Background

Ethnicity: He has Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. He traces his ancestry back to the town of Chortkiv, Galicia, which is now located in western Ukraine.

Schumer was born on November 23, 1950, in Brooklyn, the son of Selma (née Rosen) and Abraham Schumer. His father ran an exterminating business, and his mother was a homemaker. His family is Jewish, and he is a second cousin, once removed, of actress Amy Schumer. His ancestors originated from the town of Chortkiv, Galicia, in what is now western Ukraine.

Education

Chuck Schumer attended public schools in Brooklyn, scoring a perfect 1600 on the SAT, and graduated as class valedictorian from James Madison High School, in 1967. Schumer competed for Madison High on the It's Academic television quiz show. He attended Harvard College, where he became interested in politics and campaigned for Eugene McCarthy, in 1968. After completing his undergraduate degree, he continued to Harvard Law School, earning his Juris Doctor with honors, in 1974. Schumer passed the New York state bar in early 1975. However, he never practiced law, choosing instead a career in politics.

Career

After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1974, Chuck was elected to the New York State Assembly, where he soon made his mark with his trademark vigor and relentless advocacy. In 1980, at 29, Chuck was elected as a congressman from the 9th Congressional District.

Chuck represented the 9th CD in Brooklyn and Queens for eighteen years, where he established his reputation as a consumer advocate and a pioneer in the fight against crime during the days of sky-high crime and murder rates that plagued communities throughout America. He was the leading sponsor of the Violence Against Women Act, which combats domestic violence and sexual assault, and the Brady Bill, which instituted mandatory background checks for handgun purchases. He championed the Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which organized data on crimes of bigotry and allowed federal authorities to prosecute these crimes. He also sponsored legislation that required banks and credit card companies to provide greater disclosure to consumers.

In 1998, Chuck was elected to the U.S. Senate; he became New York's senior senator when Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan retired in 2000. Chuck kicked off his first Senate term by announcing he would visit each of New York's 62 counties every year, a tradition he continues today to keep in touch with voters from every corner of the state.

Throughout his time in the Senate, Chuck has made improving New York's economy his top priority, bringing affordable air service, like JetBlue, to Upstate New York. He has worked to successfully retain New York jobs that were at risk of leaving and to attract many new firms to New York to create many thousands of family-supporting new jobs. Chuck was the author of legislation that eliminated barriers that delay low-cost generic medications from entering the marketplace and led the charge to make college tuition tax deductible. He also aggressively championed agricultural measures to preserve vital market support programs for New York’s dairy farmers and crop growers. In 2013, Chuck worked across the aisle to pass a comprehensive immigration reform package, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, which passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support.

After New Yorkers re-elected him in 2004, Chuck secured two powerful posts: a seat on the Senate Finance Committee, which oversees the nation’s tax, trade, social security and healthcare legislation, and the Chairmanship of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC). Chuck successfully led the DSCC for two consecutive cycles and greatly expanded the number of seats in his conference.

Following the elections of 2006, then-Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) appointed Chuck to serve as Vice Chair of the Democratic Conference, the number three position on the Democratic Leadership team. In 2016, Chuck was once again re-elected by the people of New York and at the same time, his colleagues elected him to serve as Leader of the Democratic Caucus, the first time a New York Senator has held the position.

In January 2007, he published a book called Positively American: Winning Back the Middle-Class Majority One Family at a Time, outlining strategies with which Democrats could court middle-class voters. One of his aides at the time Daniel Squadron helped to write it, and they drew from the senator's experience helping his party win in the 2006 midterm elections.

Achievements

• 

  U.S. Senator Charles Ellis “Chuck” Schumer has dedicated his career to being a tireless fighter for New York. He visits all 62 counties every year and has delivered countless large and small victories across the state, including delivering $20 billion to rebuild after the 9-11 terror attacks and passing a $63 billion relief package to help New York recover from Superstorm Sandy. From massive snowstorms in Western New York to numerous floods across Upstate, Sen. Schumer has been there to deliver aid and support to New Yorkers in their time of need.
  
  From authoring a permanent tax credit to offset the rising costs of college tuition, protecting Social Security and Medicare to encouraging job-creating infrastructure projects, Senator Schumer has made it a hallmark of his career to protect the middle class and those working to reach it – including finding common sense solutions to national issues.
  
  Schumer has been awarded several honorary degrees in recognition of his political career.
  
