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Biography
Dablink|For the blues musician, see Bobby Rush (musician) .Infobox Congressman|name = Bobby Rush|image name = Bobby Rush, Official Portrait, 112th Congress.jpg|birth_date = birth date and age|1946|11|23|birth_place = Albany, Georgia |state = Illinois |district = Illinois's 1st congressional district|1st |term_start =January 3, 1993|preceded = Charles Hayes (politician)|Charles Hayes |succeeded = Incumbent|party = Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat |religion = Christianity ( Baptist )|spouse = Carolyn Thomas|alma_mater= Roosevelt University University of Illinois at Chicago McCormick Theological Seminary |occupation=elected official, insurance agent, civil rights leader|residence= Chicago, Illinois |branch= United States Army |serviceyears=1963-1968 Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is the United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative for ushr|IL|1, serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party .
The district is located principally on the South Side (Chicago)|South Side of Chicago . It is a Minority-majority state|minority-majority district and has a higher percentage of African American s (65%) than any other congressional district in the nation. Rush has the distinction of being the only person to defeat President Barack Obama in an election for public office, when Obama challenged him in a primary election in 2000.cite web|url= http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0110/31099_Page3.html |title=Democrats' worst nightmare: Terrorism on their watch - Ben Smith and Carol E. Lee |publisher=Politico.Com |date= |accessdate=2010-08-23 Rush is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus .
Early life, education, and political activism
After dropping out of high school, Rush joined the U.S. Army in 1963 but went AWOL and yet, somehow received an honorable discharge in 1968.cite web |title=Associated Press profile |author= |publisher=Assocaited Press |url= http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/external/pre-election/bios/1263.html? SITE=WSJVTVELN& SECTION=POLITICS& TEMPLATE=DEFAULT Throughout the 1960s Rush was involved in the civil-rights movement. He worked in civil-disobedience campaigns in the South, and co-founded the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers in 1968 and was made its "defense minister". His son, Huey, was named after Panther leader Huey Newton . "We were reacting to police brutality, to the historical relationship between African-Americans and recalcitrant racist whites," Rush later told People (magazine)|People magazine. "We needed to arm ourselves." Rush was present when fellow Black Panther Fred Hampton was killed in a police raid and later made an official statement that the police, referred only to as "pigs" by Rush, had murdered Hampton. Rush's own apartment was raided in December 1969 where police discovered an unregistered pistol, rifle, shotgun and pistol ammunition, training manuals on explosives and booby traps, a small amount of marijuana and an assortment of communist literature.cite web |title=CBS Evening News |author=Bill Matney |publisher=CBS |url= http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=WTUFIRd32FM Earlier that same year Rush stated the philosophy behind his membership in the Black Panthers saying, "Black people have been on the defensive for all these years. The trend now is not to wait to be attacked. We advocate offensive violence against the power structure."cite news |title=A Black Panther on Little Cat Feet; Bobby Rush Drops the Clenched Fist |author=Kevin Klose |publisher=Washington Post |date=Aug. 11, 1984
Imprisoned for six months in 1972 on a weapons charge after carrying a gun into a police station, Rush nonetheless worked on several non-violent projects that built support for the Black Panthers in African American communities. He coordinated a medical clinic that offered sickle-cell anemia testing on an unprecedented scale. Rush graduated with honors from Chicago's Roosevelt University in 1973. A year later he left the Panthers, who were already in decline. "We started glorifying thuggery and drugs," he told People . That was distasteful to the deeply religious Rush, who is a born-again Christian . He went on to say that "I don't repudiate any of my involvement in the Panther party—it was part of my maturing."cite book |title=Almanac of American Politics |publisher= National Journal Group He subsequently resumed his education in the early 1990s at the McCormick Seminary and received a master's degree in theology.
After leaving the Panther Party, Rush sold insurance for a time in the early 1970s.
Early political career
Rush ran for a seat on Chicago's city council in 1974. The first of several black militants who later sought political office, he was defeated. In the early 1980s, however, Chicago's political life was transformed by the ascendancy of U.S. Representative Harold Washington , a noted orator and a charismatic figure who helped unite the city's African American community. Washington was elected mayor of Chicago in 1983, the first African-American to ever hold the office. That same year, Rush was elected alderman from the Second Ward on Chicago's South Side. He was one of the pro- Harold Washington faction on the Council during the " Council Wars " that began in 1983 following Washington's election as Mayor of Chicago in a racially-polarized contest.
