Cory Anthony Booker

Democrat junior Senator of New Jersey

  • Senator

    New Jersey

    January 3, 2021 - January 3, 2027

6

Congresses Served

3

Senate Terms

January 1, 1969 (55 years old)

Birthday

  • Served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013
  • First African-American U.S. senator from New Jersey
  • Served as the 38th mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 2006 to 2013
  • Served on the Municipal Council of Newark for the Central Ward from 1998 to 2002
  • Born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Harrington Park, New Jersey
  • Attended Stanford University, receiving a BA in 1991 and a master’s degree a year later
  • Attended Queen’s College, Oxford, on a Rhodes Scholarship before attending Yale Law School
  • Advocated for women’s rights, affirmative action, same-sex marriage, and single-payer healthcare
  • Pushed for economic reforms to address wealth inequality and the racial wealth gap
  • Pursued measures to reform the criminal justice system, combat climate change, and restructure national immigration policy
  • Supported tougher sanctions against Iran, withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and increased diplomacy in the Middle East
  • First senator to testify against another senator during attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions’s 2017 confirmation hearing
  • Candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, suspending his campaign on January 13, 2020
  • Has Sierra Leonean ancestry
  • Played varsity football in high school and was named to the 1986 USA Today All-USA high school football team
  • Involved in various community and legal aid efforts during and after his education
  • Led initiatives to reduce crime and develop affordable housing as mayor of Newark
  • Received national attention for personal acts of heroism and community service
  • Advocates for a vegan diet and has been a vegetarian since 1992, later becoming vegan