  In 2017, Chuck Schumer became one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Positively American: Winning Back the Middle-Class Majority One Family at a Time

    (Positively American: Winning Back the Middle-Class Majori...)

    2007

Religion

He said: "You know, my name .... comes from the word shomer, guardian, watcher. My ancestors were guardians of the ghetto wall in Chortkov. And I believe Hashem actually gave me that name. One of my roles, very important in the United States senate, is to be a shomer — to be a or the shomer Yisrael. And I will continue to be that with every bone in my body ... "

Politics

Iran nuclear deal. On August 6, 2015, Schumer announced his opposition to the nuclear deal with Iran.

Health care reform. Schumer supported President Barack Obama's health reform legislation; he voted for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in December 2009, and he voted for the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.

In 2009, Schumer also proposed that any new government-run health insurance programs follow all the standards applicable to private insurance. He did this to "address fears that a public program would drive private insurers from the market." Schumer commented, saying he wanted "a level playing field for competition".

In May 2017, in response to an amendment by Fred Upton to the American Health Care Act, Schumer released a statement saying the amendment "leaves Americans with pre-existing conditions as vulnerable as they were before under this bill" and compared it to "administering cough medicine to someone with stage 4 cancer."

Gun laws. While serving in the House of Representatives, Schumer, along with California senator Dianne Feinstein, authored the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban which expired in 2004.

While a target of gun rights organizations, Schumer has supported hunters, sponsoring legislation to provide millions in outdoor recreation grants to landowners who allow hunting and fishing on their private property. Schumer is also a supporter of providing hunters with tax deductions for donating venison and other game to feeding programs. In response to a question in a debate during his 2010 reelection campaign, Schumer has denied having a handgun or a permit for one and has produced a letter from NYPD stating that neither he nor his wife (Iris Weinshall) has a handgun license from NYC. In a statement from Brian Fallon, a Schumer aide, he "insisted that except for winning an NRA marksmanship award at age 14, the senator does not own a gun or have a license to carry one".

Abortion. Schumer is pro-choice, and has been given a 100 percent rating by NARAL Pro-Choice America, though he received some criticism for attending a gala in 2007 hosted by Efrat— an organization that seeks to reduce abortion among Israeli Jews. He was voiced much concern about Trump's choice for the Supreme Court to replace Anthony Kennedy, a position he believes would likely try to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Consumer issues. Schumer has given legislative attention to consumer issues. Schumer passed legislation that required uniform disclosure information on the back of credit card applications, notifying prospective cardholders of annual fees and interest rates. This standardized information is now referred to as the "Schumer box". The senator has also aggressively pushed to end the practice whereby customers can be charged two ATM fees, once by their own bank and once by the bank who owns the ATM, if the ATM is outside their personal bank's network.

With Congresswoman Nita Lowey, Schumer has been working to ban the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, often found in baby bottles and plastic children's food containers. Schumer is also seeking a ban on the use of cadmium, a carcinogen known to impair brain development in children, in toys and children's jewelry. When companies began selling gloves, pills, inhalers, diuretics, shampoos and other products during the Swine Flu scare, Schumer urged the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to open an investigation. In the end, the FTC put ten companies on notice and identified a total of 140 scams.

Schumer has been a champion of college tuition tax credits, calling for and passing a $4,000 tuition tax credit for students as part of a host of tax credits and cuts passed to stimulate the economy in the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA). He received an "A" on the most recent (2008) Drum Major Institute's Congressional Scorecard on middle-class issues.

Homeland security. As a senator from New York, Schumer has worked to secure homeland security funds for New York State and City and provide resources to its first responders. He delivered over $20 billion to support the state's security and recovery efforts after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York City and worked to deliver $200 million in Homeland Security funds to protect New York City mass transit.

Schumer has been a leader in the fight to continue fully funding the FIRE Grant program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). When the Bush administration pushed a plan to reduce the program from $1 billion to just under $300 million, Schumer helped lead an effort with local firefighters to block the cuts.

In 2006, Schumer led a bipartisan effort, with the help of Republicans like Congressman Peter T. King (NY), to stop a deal approved by the Bush administration to transfer control of six United States ports to a corporation owned by the government of United Arab Emirates (UAE), Dubai Ports World (see Dubai Ports World controversy). The 9/11 Commission reported that, despite recent alliances with the U.S., the UAE had strong ties to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda prior to the 9/11 attacks. The measure in the House was H.R 4807, and in the Senate, S. 2333; these were introduced to require a 45-day review of this transfer of ownership. On March 9, 2006, Dubai Ports World withdrew its application to operate the ports.