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
;1992 After redistricting, Rush decided to run in the newly redrawn Illinois' 1st congressional district . He defeated incumbent U.S. Congressman Charles A. Hayes|Charles Hayes and six other candidates.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=207822 |title=IL - District 01 - D Primary Race - Mar 17, 1992 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30 He won the general election with 83% of the vote.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=27837 |title=IL DIstrict 1 Race - Nov 03, 1992 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30
;1994-1998 He won re-election in 1994 (76%), 1996 (86%), and 1998 (87%). In 1999, he ran for Mayor of Chicago and lost.
;2000 In the 2000 Democratic Primary election|primary for the U.S. House of Representatives ( IL-01 ), Rush Illinois's 1st congressional district election, 2000|was challenged by Illinois Senate|State Senator Barack Obama . http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2000/ilh.htm U.S. House of Representatives Election Results 2000 During the primary, Rush said: "Barack Obama went to Harvard and became an educated fool. Barack is a person who read about the civil-rights protests and thinks he knows all about it." cite news |last=Remnick |first=David|work=New Yorker|title=The Joshua Generation: Race and the campaign of Barack Obama |date=November 17, 2008 |url= http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/11/17/081117fa_fact_remnick? currentPage=all During the campaign, Rush charged that Obama was not sufficiently rooted in Chicago's black neighborhoods to represent constituents' concerns, and also benefitted from an outpouring of sympathy when his son was shot to death shortly before the election.cite news |author=Kleine, Ted |newspaper=Chicago Reader| date=March 17, 2000 |accessdate=July 26, 2008| url= http://www.chicagoreader.com/obama/000317 |title=Is Bobby Rush in trouble? Obama said Rush was a part of "a politics that is rooted in the past" and said he himself could build bridges with whites to get things done. But while Obama did well in his own Hyde Park base, he didn't get enough support from the surrounding black neighborhoods. Starting with just 10% name recognition, Obama went on to get only 31% of the votes, losing by a more than 2-to-1 margin despite winning among white voters.Federal Election Commission, http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2000/ilh.htm 2000 U.S. House of Representatives Resultscite web |author=Gonyea, Don |date=September 19, 2007 |url= http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php? storyId=14502364|title=Obama's loss may have aided White House bid |work=Morning Edition |publisher=NPR |accessdate=April 22, 2008cite news |first=Janny |last=Scott |title=A streetwise veteran schooled young Obama |date=September 9, 2007 |url= http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/us/politics/09obama.html |newspaper=The New York Times |page=A1 |accessdate=April 20, 2008cite news |first=Edward |last=McClelland |title=How Obama learned to be a natural |date=February 12, 2007 |url= http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/02/12/obama_natural/ |publisher=Salon.com |accessdate=April 20, 2008 Rush defeated him 61%-30%.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=141037 |title=IL District 1 - D Primary Race - Mar 21, 2000 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30 He then won the general election with 88% of the vote.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=448 |title=IL District 1 Race - Nov 07, 2000 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30
;2002 He won re-election with 81% of the vote.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=1067 |title=IL District 1 Race - Nov 05, 2002 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30
;2004 He won re-election with 85% of the vote.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=4113 |title=IL - District 1 Race - Nov 02, 2004 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30
;2006 Main|United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2006In the Democratic primary, he defeated Phillip Jackson 82%-18%.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=212433 |title=IL District 01- D Primary Race - Mar 21, 2006 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30 He won re-election with 84% of the vote.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=206844 |title=IL - District 01 Race - Nov 07, 2006 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30
;2008 Main|United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2008He won re-election with 86% of the vote.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=387957 |title=IL - District 01 Race - Nov 04, 2008 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30
;2010 Main|United States House of Representatives elections in Illinois, 2010In the 2010 Democratic primary, he was challenged by three people. However, he won with 80% of the vote.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=547198 |title=IL - District 01-D Primary Race - Feb 02, 2010 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30 He won re-election with 80%.cite web|url= http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html? RaceID=489024 |title=IL - District 01 Race - Nov 02, 2010 |publisher=Our Campaigns |date= |accessdate=2011-12-30
Tenure
Rush is the sponsor of the Melanie Blocker-Stokes Postpartum Depression Research and Care Act, named for Melanie Blocker-Stokes, a Chicago native who jumped to her death from a 12th story window due to postpartum depression . The bill would provide for research on postpartum depression and psychosis and services for individuals suffering from these disorders.
