Jim Clyburn Biography

Jim Clyburn (Full name; James Enos Clyburn) is an American politician of the Democratic Party serving as House Majority Whip since 2019. Jim Clyburn is also a two-time Majority Whip, having previously served in the post from 2007 to 2011 and served as House Assistant Minority Leader from 2011 to 2019.

Jim Clyburn, in his 14th term as a congressman, served as U.S. Representative for South Carolina’s 6th congressional district since 1993. His congressional district includes most of the majority-black precincts in and around Columbia and Charleston, as well as nearly all of the mostly rural Black Belt within South Carolina.

Clyburn is the current dean of the South Carolina congressional delegation. Clyburn has been the third-ranking Democrat in the House behind Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer since 2007, serving as Majority Whip behind House Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer during periods of Democratic House control, and as Assistant Minority Leader behind Minority Leader Pelosi and Minority Whip Hoyer during periods of Republican House control.

After the Democrats took control of the House following the 2018 midterm elections, Clyburn was re-elected Majority Whip in January 2019 on the opening of the 116th Congress. Clyburn remains the number three House Democrat behind Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Hoyer (marking the second time the trio has served in these roles together).

Jim Clyburn Age

Jim Clyburn is a 79-year-old politician born on 21 July 1940 in Sumter, South Carolina, United States. George W. Murray is a distant relative of Jim Clyburn, George W. Murray, an organizer for the Colored Farmers Alliance (CFA), was elected as a Republican South Carolina Congressman in the 53rd and 54th U.S. Congresses in the late nineteenth century.

Jim Clyburn Family

Jim Clyburn was born in Sumter, South Carolina, to a fundamentalist minister Enos Lloyd Clyburn (father) and beautician Almeta Dizzley Clyburn (mother). He is a distant relative of his was George W. Murray, an organizer for the Colored Farmers Alliance (CFA), who was elected as a Republican South Carolina Congressman in the 53rd and 54th U.S. Congresses in the late nineteenth century.

Jim Clyburn Education

Jim Clyburn graduated from Mather Academy (later named Boylan-Haven-Mather Academy) in Camden, South Carolina, then attended South Carolina State College (now South Carolina State University), a historically black college in Orangeburg.

He was then initiated into the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history. For his first full-time position after college, Clyburn taught at C.A. Brown High School in Charleston.

Jim Clyburn Wife

Jim Clyburn is married to Emily Clyburn in 1961. Clyburn’s eldest daughter, Mignon Clyburn, was appointed to the Federal Communications Commission by President Obama. He also has two other children Angela Hannibal and Jennifer Clyburn Reed.

Jim Clyburn Early political career

Jim Clyburn became involved in politics during the 1969 Charleston hospital strike. After assisting the settlement of the protests at the Medical University of South Carolina, Clyburn became involved in St. Julian Devine’s campaign for a seat on the Charleston city council in 1969.

Clyburn came up with the campaign’s slogan “Devine for Ward Nine.” When Devine won the race, he became the first African American to hold a seat on the city council since Reconstruction. Clyburn later credited that campaign as the reason he got into electoral politics.

After an unsuccessful run for the South Carolina General Assembly, he moved to Columbia to join the staff of Governor John C. West in 1971. West called Clyburn and offered him a job as his advisor after reading Clyburn’s response to his loss in the newspaper.

After West appointed Clyburn as his advisor, Clyburn became the first minority advisor to a governor in the history of South Carolina. In the aftermath of the Orangeburg massacre of 1968, when protesting students at South Carolina State were killed by police, West appointed Clyburn as the state’s human affairs commissioner. He served in this position until 1992, when he stepped down to run for Congress.

Jim Clyburn Net Worth

Jim Clyburn is an American politician who has an estimated net worth of $ 30 million dollars as of 2019. Jim Clyburn and other black politicians had strongly opposed the 1895 state constitution, which essentially disenfranchised most African-American citizens, a situation that the state maintained for more than half a century until passage of federal civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s.

Jim Clyburn Politician

Jim Clyburn and other black politicians had strongly opposed the 1895 state constitution, which essentially disenfranchised most African-American citizens, a situation that the state maintained for more than half a century until passage of federal civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s.

He was first involved in politics during the 1969 Charleston hospital strike. After assisting the settlement of the protests at the Medical University of South Carolina, Clyburn became involved in St. Julian Devine’s campaign for a seat on the Charleston city council in 1969.

He came up with the campaign’s slogan “Devine for Ward Nine.” When Devine won the race, he became the first African American to hold a seat on the city council since Reconstruction. Clyburn later credited that campaign as the reason he got into electoral politics.

After an unsuccessful run for the South Carolina General Assembly, he moved to Columbia to join the staff of Governor John C. West in 1971. West called Clyburn and offered him a job as his advisor after reading Clyburn’s response to his loss in the newspaper.

