Eleanor Holmes Norton

Eleanor Holmes Norton is a Delegate to the United States Congress, representing the District of Columbia (D.C.). http://www.norton.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=189&Itemid=94 Elected to her current office in 1991, Eleanor Holmes Norton is a member of the Democratic Party, and supported Barack Obama in his presidential campaign in 2008. http://www.barackobama.com/2008/02/11/congresswoman_eleanor_holmes_n.php Norton has been active in civil rights and women’s rights legislation throughout her career in politics. http://www.norton.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=189&Itemid=94 She currently serves as the Chairwoman of the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management. http://www.norton.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=189&Itemid=94

Eleanor Holmes Norton has been active in a legislative battle to secure a U.S. House of Representatives vote for the citizens of Washington D.C. http://www.norton.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=189&Itemid=127 In 2009, she supported a measure granting D.C. a House Vote, which passed through the United States Senate. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/26/AR2009022601678.html As a delegate, Elenaor Holmes Norton is not full members of the legislative body, as delegates do not represent one of the fifty states. http://www.congress.org/news/2010/08/16/what_do_delegates_do_in_congress?all=1 However, they do get to participate in congressional committees and speak from the floor of the House of Representatives. http://www.congress.org/news/2010/08/16/what_do_delegates_do_in_congress?all=1

Eleanor Holmes Norton was born in Washington D.C. on June 13, 1937. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/n000147/ She attended Antioch College of Antioch University before going onto Yale Law School. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/n000147/ Before being elected to public office, Eleanor Holmes Norton was a law clerk for Federal District Court Judge A. Leon Higginbotham, worked for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to be chairwoman of the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/n000147/ In 1990, during Eleanor Holmes Norton’s bid for the D.C. delegate position, she was involved in a tax evasion scandal; however, the charges did not stop her from winning the election. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE4D71E39F933A2575AC0A966958260&scp=7&sq=eleanor%20holmes%20norton&st=cse

Delegate Norton has spoken in support of programs for the safe exchange of needles in the District of Columbia. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/us/01needle.html?ref=eleanorholmesnorton She has proposed changes to business taxes that brought economic development to the D.C. area, and helped to secure federal funding for employment in her home district. http://www.norton.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=189&Itemid=94

In July of 2006, Eleanor Holmes Norton appeared on the Colbert Report to discuss her stance on the voting rights of Washington D.C. http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/72238/july-27-2006/better-know-a-district---district-of-columbia---eleanor-holmes-norton In addition to being an activist in the struggle to attain full voting rights for the District of Columbia, Eleanor Holmes Norton has spoken out on many national issues, including the housing crisis and the environment. http://www.nortonforcongress.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=107:norton-calls-for-moratorium-on-foreclosures-in-dc-&catid=3:pressreleases&Itemid=18