He sponsored legislation re-designating two United States Postal Service facilities in Illinois' 1st district as the James E. Worsham Post Office and the James E. Worsham Carrier Annex Building .
Rush sponsored the Nursing Relief for Disadvantaged Areas Act passed in 1999. The law temporarily addressed the nursing shortage by providing non-immigrant visas for qualified foreign nurses in the Englewood, Chicago|Englewood neighborhood of Chicago and was reauthorized in 2005.
The Children's Health Act passed in 2000 incorporated Rush's Urban Asthma Reduction Act of 1999, amending the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant program and includes an integrated approach to asthma management.
Rush initiated the Chicago Partnership for the Earned Income Tax Credit, an ongoing program designed to help low-income Working class|working Chicagoans receive the Earned Income Tax Credit , a Taxation in the United States|federal Income tax in the United States|income tax Tax credit|credits .
Rush has brought close to $2 billionDubious|date=July 2009 of federal funding since his election, including a $1 million federal grant from the Office of Naval Research to the Illinois Institute of Technology to develop better ways to assess the presence of chemical and biological agents.
Rush introduced the ''Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009'' on January 6, 2009. This bill, if signed into law would require all owners of hand guns and semiautomatic firearms to register for a federal firearms license. All sales of the subject firearms would have to go through a licensed dealer. The bill would also make it a criminal act not to register as an owner of a firearm. H.R. 45 was referred to the judiciary committee in 2009.cite web|url= http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd? bill=h111-45 |title=H.R. 45: Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009 |publisher=GovTrack.us |date= |accessdate=2010-08-23
On July 15, 2004, Rush became the second sitting member of Congress (following Charles B. Rangel|Charles Rangel and preceding Joe Hoeffel ) to be arrested for trespassing while protesting the War in Darfur|genocide in Darfur and other violations of human rights in Sudan in front of the Diplomatic missions of Sudan#North America|Sudanese Embassy .cite news |title=U.S. lawmaker arrested at Sudanese embassy in Washington |agency=Associated Press |publisher=Sudan Tribune |date=July 15, 2004 |url= http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php? article4001cite press release |url= http://www.house.gov/list/press/il01_rush/pr_040715arrestedatsudaneseembassy.html |title=U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush Arrested at Sudanese Embassy |publisher=Office of Congressman Bobby Rush |date=July 15, 2004
Though a very close friend to Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton , Rush announced early on that he would support Barack Obama in the 2008 primaries, and later his presidential campaign.cite web|url= http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/231872,CST-NWS-obama27.article|title=Clinton pal Bobby Rush: I'm supporting Obama|date=2008-01-27|accessdate=2009-01-02|publisher= Chicago Sun-Times |author=Fornek, Scott
Rush proposed that an African-American should be appointed to fill Obama's vacant seat in the U.S. Senate.cite news|title=Rush Petitions For African-American To Replace Obama in the Senate |first=Tasha|last=Flournoy|work=Chicago Public Radio |date=December 2, 2008 |url= http://www.wbez.org/Content.aspx? audioID=30530 During a press conference, Rush said, "With the resignation of President-elect Obama, we now have no African American in the United States Senate, and we believe it will be a national disgrace to not have this seat filled by one of the many capable African American Illinois politicians." cite news |title=Cong. Bobby Rush urges governor to choose Black Senate replacement|work=Chicago Defender|date=December 3, 2008|url= http://www.chicagodefender.com/article-2611-cong-bobby-rush-urge.html Rush said he did not support any one individual in particular for Senate, and was not interested in being appointed himself. On December 30, 2008, Governor Rod Blagojevich announced his appointment of Roland Burris , a former African-American Attorney General of Illinois. Rush was present at the press conference and spoke in support of Burris.cite news| url= http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/30/illinois.senate/index.html|title= Blagojevich names Obama successor despite warnings|publisher= CNN.com |date=December 30, 2008|accessdate=2008-12-30 Rush has since commented further on Senate Democrats not seating Burris, telling them not to "hang or lynching|lynch " Burris.cite news|last =|first =|title = Bobby Rush warns Democratic senators|publisher = Chicago Breaking News|date = December 31, 2008|url= http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2008/12/bobby-rush-to-critics-take-a-chill-pill.html|accessdate = 2009-01-09
