Edolphus Towns
Ed Towns | |
---|---|
House Oversight Committee | |
In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 | |
Preceded by | Henry Waxman |
Succeeded by | Darrell Issa |
Personal details | |
Born | Edolphus Towns Jr. July 21, 1934 |
Military service | |
Allegiance | ![]() |
Branch/service | ![]() |
Years of service | 1956–1958 |
Edolphus "Ed" Towns Jr. (born July 21, 1934) is an American educator, military veteran, and politician who served in the
During his 30 years in Congress, Towns represented districts based in Brooklyn: first New York's 11th congressional district, from 1983 to 1993, and then the 10th district from 1993 to 2013.
Early life, education, and early career
Towns was born in Chadbourn, North Carolina, the son of Versie (née Brown) and Edolphus Towns.[1] He graduated from West Side High School, Chadbourn, North Carolina in 1952. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from North Carolina A&T State University in 1956 and a master's degree in social work from Adelphi University in 1973. Towns is a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.
Towns was an administrator at
In 1970, he ran for
U.S. House of Representatives
Elections
After redistricting, Towns ran for the open seat in the Brooklyn-based New York's 11th congressional district. Towns won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 48%,[5] and won the general election with 84% of the vote.[6] He never won a general election campaign with less than 85% of the vote.[7] He has won the Democratic primary with at least 60% of the vote all but three times (1998, 2000, and 2006).
From 1996 to 1998, Towns was in a rivalry with Brooklyn Democratic Party Chairman Clarence Norman. In addition, he has received criticism for endorsing Republican
In 2006, Towns faced Democratic primary challenges from Charles Barron, a member of the New York City Council, and Roger Green, a former member of the New York State Assembly. Barron was a staunch ally of Al Sharpton. Green was convicted of stealing $3,000 in taxpayer dollars.[11] Towns defeated Barron and Green 47%–37%–15%,[12] the worst primary performance of his career. In 2012, Towns endorsed Barron in the race for his Congressional seat, but Barron was routed by a 72–28% margin and the seat went to Hakeem Jeffries.
Tenure
Towns served on the Energy and Commerce Committee[when?] and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. On January 7, 2009, his proposed legislation to require information on Presidential donors kicked off the new session of the 111th Congress.[16] Towns' past accomplishments include, co-sponsoring or enacting several pieces of federal legislation, including the Student Right To Know Act, which mandated the reporting of the rate of graduation among student athletes, creating the Telecommunications Development Fund, which provides capital for minority business initiatives, and the development of a federal program for poison control centers.[17]
He had been targeted by various Democratic Party constituencies, including factions led by his political rival
He put particular emphasis on arguing in behalf of underserved Brooklyn communities, and has won recognition from several organizations for his efforts. The
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Ed_Towns%2C_Shirley_Chisholm%2C_Gwen_Towns.jpg/300px-Ed_Towns%2C_Shirley_Chisholm%2C_Gwen_Towns.jpg)
Towns delayed the investigation into
In December 2010, he announced that he would not seek the position of
On April 16, 2012, Towns announced he would be retiring at the end of his 15th term.[21] His district had been renumbered as the 8th district in redistricting and had a significant increase of white voters, though it still had a large black majority.[21]
Committee assignments
- Committee on Energy and Commerce
- Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade
- Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
- Subcommittee on Health
- Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
- Subcommittee on Government Organization, Efficiency and Financial Management(Ranking Member)
Caucus memberships
- Congressional Black Caucus
- House Democratic Caucus
- Congressional COPD Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Later career
After leaving Congress, Towns became a senior advisor for the government relations and lobbying firm Gray Global Advisors.[22]
Personal life
Towns is married to the former Gwendolyn Forbes and they reside in the
He is a distant cousin of White House correspondent April Ryan.[citation needed]
See also
References
- user-generated source]
- The Tabor City Tribune, Tabor City, North Carolina, November 14, 1956, page 6. (subscription required).
- ^ 1970 campaign info, Cummings v Mullally
- ^ 1972 campaign info, Cummings v Griffith
- ^ Cummings campaign info
- ^ Cummings campaign info
- ^ Cummings campaign info
- ^ Hicks, Jonathan P. (June 8, 1998). "Expert Fund-Raiser Challenges Congressman". The New York Times.
- ^ Cummings campaign info
- ^ Cummings campaign info, 2000
- ^ "Roger Green must drop out"
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NY District 10 - D Primary Race - Sep 12, 2006".
- ^ "Kevin Powell To Withdraw From 10th Congressional Race" Archived 2006-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Primary Elections: Big Changes in Brooklyn"
- ^ "Our Campaigns - NY District 10 - D Primary Race - Sep 14, 2010".
- ^ "OpenCongress: Presidential Library Donation Reform Act of 2009" Archived 2010-02-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Towns' profile Archived 2006-09-01 at the Wayback Machine, demopedia.democraticunderground.com
- ^ John R. Emshwiller. Senate VIP Loans Mount "Countrywide Dealt With More Lawmakers and Staffers Than Previously Known", Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2010
- ^ a b "Category: DC | Talking Points Memo".
- ^ "Ed Towns Steps Down; Sources Blame White House". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on 2010-12-16.
- ^ a b Dobnik, Verena (2012-04-16). "NYC's Towns retiring after 30 years in Congress". Associated Press.
- ^ "Gray Global Advisors team: Hon. Edolphus Towns". Gray Global Advisors.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/38px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png)
- U.S. Representative Edolphus Towns official U.S. House website
- Re-Elect Congressman Ed Towns official campaign website