Hoyer, Steny Hamilton (1939-…), has represented Maryland in the United States House of Representatives since 1981. Hoyer, a Democrat, served as House majority leader from 2007 to 2011, and again from 2019 to 2023, when the Democrats held a majority in the House. He served as minority whip (assistant leader) in the House from 2002 to 2007 and from 2011 to 2019.
Hoyer was born on June 14, 1939, in New York City. His family moved to Prince George’s County, Maryland, while he was in high school. Hoyer earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Maryland in 1963. He received a law degree from Georgetown University in 1966.
Hoyer won election to the Maryland Senate in 1966 and served there until 1979. From 1975 to 1979, he was the state Senate’s president. He also worked as a lawyer in private practice from 1966 to 1990. Hoyer ran for lieutenant governor of Maryland in 1978 but failed to win his party’s nomination. He served on Maryland’s State Board of Higher Education from 1978 to 1981. In 1981, Hoyer won a special election to fill the U.S. House seat of Representative Gladys Spellman, who had fallen into a coma.
Hoyer, a moderate, has emphasized the issues of election reform and port security. He has worked to increase benefits for federal employees and military veterans. He also helped gain the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.
