Schumer, Chuck (1950-…), has been a member of the United States Senate since 1999. A Democrat from New York, he earlier served in the United States House of Representatives. Following the 2016 elections, Senate Democrats elected Schumer to be the leader of the party in the Senate. He succeeded Harry Reid, of Nevada, who retired.
In the House, Schumer was the author of a major anticrime bill that included funding to hire more police officers, build new prisons, and conduct crime prevention programs in communities nationwide. Schumer also sponsored the “Brady bill,” which required people to wait five working days between the time they bought a handgun and the time they took possession of it. Both bills passed in 1994 and were signed into law by President Bill Clinton.
Charles Ellis Schumer was born on Nov. 23, 1950, in the Brooklyn section of New York City. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1971 and a law degree in 1974, both from Harvard University. He served in the New York State Assembly from 1975 to 1980. In 1980, he was elected to the U.S. House. He was reelected eight times.
In 1998, Schumer won election to his first term in the U.S. Senate. He took office in 1999. He was reelected in 2004, 2010, 2016, and 2022. In the Senate, Schumer has served as chair of the Senate Rules Committee. He has also served on the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Schumer became Senate majority leader in 2021, after Democrats gained control of the Senate.
