeles Civic Center, and directly north of the city of Pasadena, California...
, San Gabriel
San Gabriel, California
San Gabriel is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is named after the Mission San Gabriel Arcángel, founded by Junipero Serra. The city grew outward from the mission and in 1852 became the original township of Los Angeles County. San Gabriel was incorporated in 1913...
, Burbank
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
, Glendale
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, South Pasadena
South Pasadena, California
South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in in the West San Gabriel Valley...
, Temple City
Temple City, California
Temple City is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Temple City is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Rosemead, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a rapidly growing Asian population. Temple City also has a Cuban and Puerto Rican...
, Monterey Park
Monterey Park, California
Monterey Park is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles. The city's motto is "Pride in the past, Faith in the future"...
, and Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
.
In 2007, he became a member of the House Appropriations Committee
United States House Committee on Appropriations
The Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
. He is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.
Early life, education and career
He was born in FraminghamFramingham, Massachusetts
Framingham is a New England town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 68,318 as of the United States 2010 Census. -History:...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to a traditional Jewish family. He received a political science degree from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and a law degree from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He was a lawyer, working as an assistant prosecutor in the Los Angeles branch of the U.S. Attorney's Office. He was a member of the California State Senate
California State Senate
The California State Senate is the upper house of the California State Legislature. There are 40 state senators. The state legislature meets in the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The Lieutenant Governor is the ex officio President of the Senate and may break a tied vote...
, serving as the chair of that body's judiciary committee during his one term.
California Senate
During his tenure in the California Senate, Schiff authored Senate Bill 1847, Chapter 1021. Signed into law in 1998, this created the Pasadena Blue Line Authority, which continued work on the stalled then-Blue Line light rail extension to Pasadena, which would later be named the Gold Line instead.Committee assignments
- Committee on AppropriationsUnited States House Committee on AppropriationsThe Committee on Appropriations is a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is in charge of setting the specific expenditures of money by the government of the United States...
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related AgenciesThe United States House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies is a standing committee of the U.S. House subcommittees and is within the United States House Committee on Appropriations.-Members, 112th Congress:...
- Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsUnited States House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related ProgramsThe House Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs is a standing subcommittee within the House Appropriations Committee. Prior to 2008, it was known as the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs....
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
Caucuses
- Co-chair of the Congressional International Anti-Piracy Caucus
- Co-founded the Democratic Study Group on National Security
- Co-founded the Congressional Caucus for Freedom of the Press
- House Democracy Assistance Commission
Armenian Genocide
Schiff has also been a leading voice in Armenian-AmericanArmenian-American
Armenian Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Armenia. During the United States 2000 Census, 385,488 respondents indicated either full or partial Armenian ancestry...
issues; he claims to have over 70,000 Armenian-Americans in his district. He has strongly pushed for signing of the US House Resolution 106 recognizing the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
. On October 11, 2007, the resolution sponsored by Schiff was approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Turkey's prime minister said that approval of the resolution would endanger U.S.-Turkey relations. A full House vote on the resolution was called off by Adam Schiff in 2007 even though he had over 330+ co-sponsors and votes. The resolution was again approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on March 4, 2010 by a 23-22 margin.
Political campaigns
Schiff was elected in 2000, defeating Republican incumbent Jim Rogan. The district had once been a Republican stronghold, but had been trending Democratic since the early 1990s. In what was the most expensive House race ever at the time (several elections in 2006 and 2008 later eclipsed it), Schiff unseated Rogan, taking 53 percent of the vote to Rogan's 44 percent. He became only the second Democrat to represent this district since its creation in 1913 (it was the 9th District from 1913 to 1933, the 11th District from 1933–43, the 20th District from 1943 to 1975, the 22nd District from 1975 to 1993, and the 27th District from 1993 to 2003).In 2010, Schiff defeated Tea Party backed Republican John Colbert for a 6th term.
Personal life
Schiff has settled in Burbank, CaliforniaBurbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
with his wife Eve and two children, Alexa and Elijah.
External links
- U.S. Congressman Adam Schiff official U.S. House site
- Adam Schiff for U.S. Congress official campaign site