After West appointed Clyburn as his advisor, Clyburn became the first minority advisor to a governor in the history of South Carolina.

In the aftermath of the Orangeburg massacre of 1968, when protesting students at South Carolina State were killed by police, West appointed Clyburn as the state’s human affairs commissioner. He served in this position until 1992, when he stepped down to run for Congress.

Jim Clyburn Comments

He was officially neutral during the primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, however former President Bill Clinton blamed Clyburn for Hillary’s 29-point defeat in the South Carolina primary and the two of them had a heated telephone conversation.

He voted for Obama, saying “How could I ever look in the faces of our children and grandchildren had I not voted for Barack Obama?” Clyburn negatively viewed Bill Clinton’s remarks regarding Barack Obama winning the South Carolina primary.

He had compared Obama’s victory to Rev. Jesse Jackson’s win in the 1988 primary election. “Black people are incensed all over this,” said Clyburn. Clinton responded that the campaign “played the race card on me,” denying any racial tone in the comment. Speaking with the New York Times, Clyburn said such actions could lead to a longtime division between the former president and his once most reliable constituency.

“When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar,” Clyburn said. “I think black folks feel strongly that this is a strange way for President Clinton to show his appreciation.”

Jim Clyburn Presidential endorsements

During the 2004 Democratic presidential primaries, Clyburn supported Dick Gephardt until he dropped out of the race and afterward supported John Kerry. He was one of the 31 who voted in the House not to count the electoral votes from Ohio in the 2004 presidential election.

Clyburn, a superdelegate, remained uncommitted throughout most of the 2008 presidential primary elections. He eventually endorsed Obama on June 3 immediately before the South Dakota primary (the result of the said primary would have otherwise secured his party’s nomination).

On February 19, 2016, Clyburn endorsed Democratic candidate and later nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential campaign. For almost thirty years, Clyburn has hosted an annual fish fry “that every four years becomes a must-attend event for presidential hopefuls.”

Jim Clyburn Committee assignments

• Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

Caucus memberships

• Congressional Black Caucus
• House Democratic Caucus
• United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus
• Congressional Arts Caucus
• Congressional Cement Caucus

Jim Clyburn Political positions

Louis Farrakhan

Jim Clyburn is a supporter of Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan who has been criticized for an array of comments and statements perceived as antisemitic. After appearing at an event with Farrakhan in 2011, Clyburn told the press that the was “not bothered in the least bit” by criticism of his association with Farrakhan.

Israel

In January 2017, Clyburn voted against a House resolution condemning the UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which called Israeli settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories in the West Bank a “flagrant violation” of international law and a major obstacle to peace.

Jim Clyburn Congressman Office

Below you can find information for my Columbia District office. You are welcome to phone or send a message to me through the U.S. Postal Service. Please note that postal mail is the slowest method for contacting me.

All postal mail sent to my offices must be scanned for security purposes, which means it will take an additional two weeks for me to receive it. If you prefer, you may contact me by e-mail.

I value all feedback from residents of the 6th Congressional District of South Carolina. I am here to serve you, and so is my staff. Below please find the best means by which you may contact me or my offices.

Washington, DC

200 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202)225-3315

Fax: (202)225-2313

Columbia, SC

1225 Lady Street, Suite 200

Columbia, SC 29201

Phone: (803)799-1100

Fax: (803)799-9060

Kingstree, S.C.

130 W. Main Street

Kingstree, S.C. 29556

Phone: (843)355-1211

Fax: (843)355-1232

Santee, SC

176 Brooks Blvd.

Santee, SC 29142

Phone: (803)854-4700

Fax: (803)854-4900

Address

1225 Lady Street, Suite 200
Columbia, SC 29201
Phone: (803)799-1100
Fax: (803)799-9060

Jim Clyburn Party leadership

Jim Clyburn was elected as vice-chairman of the House Democratic Caucus in 2003, the third-ranking post in the caucus. He became the chairman of the Democratic Caucus in the House in early 2006 after the caucus chairman Bob Menendez was appointed to the Senate.

After the Democrats won control of the House of Representatives in the 2006 election, Clyburn was unanimously elected as Majority Whip in the 110th Congress. Clyburn would have faced a challenge from Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel, but Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi persuaded Emanuel to run for Democratic Caucus Chairman.

Jim Clyburn was interviewed by National Public Radio’s Morning Edition on January 12, 2007, and acknowledged the difficulty of counting votes and rallying the fractious Democratic caucus, while his party held the majority in the House.

After the 2010 elections, the Democrats lost their majority in the House. The departing Speaker Nancy Pelosi ran for the Minority Leader position in order to remain the House party leader, while Clyburn announced that he would challenge Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House and the outgoing Majority Leader, for the Minority Whip post.

