12 Facts About Ben Erdreich

Benjamin Leader Erdreich was born on December 9,1938 and is an American lawyer and retired politician from Alabama.

Ben Erdreich served as editor of the Alabama Law Review while attending the University of Alabama law school, graduating in 1963.

Between 1970 and 1974, Ben Erdreich served one term as a Democrat in the Alabama House of Representatives.

Ben Erdreich was elected as a Jefferson County Commissioner, serving until 1982.

In 1982, Erdreich was elected to Congress from the 6th District, based in Birmingham, defeating one-term Republican incumbent Albert Smith, Jr.

Ben Erdreich is among a small number of Jewish politicians to be elected to federal office from the Deep South.

Ben Erdreich was the first Democrat to represent the 6th since 1965.

However, in 1992, Ben Erdreich's district was significantly redrawn as a result of a United States Department of Justice directive to create a majority-black district in the Birmingham area in order to overcome problems of voter dilution.

Ben Erdreich now found himself in a mostly suburban district that was almost 97 percent white, and was on paper one of the most Republican districts in the country.

Ben Erdreich was known for his bipartisan work in Congress, and co-sponsored several hundred bills during his five terms.

Ben Erdreich was the lead sponsor of four bills that were signed by the president and enacted into law:.

Ben Erdreich is currently involved with property development in Birmingham, concentrating on central-city projects.