Bobby Rush

For the blues musician, see Bobby Rush (musician).

Bobby Rush
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1993
Preceded by	Charles Hayes
Personal details
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Carolyn Thomas
Residence	Chicago, Illinois
Alma mater	Roosevelt University University of Illinois at Chicago McCormick Theological Seminary
Occupation	insurance agent, civil rights leader
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army
Years of service	1963-1968

Bobby Lee Rush (born November 23, 1946) is an American politician from Illinois. A Democrat, he has served in the United States House of Representatives as the member from Illinois' 1st congressional district since 1993. Rush's district is located principally on the South Side of Chicago. It is a minority-majority district and has a higher percentage of African American (65 percent) than any other congressional district in the nation.

Rush is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Rush is a former Black Panther.

Biography

Rush was born in Albany, Georgia. He was educated at Roosevelt University (bachelor's degree), the University of Illinois at Chicago (master's degree) and McCormick Theological Seminary (theology degree), all of which are in Chicago. He served in the United States Army from 1963 to 1968, was a co-founder of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party, and was an insurance agent and member of the Chicago City Council before entering the House.

Rush was involved in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and was a member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) from 1966 to 1968. Rush was a co-founder of the Illinois Black Panther Party in 1968. While a Black Panther, he operated Free Breakfast for Children program. He also coordinated the pioneering Free Medical Clinic, which developed the nation's first mass sickle cell disease testing program. Rush is also a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. the 5th largest historically black fraternity in the world.

Rush ran for mayor of Chicago in 1999 but was defeated by the incumbent Richard M. Daley.

In the 2000 Democratic primary for the U.S. House of Representatives (IL-01), Rush defeated challenger and then state senator Barack Obama , who was subsequently elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004, and later as President of the United States in 2008. During the primary, Rush said "Barack Obama went to Harvard and became an educated fool."

On July 15, 2004, Rush became the second sitting member of Congress (following Charles Rangel and preceding Joe Hoeffel) to be arrested for trespassing while protesting the genocide in Darfur and other violations of human rights in Sudan in front of the Sudanese Embassy.

• Rush is the lead 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.
• Rush sponsored legislation redesignating two United States Postal Service facilities in Illinois's 1st district as the James E. Worsham Post Office and 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 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 Chicagoans receive the Earned Income Tax Credit, a federal income tax credits.
• Rush has brought close to $2 billion 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.
• 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. He had been a supporter of Obama in the 2004 senate race as well.
• Rush is a member of Iota Phi Theta.
• Rush is also a pastor in Chicago.

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection (chairman)
  • Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet

Rush is also co-chair of the Congressional Biotechnology Caucus, one of many congressional caucuses.

External links

• Official House site

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Official campaign site from the DCCC

{{subst:#if:Rush, Bobby|}} [[Category:{{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:1946}}

|| UNKNOWN | MISSING = Year of birth missing {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:LIVING}}||LIVING=(living people)}}
| #default = 1946 births

}}]] {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:LIVING}}

|| LIVING  = 
| MISSING  = 
| UNKNOWN  = 
| #default = 

}}