Jim Clyburn had the support of the Congressional Black Caucus, which wanted to keep an African-American in the House leadership, while Hoyer had 35 public endorsements, including three standing committee chairs. On November 13, Pelosi announced a deal whereby Hoyer would stand as Minority Whip, while a “number three” leadership position styled Assistant Leader would be created for Clyburn.

The exact responsibilities of Clyburn’s assistant leader office remain unclear, though it is said to replace the Assistant to the Leader post previously held by Chris Van Hollen. He had attended all leadership meetings but was not in the leadership hierarchy. On November 28, 2018, Clyburn was elected to serve his second stint as House Majority Whip.

Jim Clyburn U.S. House of Representatives

Ideology

Jim Clyburn is regarded as liberal in his political stances, actions, and votes. A 2007 ranking by the National Journal ranked him as the 77th most liberal of all 435 US congressional representatives at the time, and with a score of 81, indicating that the conductors of this study found his voting record to be more liberal than 81 percent of other members of the US House of Representatives based on their recent voting records.

Jim Clyburn has an established liberal stance on health care, education, organized labor, and environmental conservation issues, based on his legislative actions as well as evaluations and ratings by pertinent interest groups.

Healthcare

In 2009, Clyburn introduced the Access for All Americans Act. The $26 billion sought by this Act would provide funding to quadruple the number of community health centers in the US that provide medical care to uninsured and low-income citizens.

The American Public Health Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, The Children’s Health Fund, and other health care interest groups rate Clyburn highly based on his voting record on pertinent issues. Other groups in this field, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, gave Clyburn a rating of zero in 2014.

Despite his opposition to partial-birth abortion, Clyburn is regarded to be pro-choice on the issue of abortion, as shown by his high ratings from Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice America, and low rating from the National Right to Life Committee.

Education

Clyburn has continuously sought new and additional funding for education. He has gained additional funding for special education and lowers interest rates on federal student loans. In many sessions has Clyburn sought, sponsored and/or voted for improvements in Pell Grant funding for college loans.

The National Education Association and the National Association of Elementary School Principals rate Clyburn very high, as do other education interest groups.

Ports

Although he was criticized for a previous expenditure of 160 million dollars to expand South Carolina’s ports, he stated he would continue to make funding available for further expansions. The plan is to deepen the ports to allow for larger commercial ships to arrive from the Panama Canal which is currently being expanded to allow for larger ships to pass through.

This is due primarily because of larger commercial ships coming from China, and also China’s extremely high demand for soybeans, which are produced in South Carolina but must be sent to larger ports for exporting. This measure will benefit South Carolina business and farmers and is thus heavily backed by these groups.

Labor

Clyburn has consistently voted for increases in minimum wage income and to restrict employer interference with labor union organization. Many national labor unions, including the AFL-CIO, the United Auto Workers, the Communication Workers Association, and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, give Clyburn outstanding ratings based on his voting record on issues that pertain to labor and employment.

Environment

Clyburn has opposed legislation to increase offshore drilling for oil or natural gas. Instead, he has promoted the use of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuels, cheaper than wind and solar energy. Members of the nuclear power industry have expressed that there is mutual respect between Clyburn and themselves.

Clyburn pushed for a 2010 contract to convert plutonium from old weapons into nuclear fuel. Clyburn has been viewed favorably by organizations such as the League of Conservation Voters and Defenders of Wildlife. However, he did anger environmentalists when he proposed building a $150 million bridge across a swampy area of Lake Marion in Calhoun county.

War in Iraq

On July 31, 2007, Clyburn said in a broadcast interview that it would be a “real big problem” for the Democratic Party if General David Petraeus issued a positive report in September, as it would split the Democratic caucus on whether to continue to fund the Iraq War.

While this soundbite caused some controversy, the full quote was, in reference to 47 member Blue Dog caucus, “I think there would be enough support in that group to want to stay the course and if the Republicans were to stay united as they have been, then it would be a problem for us.”

Bill Clinton comments

Clyburn was officially neutral during the primary battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, however former President Bill Clinton blamed Clyburn for Hillary’s 29-point defeat in the South Carolina primary and the two of them had a heated telephone conversation.

Clyburn himself had voted for Obama, saying “How could I ever look in the faces of our children and grandchildren had I not voted for Barack Obama?” Clyburn negatively viewed Bill Clinton’s remarks regarding Barack Obama winning the South Carolina primary.

Clinton had compared Obama’s victory to Rev. Jesse Jackson’s win in the 1988 primary election. “Black people are incensed all over this,” said Clyburn. Clinton responded that the campaign “played the race card on me,” denying any racial tone in the comment.

Speaking with the New York Times, Clyburn said such actions could lead to a longtime division between the former president and his once most reliable constituency. “When he was going through his impeachment problems, it was the black community that bellied up to the bar,” Clyburn said. “I think black folks feel strongly that this is a strange way for President Clinton to show his appreciation.”

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