On February 13, 2007, Rush opposed President George W. Bush 's proposed 20,000 serviceman troop surge in Iraq. He said the presence of the troops in Iraq is the greatest catalyst of violence in Iraq, and advocated a political resolution of the Iraq situation. Towards the close of his speech, Rep. Rush stated that the troop surge would only serve to make the Iraqi situation more volatile.cite web|url= http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi? dbname=2007_record& page=H1532& position=all |title=Retrieve Pages |publisher=Frwebgate.access.gpo.gov |date= |accessdate=2010-08-23
In 2011, Rush was one of only two congressmen (with Dennis Kucinich ) to vote against H.R. 2715 which corrected a law passed in 2008 that unintentionally banned the sale of motorcycles and ATV's for children. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll683.xml
On March 28, 2012, Rush addressed the House while wearing a hoodie in honor of Trayvon Martin , a teenager who was shot in Florida, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/17542979 and spoke against racial profiling. As the House forbids its members from wearing hats, Rush was called out of order and escorted from the chamber.cite news|last=Madison|first=Lucy|title=Dem Rep. Bobby Rush escorted from House floor for wearing hoodie in honor of Trayvon Martin|url= http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57405846-503544/dem-rep-bobby-rush-escorted-from-house-floor-for-wearing-hoodie-in-honor-of-trayvon-martin/|newspaper=CBS News|date=March 28, 2012
Committee assignments
United States House Committee on Energy and Commerce|Committee on Energy and Commerce
* United States House Energy Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade|Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
* United States House Energy Subcommittee on Communications and Technology|Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
* United States House Energy Subcommittee on Energy and Power|Subcommittee on Energy and Power
1999 run for Chicago mayor
Seealso|United States elections, 1999Rush ran for mayor of Chicago in 1999 but was defeated by the incumbent Richard M. Daley .cite news |first=Ryan |last=Lizza |url= http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/21/080721fa_fact_lizza |title=Making It: How Chicago Shaped Obama |work=The New Yorker |date=July 21, 2008
Personal life
The nation's first mass sickle cell anemia testing program was created by a clinic run by Rush. http://www.washingtontimes.com/elections/candidate/494/ Washington Times report on Rush's sickle-cell anemia program
In 2008, Bobby Rush had a rare type of malignant tumor removed from his salivary gland .cite web|author=& nbsp;& nbsp; |url= http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story? section=news/local& id=6306057 |title=Chicago News & #124; abc7chicago.com |publisher=Abclocal.go.com |date=2008-08-04 |accessdate=2010-08-23
Rush is a member of Iota Phi Theta .cite web|url= http://www.iotaphitheta.org/page70.html |title=Life Membership Payment Form |publisher=Iotaphitheta.org |date= |accessdate=2010-08-23
References
reflist|colwidth=30em
External links
Portal|Biography
http://www.house.gov/rush/ U.S. Representative Bobby Rush official U.S. House site
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bobby-rush/my-hopes-and-dreams-for-t_b_189977.html My Hopes and Dreams for the People of Cuba, Rep. Bobby Rush, The Huffington Post , April 22, 2009
s-starts-par|us-hsUSRepSuccessionBox|state=Illinois |district=1 |before= Charles Hayes (politician)|Charles Hayes |after=Incumbent |years=1993–Presents-prec|usas-bef|before= Ed Royce R- California s-ttl|title= List of current members of the United States House of Representatives by seniority|United States Representatives by seniority |years=90ths-aft|after= Bobby Scott (U.S. politician)|Bobby Scott D- Virginia s-end IL-FedRepBlackPanther Persondata|NAME= Rush, Bobby |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= |SHORT DESCRIPTION= Politician |DATE OF BIRTH=11/23/1946 |PLACE OF BIRTH=Albany, Georgia, USA |DATE OF DEATH= |PLACE OF DEATH=DEFAULTSORT:Rush, Bobby Category:African American members of the United States House of Representatives Category:African-American military personnel Category:Baptists from the United States Category:Chicago City Council members Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois Category:People from Albany, Georgia Category:People from Chicago, Illinois Category:Roosevelt University alumni Category:United States Army soldiers Category:University of Illinois at Chicago alumni Category:Black Panther Party members Category:Community organizers Category:Illinois Democrats Category:1946 births Category:Living people
