Booker, Cory (1969-…), an American politician, became a United States senator in 2013. He had earlier served as mayor of Newark, New Jersey’s largest city. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Booker’s record as mayor and colorful personal history made him a popular figure in the party in the early 2010’s.
Cory Anthony Booker was born in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 1969. His parents were business executives and prominent civil rights activists. Booker grew up in Harrington Park, New Jersey, and became a high school football star. He attended Stanford University, where he played tight end on the football team. He also served as senior class president and operated a student-run crisis hotline. Booker received a bachelor’s degree in political science in 1991 and a master’s degree in sociology in 1992. He then attended the University of Oxford in England on a Rhodes Scholarship. He earned a degree in modern history from the university in 1994. In 1997, he earned a law degree from Yale University.
In 1998, Booker ran for a seat on the Newark City Council and won an upset victory. As a councilman, Booker sometimes used unusual methods to draw attention to problems in the city. For instance, he lived for a short time in a tent in a dangerous area of Newark. Booker lost a campaign for the city’s mayoral seat in 2002.
In 2003, Booker founded a nonprofit organization called Newark Now. The group partnered with government, private donors, and community organizations to help Newark residents improve their neighborhoods.
In 2006, Booker ran again for Newark mayor and won. He was reelected in 2010. As mayor, Booker worked to reduce crime and reform city government practices. He gained notice for bringing in more than $100 million in private donations to the city’s education fund. In 2012, Booker received national attention after rescuing a neighbor from a house fire.
In August 2013, Booker won the Democratic nomination for a U.S. Senate seat. In October, he won a special election to serve out the remainder of the term of Senator Frank Lautenberg, who had died in June. Booker was elected to a full six-year term in 2014. As a senator, Booker has served on the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. He has also focused on such issues as unemployment, renewable energy, and criminal justice reform. Booker joined the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2018.
Booker wrote a memoir, United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good (2016). In the book, he calls for politicians to embrace compassion and work toward common goals.
In February 2019, Booker announced that he would be seeking his party’s 2020 nomination for president. He dropped out of the race in January 2020, however, after disappointing polling and fundraising results left him short of meeting the party’s qualifying standards to participate in successive debates. Booker won reelection to his Senate seat later in 2020.
