44 Facts About James Clyburn

James Enos Clyburn was born on July 21,1940 and is an American politician and retired educator serving as a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives from South Carolina.

James Clyburn is a two-time majority whip, previously serving in the post from 2007 to 2011, and served as House assistant minority leader from 2011 to 2019.

Currently in his 15th term, Clyburn has served as the US representative for since 1993.

Since John Spratt's departure in 2011, aside from the single term served by Joe Cunningham, James Clyburn has been the only Democrat in South Carolina's congressional delegation.

James Clyburn has been the third-ranking House Democrat, behind Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, since 2007, serving as majority whip behind Pelosi and Hoyer during periods of Democratic House control, and as assistant minority leader behind Pelosi and Hoyer during periods of Republican control.

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James Clyburn played a pivotal role in the 2020 presidential election by endorsing Joe Biden three days before the South Carolina Democratic primary.

James Clyburn's endorsement came at a time when Biden's campaign had suffered three disappointing finishes in the Iowa and Nevada caucuses and the New Hampshire primary.

James Clyburn was born in Sumter, South Carolina, the son of Enos Lloyd James Clyburn, a fundamentalist minister, and his wife, Almeta, a beautician.

James Clyburn graduated from Mather Academy in Camden, South Carolina, then attended South Carolina State College, a historically black college in Orangeburg.

James Clyburn joined the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and graduated with a bachelor's degree in history.

James Clyburn became involved in politics during the 1969 Charleston hospital strike.

James Clyburn came up with the campaign's slogan, "Devine for Ward Nine".

James Clyburn later credited that campaign as the reason he got into electoral politics.

West called James Clyburn and offered him a job as his advisor after reading James Clyburn's response to his loss in the newspaper.

James Clyburn served in this position until 1992, when he stepped down to run for Congress.

James Clyburn was the first African-American to represent South Carolina in Congress since George W Murray in 1893.

James Clyburn has been reelected 15 times with no substantive Republican opposition.

James Clyburn was elected vice-chairman of the House Democratic Caucus in 2003, the caucus's third-ranking post.

James Clyburn became chair of the House Democratic Caucus in early 2006 after caucus chair Bob Menendez was appointed to the Senate.

James Clyburn would have faced a challenge from Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rahm Emanuel, but Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi persuaded Emanuel to run for Democratic Caucus chair.

James Clyburn was interviewed by National Public Radio's Morning Edition on January 12,2007, and acknowledged the difficulty of counting votes and rallying the fractious Democratic caucus while his party held the House majority.

Pelosi ran for Minority Leader in order to remain the House party leader, while James Clyburn announced that he would challenge Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking House Democrat and outgoing Majority Leader, for Minority Whip.

James Clyburn had the support of the Congressional Black Caucus, which wanted to keep an African-American in the House leadership, while Hoyer had 35 public endorsements, including three standing committee chairs.

On November 28,2018, James Clyburn was elected to serve his second stint as House Majority Whip.

James Clyburn is regarded as liberal in his political stances, actions and votes.

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James Clyburn has established liberal stances on health care, education, organized labor and environmental conservation issues, based on his legislative actions as well as evaluations and ratings by pertinent interest groups.

American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, The Children's Health Fund, and other health care interest groups rate James Clyburn highly based on his voting record on pertinent issues.

James Clyburn has continuously sought new and additional funding for education.

James Clyburn has gained additional funding for special education and lower interest rates on federal student loans.

James Clyburn has consistently voted for increases in minimum wage income and to restrict employer interference with labor union organization.

James Clyburn has opposed legislation to increase offshore drilling for oil or natural gas.

James Clyburn pushed for a 2010 contract to convert plutonium from old weapons into nuclear fuel.

James Clyburn was one of 31 House Democrats who voted not to count Ohio's 20 electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election.

On July 31,2007, James Clyburn said in a broadcast interview that it would be a "real big problem" for the Democratic Party if General David Petraeus issued a positive report in September, as it would split the Democratic caucus on whether to continue to fund the Iraq War.

James Clyburn was officially neutral during the 2008 primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, but former President Bill Clinton blamed James Clyburn for Hillary's 29-point defeat in the South Carolina primary and the two of them had a heated telephone conversation.

On December 18,2019, James Clyburn voted for both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.

James Clyburn was one of the 31 who voted in the House not to count Ohio's electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election amid a dispute over irregularities.

Former President Bill Clinton accused James Clyburn of being responsible for Hillary's 29-point defeat in South Carolina, while James Clyburn criticized Bill Clinton's comments on race comparing Obama's win to that of Jesse Jackson.

James Clyburn identifies as a progressive, but thinks the Democratic Party's more liberal wing should be "practical".

In January 2017, James Clyburn voted against a House resolution condemning the UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which called Israeli settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank a "flagrant violation" of international law and a major obstacle to peace.

In 1996, James Clyburn voted in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act, which at the time passed with majority Democratic support and near-unanimous Republican support.

In 2012, after Obama's public endorsement of same-sex marriage, amid shifting public opinion of same-sex marriage, James Clyburn said in an interview that he too supported marriage equality.

James Clyburn called for nationwide legislation of marriage equality, opposing Obama's state-by-state approach, saying, "if you consider this to be a civil right—and I do—I don't think civil rights ought to be left up to a state-by-state approach".

James Clyburn was married to librarian Emily England James Clyburn from 1961 until her death in 2019.