Bob Menendez
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Robert Menendez (born January 1, 1954) is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents the 13th congressional district of New Jersey (map (http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/nj13_109.gif)). Menendez is the third highest ranking member of the Democratic House leadership, and serves as chair of the House Democratic Caucus. He is the first Hispanic to serve in the House Leadership post. If the Democrats had received a majority of the House seats in the 2004 elections, Menendez would most likely have served as the Majority Whip in the 109th Congress.
Menendez was born in New York City to Cuban parents. While attending Saint Peter's College, he was elected to the Union City Board of Education. After graduating from Rutgers School of Law in Newark, Menendez became a lawyer in private practice.
He served as the mayor of Union City from 1986 to 1992. He also served as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature from 1987 until 1991, when he took his seat in the New Jersey Senate. Menendez served two years in the Senate until 1993, when he became a member of the U.S. House.
He was a speaker on the first day of the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He is considered a rising star by many in the New Jersey Democratic Party. His name has come up in Party discussions as a possible successor to Jon Corzine's seat in the United States Senate should he win the governorship of New Jersey in 2005.
External links
- House website (http://menendez.house.gov/)
- bioguide.congress.gov article on Bob Menendez (http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000639)