Zoe Lofgren

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Zoe Lofgren
Zoe Lofgren

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 16th district
Incumbent
Assumed office 
January 3, 1995
Preceded by Don Edwards

Born December 21, 1947 (1947-12-21) (age 60)
San Mateo, California
Political party Democratic
Spouse John Marshall Collins
Residence San Jose, California
Religion Lutheran

Zoe Lofgren (born Sue Lofgren on December 21, 1947), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing the 16th District of California (map), based in San Jose.

A lifelong Bay Area resident, Lofgren attended Gunn High School in Palo Alto, earned her B.A. at Stanford University and a J.D. at Santa Clara University. She left the San Jose area for a few years after graduation from Stanford, to serve years as a staff assistant to Congressman Don Edwards, where she worked, among other projects, on the attempted impeachment of Richard Nixon. Returning to San Jose, she worked in Edwards' District Office, and took her law degree. After two years as partner at a law practice in San Jose, she was elected first to a Community College board, then to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, where she served for 13 years.

In 1994, Edwards decided to retire after 32 years in Congress. Lofgren entered the Democratic primary as a decided underdog, but managed to defeat the favorite, former San Jose mayor Tom McEnery. San Jose is so heavily Democratic that her victory in the general election was a foregone conclusion. She has been reelected five times with virtually no opposition. Lofgren was only the second representative of the 16th District (Edwards had served since the district's creation in 1963).

Lofgren is currently the Chair of the 34-member California Democratic Congressional Delegation. She serves on the Judiciary Committee and is the Chair of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law. She also Chairs the House Administration Subcommittee on Elections and serves on the House Homeland Security Committee.


[edit] Committee Assignments

  • Committee on Homeland Security
    • Subcommittee on Border, Maritime and Global Counterterrorism
    • Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology
  • Committee On House Administration
    • Subcommittee on Elections (Chair)
    • Joint Commitee on the Library
    • Fine Arts Board
  • Judiciary Committee
    • Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property
    • Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law (Chair)
    • Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law
    • Antitrust Task Force and Competition Policy
  • Chair of the California Democratic Congressional Delegation

[edit] External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Don Edwards
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 16th congressional district

1995–Present
Succeeded by
Incumbent