US Rep. James E. Clyburn

US Rep. James E. Clyburn, a native of Sumter, South Carolina, currently resides in Columbia. He was first elected to Congress in November 1992, and served on the Veterans Affairs and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committees through the 105th Congress, where he was the ranking member on the Veterans Affairs’ Oversight and Investigation Subcommittee. After the November 1998 elections, Congressman Clyburn was elected Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus for the 106th Congress. He went on to win a three-way race for Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus in 2002, followed by his election as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus in 2005. In 2007, Congressman Clyburn’s peers elected him Majority Whip, the third ranking leadership position in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the highest rank ever attained by an African American in Congress. Following his graduation from South Carolina State University, Congressman Clyburn served as a teacher, an employment counselor, and director of two youth and community development projects in Charleston, South Carolina. He was appointed to the staff of Governor John C. West in January 1971, and in October 1974 Governor West appointed him South Carolina Human Affairs Commissioner where he served until retiring from state government in 1992 to run for Congress. Congressman Clyburn currently serves on the governing boards of Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina and Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. He is a life member of the N.A.A.C.P., a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and is a Mason and Shriner. A graduate of the South Carolina Executive Institute, Congressman Clyburn has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees by twenty-one Colleges and Universities. Congressman Clyburn is married to the former Emily England of Moncks Corner, South Carolina. The couple has three daughters, Mignon, Angela, and Jennifer Clyburn Reed, a son-in-law, Walter Reed, and two grandchildren, Walter A. Clyburn Reed and Sydney Alexis Reed.