In 1995, Schumer sponsored the Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995 (H.R. 896) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Views

Marijuana. In April 2018, Schumer said that he would back efforts to decriminalize marijuana on the federal level. On April 20, a day known as 4/20, he announced his sponsorship of legislation "to remove marijuana from the country's list of scheduled substances". The bill would "establish funding streams for women and minority-owned marijuana businesses, and provide money for research into the public health effects of THC".

Same-sex marriage. Schumer voted for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996. He opposed the Federal Marriage Amendment, saying in 2004 that DOMA made it obsolete. In March 2009, Schumer announced his support for same-sex marriage, noting that it "was time". Schumer previously supported civil unions. At a private dinner with gay leaders on March 22, 2009, Schumer said he not only currently supported same-sex marriage, but also backed a full reversal of DOMA. When the New York State Senate took up a bill to legalize gay marriage in December 2009, Schumer, along with other statewide officials, aggressively lobbied wavering senators to support the legislation.

Quotations: "What the public hates the most is when they think the politicians aren't listening to them. They understand that we can't solve all their problems with a snap of our fingers, but they sure want us to try because we are public servants."

"Giving up even an ounce of precious freedom is a very serious thing to do."

"As long as the Palestinians send terrorists onto school buses and to nightclubs to blow up people, Israel has no choice but to build the fence."

Membership

Chuck Schumer is a member of Jewish War Veterans, B'nai Brith and Phi Beta Kappa.

Personality

When the U.S. Senate is in session, Chuck Schumer regularly works out at 7 in the morning at the Senate gym. He prefers to spend most of the time on the stationary bike to keep himself fit. He also uses his time in the gym to forge close ties with the Republican senators, which helps him in cutting deals with his opposition senators as well.

Physical Characteristics: Height - 5 ft 9 in or 175 cm

Weight - 73 kg or 161 lbs

Hair color - gray

Eye color - blue

Distinctive features - prominent nose

Interests

• Sport & Clubs

  Cycling

Connections

Schumer and his wife, Iris Weinshall, were married September 21, 1980. The ceremony took place at Windows on the World at the top of the north tower of the World Trade Center. Weinshall was New York City's commissioner of transportation, from 2000 to 2007. The Schumers have two children, Jessica and Alison, both graduates of their father's alma mater, Harvard College. The older daughter, Jessica, served as chief of staff and general counsel of the Council of Economic Advisers from May 2013 to August 2015. Alison was employed by Facebook, out of college, and is a marketing manager in the company's New York office.

Father:

Abraham Schumer

Mother:

Selma Schumer

Spouse:

Iris Weinshall

(born September 5, 1953)

She is the Chief Operating Officer of The New York Public Library, former vice chancellor at the City University of New York and a former commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation.

Sister:

Fran Schumer

Brother:

Robert Schumer

Daughter:

Alison Emma Schumer

Daughter:

Jessica Emily Schumer

Cousin:

Amy Schumer

(born June 1, 1981)

She is an American stand-up comedian and actress.

colleague:

Harry Reid

(born December 2, 1939)

He is a retired American politician who served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 1987 to 2017.

colleague:

Al D'Amato

(born August 1, 1937)

He is an American lawyer and former New York politician. A Republican, he served as United States Senator from New York from 1981 to 1999.

colleague:

Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Ann Warren, née Elizabeth Herring, is an American legal scholar and politician who was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in 2012 and began representing Massachusetts in that body the following year. Warren was formerly a prominent scholar specializing in bankruptcy law.

References

• Focus On: 100 Most Popular American People of Ukrainian-Jewish Descent: Sylvester Stallone, Bob Dylan, Steven Spielberg, Noam Chomsky, Chuck Schumer, Lenny ... Brooks, Jon Stewart, Dustin Hoffman, etc.
• What’s inside the mind of Chuck Schumer?
• Focus On: 30 Most Popular American Reform Jews: Mayim Bialik, Chuck Schumer, Michael Bloomberg, Simon Helberg, Joan Rivers, Geraldo Rivera, Michael Stuhlbarg, Liza Weil, Anne Meara, Chuck Todd, etc.