Sander M. Levin

Infobox_Congressman
name = Sander Levin


date of birth = birth date and age|1931|09|06
place of birth = Detroit, Michigan
state = Michigan
district = 12th
term_start = January 3, 1983
preceded = David Bonior
succeeded = Incumbent
party = Democrat
religion = Jewish
spouse = Vicki Levin (deceased)
occupation= attorney
residence= Royal Oak, Michigan
alma_mater= University of Chicago, Columbia University, Harvard University

Sander Martin Levin, sometimes known as Sandy Levin, (born September 6, 1931) is a Democratic U.S. Representative from the 12th Congressional District ( [http://nationalatlas.gov/printable/images/preview/congdist/mi12_109.gifmap] ) in Michigan, having served since 1983. The district, numbered as the 17th District until 1993, includes most of Detroit's northeastern suburbs, such as Mount Clemens, Southfield, Warren, Eastpointe and St. Clair Shores. He is the older brother of Senator Carl Levin.

Levin was born in Detroit. He graduated from Central High School in Detroit, received a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1952, an Master's degree in international relations from Columbia University in 1954, and an LL.B. from Harvard Law School in 1957.

After developing a private law practice, Levin served in the Michigan Senate from 1965–1970, and was Senate Minority Leader 1969–1970. He made unsuccessful campaigns for Governor of Michigan in 1970 and 1974, and was a Fellow of the Kennedy School of Politics at Harvard University in 1975. He was assistant administrator of the Agency for International Development, 1977–1981.

In 1982, 18th District Congressman Jim Blanchard didn't run for a fifth term, instead making a successful run for governor. Levin won the Democratic primary in the district, which was renumbered the 17th as a result of redistricting (it was renumbered the 12th in 1993, as mentioned above). He was handily elected in November and has been reelected 11 times. He has only faced serious Republican opposition three times. In 1992 and 1994, Levin barely managed to defeat businessman and Vietnam War veteran John Pappageorge after his district absorbed a Republican-leaning spur of Oakland County in redistricting. In 2000, businessman Bart Baron gained the endorsement of the United Auto Workers.

Levin was reelected for the twelfth time in 2006 with 70% of the vote. Levin serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and is the Chairman of the Trade subcommittee. He also serves on the Human Resources subcommittee.

His wife Vicki died on September 3, 2008. They have four children and seven grandchildren together.

Levin comes from a family that has long been prominent in Michigan politics. His uncle, Theodore, was a federal judge. His first cousin, Charles was a Michigan Supreme Court justice, after serving as a Michigan Court of Appeals judge. His first cousin, Joseph Levin, was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives. His son, Andy Levin, was the 2006 Democratic candidate for the Michigan Senate in the 13th Senate District, losing in a tight race to John Pappageorge. [http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061108/NEWS06/611080433/1008/NEWS06] . Additionally, Levin's younger brother Carl Levin is a senator from Michigan.

Committee Assignments

*Ways and Means Committee
**Subcommittee on Trade (Chairman)
**Subcommittee on Social Security

External links

* [http://www.house.gov/levin/ U.S. Congressman Sandy Levin] official U.S. House site
* [http://www.levinforcongress.com/ Sander Levin for Congress] official campaign site
*CongBio|l000263
* [http://herndon1.sdrdc.com/cgi-bin/can_detail/H2MI17023 Federal Election Commission — Mr Sander M Levin] campaign finance reports and data
* [http://www.ontheissues.org/MI/Sander_Levin.htm On the Issues — Sander Levin] issue positions and quotes
* [http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.asp?CID=N00003950 OpenSecrets.org — Sander Levin] campaign contributions
* [http://www.vote-smart.org/bio.php?can_id=H2001103 Project Vote Smart — Representative Sander M. Levin (MI)] profile
* [http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Sandy_Levin SourceWatch Congresspedia — Sandy Levin] profile
* [http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/l000263/ Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Sander Levin] voting record
* [http://www.michigandems.com/ Michigan Democratic Party]
* [http://www.michiganliberal.com/tag.do?tag=CD12 Michigan Liberal's 12th Congressional District section]