Al Green (politician)

Infobox_Congressman
name = Al Green


date of birth = birth date and age|1947|09|01
place of birth = New Orleans, Louisiana
state = Texas
district = 9th
term_start= January 3, 2005
preceded = Nick Lampson
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Democratic
religion = Baptist
residence= Houston, Texas
occupation= attorney
alma_mater= Tuskegee Institute, Texas Southern University
spouse= single

Alexander N. "Al" Green (September 1, 1947) is the U.S. Representative from Texas' 9th congressional district ( [http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/tx09_109.gifmap] ).

Early life and career

Green was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. He attended Florida A&M University and tranfered to the Tuskegee Institute of Technology, from which he earned a bachelor's degree. He later went on to receive his Juris Doctor in 1974 from Texas Southern University. Green was later elected as Justice of the Peace in Harris County, Texas in the Precinct 7, Place Two position prior to running for the U.S. Congress. He held this Justice of Peace position for 26 years.

Green is a former trial lawyer. After college, he co-founded the firm of Green, Wilson, Dewberry, and Fitch. He also served as president of the Houston NAACP, and during his term as the organization's leader, membership increased sevenfold. While serving as NAACP leader, he focused on increasing minority hiring in Texas and formed alliances with Hispanic groups.

Green defeated Congressman Chris Bell, a perceived rising star in the party, in the 2006 Democratic primary. Redistricting, which threw many white urban Democrats from Bell's district in with a Republican-dominated suburban precindct and combined Bell's district with a majority black area, later triggered ethics complaint against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

Green is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans.

Political career

Green won the Democratic primary for District 9 in Houston on March 9, 2004, a district that is largely Democratic with 37 percent of its population African American and 31 percent Hispanic. He was later victorious over Republican Arlette Molina.

While in Congress, Green has focused on issues similar to those that he worked for while with the NAACP. Fair housing and hiring practices for the poor and minorities are some of his greatest concerns.

External links

* [http://www.house.gov/algreen/ U.S. Congressman Al Green] official House site
*CongBio|g000553
* [http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/can_detail/H4TX09095 Federal Election Commission — Alexander Green] campaign finance reports and data
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/TX/Al_Green.htm On the Issues — Al Green] issue positions and quotes
* [http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?CID=N00026686 OpenSecrets.org — Al Green] campaign contributions
* [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=MTX50928 Project Vote Smart — Representative Al Green (TX)] profile
* [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/g000553/ Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Al Green] voting record