Cory Anthony Booker
Democrat junior Senator of New Jersey
Senator
New Jersey
October 31, 2013 - January 3, 2015
Senator
New Jersey
January 6, 2015 - January 3, 2021
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