John B. Larson

Infobox_Congressman
name = John Larson


date of birth=birth date and age | 1948|07|22
place of birth = Hartford, Connecticut
state = Connecticut
district = 1st
term_start = January 6, 1999
preceded = Barbara Kennelly
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Democrat
religion = Roman Catholic
spouse = Leslie Larson
alma_mater=Central Connecticut State University
occupation= high school teacher, insurance agent
residence=East Hartford, Connecticut

John B. Larson (born July 22 1948), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1999, representing ushr|Connecticut|1|. He was born in Hartford, Connecticut and lived in a public housing project during his childhood. Larson was educated at Central Connecticut State University. He worked as a high school teacher and athletetcs coach and was also the co-owner of an insurance agency before entering public service. In 1971, he was selected as a Senior Fellow to the Yale Bush Institute of Child Development by Head Start founded Edward Zigler.

Larson was first elected to the Board of Education of East Hartford and learned served on Town Council. He was eventually elected as a member of the Connecticut Senate from East Hartford in 1982 and became the longest-serving President Pro Tempore, holding this position for 12 years.

In 1994, Larson left the state senate and sought the Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut but was defeated by Bill Curry in the primary. He entered private business for several years but was able to maintain his political credentials and won retiring Congresswoman Barbara Kennelly's seat in 1998.

As a member of Congress, Larson currently serves on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. On February 1, 2006 he was elected Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, making him the fifth highest ranking Democrat in the House of Representatives. In recent Congresses, Larson has also been an advocate for alternative energy and has authored several pieces of legislation pertaining to the issue. He is the founder of the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Coalition.

John Larson is a member of the New Democrat Coalition. He and his wife Leslie have three children and reside in East Hartford.

Larson was re-elected to a fifth term in Congress in 2006, receiving 74% of the vote against Republican challenger Scott MacLean. After the election, Larson declined to run for chairman of the Democratic Caucus, instead running unopposed for re-election as vice chairman.

Committee Assignments

*Ways and Means Committee
**Subcommittee on Trade
**Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
*Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
*House Democratic Caucus (Vice Chair)
*Congressional Shellfish Caucus (Co-Chair)
*House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Coalition (Co-Chair)

External links

* [http://www.house.gov/larson/ Congressman John B. Larson] official U.S. House website
* [http://www.larsonforcongress.org/ John B. Larson for Congress] official campaign website
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_Larson Profile] at SourceWatch Congresspedia