Rudolph C."Rudy" Cane is an American politician who is the first African American to represent the Eastern Shore in the Maryland House of Delegates

Maryland House of Delegates

The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis...

. Cane is also a former chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland

The Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland is an American political organization composed of African Americans elected to the Maryland General Assembly...

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Background

Rudolph Cane Born on May 23, 1934 in Marion on Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

's Eastern Shore

Eastern Shore of Maryland

The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a territorial part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies predominately on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay and consists of nine counties. The origin of term Eastern Shore was derived to distinguish a territorial part of the State of Maryland from the Western...

. Delegate Cane graduated from Carter G. Woodson High School in Crisfield, Maryland

Crisfield, Maryland

Crisfield is a city in Somerset County, Maryland, United States, located on the Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The population was 2,723 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Salisbury, Maryland Metropolitan Statistical Area...

, in 1952. He entered the United States Army

United States Army

The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 right after high school and served as a radar specialist earning the rank of sergeant

Sergeant

Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....

 by the time of his honorable discharge in 1955. After his military service he pursued undergraduate studies at Maryland State College

University of Maryland Eastern Shore

University of Maryland Eastern Shore located on 776 acres in Princess Anne, Maryland, United States, is part of the University System of Maryland...

 from 1956 to 1957 and Coppin State College from 1964 to 1968.
http://rudycane.org/Meet.htm

In the legislature

A member of House of Delegates since January 13, 1999, Cane serves on the House Environmental Matters Committee and its environment, its natural resources and its land use & ethics subcommittees. He is chairman of the committee's agriculture, agriculture preservation & open space subcommittee.

Legislative notes

• voted for the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2007 (HB359)http://mlis.state.md.us/2007rs/billfile/HB0359.htm
• voted in favor of increasing the sales tax by 20% - Tax Reform Act of 2007(HB2)http://www.mdchamber.org/docs/ss_hb2.pdf
• voted in favor of in-state tuition for illegal immigrants in 2007 (HB6)http://mlis.state.md.us/2007RS/votes/house/0690.htm
• sponsored House Bill 30 in 2007, allowing the state to confiscate unused portions of gift certificates after 4 years.House Bill 30