Emanuel Cleaver

Democrat Representative of Missouri's 5th district

  • Representative

    Missouri, district 5

    January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025

10

Congresses Served

10

House Terms

January 1, 1944 (81 years old)

Birthday

  • Has been a United Methodist pastor
  • Served as a U.S. Representative since 2005
  • Chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2011 to 2013
  • Served on the Kansas City Council from 1979 to 1991
  • Was the mayor of Kansas City for two terms from 1991 to 1999, and was the city’s first African American mayor
  • Graduated from Prairie View A&M University and received a Master of Divinity from St. Paul School of Theology
  • Founded a branch of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Kansas City, Missouri
  • Described the 2011 Budget Control Act deal as a “sugar-coated Satan sandwich”
  • Has been recognized for bringing federal tax dollars back to Kansas City
  • Voted for both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in 2019
  • His office was attacked with what appeared to be a Molotov cocktail in 2014
  • Endorsed Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries
  • Voted to provide Israel with support following a 2023 Hamas attack
  • Has a history of electoral success in both city and congressional elections
  • Married with four children and resides in Kansas City
  • A road in Kansas City was renamed Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard in 2000
  • Was involved in a legal issue with Bank of America over a defaulted loan for a car wash, which was settled in 2013
  • Officiated the wedding of fellow Democratic Congressman Steny Hoyer in June 2023