Official Biography
Congressman Bob Filner was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1992 after more than a decade of leadership in local government in San Diego, California. Upon arriving in Washington, Congressman Filner immediately requested an appointment to the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and began his fight for our nation’s veterans. In 2007, the Congressman was named Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and has continued as a determined champion for veterans, winning the praise of thousands of individual veterans and high accolades from national veterans’ organizations.
Chairman Filner has made it his priority to ensure that our veterans receive the honor and dedicated care that their courage and bravery demand. Owing to that solemn duty, the Chairman has directed the Committee to improve the health care and benefits for our veterans. He continues to fight to ensure that Congress keeps the promises that have been made to our veterans, not only the new generation of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan but also the generations from past conflicts.
As Chairman, Filner implemented a series of symposiums to raise the level of awareness on issues important to our nation’s veterans and their dependents. This unprecedented style of meeting allows interested stakeholders an opportunity to present new and unique ways of addressing veterans’ issues. Topics have included the claims backlog 
at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Traumatic Brain Injury (considered to be the signature injury of the war in Iraq), and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among the veteran population.
Chairman Filner has led the crusade to restore honor and benefits to the Filipino Veterans and Merchant Mariners of World War II. Also among the policies the Chairman advocates are addressing health problems affecting soldiers serving in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf, increasing educational benefits in the Montgomery G.I. bill and improving mental health care access for all veterans. He is also working to increase small business opportunities for veterans.
Education
Bob Filner earned a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from Cornell University (1963), a Master's Degree in History from the University of Delaware (1969) and a Doctorate in the History of Science from Cornell University (1973). He is one of only a handful of Members of Congress with a scientific degree and one of only 22 Members in the House of Representatives holding a Ph.D.
Activist Roots Run Deep
While in college, Filner became active in the struggle for civil rights. In 1961, he joined the first Freedom Rides and was arrested and imprisoned for several months in Mississippi. His case 
was one that went to the Supreme Court and served as a basis for the overturn of unjust segregation laws.
Experience
A history professor at San Diego State University for more than 20 years, Bob Filner was active in several San Diego community issues, including housing, job development, education, environmental protection and civil rights. In 1975, he was selected as a Congressional Fellow by the American Political Science Association and served as a Legislative Assistant to Senator Hubert Humphrey and Congressman Don Fraser.
Filner’s first elected office was as a San Diego School Board Member where he served from 1979-1983. His opposition to the closing of neighborhood schools led to his being drafted as a candidate for the San Diego School Board. Strong community support propelled him to a victory over a long-time incumbent. Filner’s "back to basics" approach made school administrators more accountable, slashed millions of dollars in bureaucratic waste, improved test scores, and made homework mandatory.
Although Bob was the only Democrat on the Board, his colleagues elected him Board President in 1982. During his tenure, he conducted a national search for a superintendent that resulted in the hiring of Tom Payzant, who went on to serve as U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education for Primary and Secondary Education.
Bob Filner served on the San Diego City Council from 1987-1992. He won re-election in 1991 with more than 70 percent of the vote, and that same year he was elected by the Council to serve as Deputy Mayor of the City of San Diego. Filner created the city's first Economic Conversion Committee and wrote the city's Economic Conversion Plan. He also found creative ways to fight neighborhood crime – including the introduction of Police Walking Patrols and a Citizen Graffiti Patrol.
Committed to a Better Future
Long years of service have taught Congressman Bob Filner that there are no easy solutions to the problems facing us. Nor does any one person or any one group have a monopoly on the truth. True progress comes when people work together behind a common agenda to make things better. That’s what Bob Filner believes and that’s what Bob Filner does.
Congressman Filner was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on September 4, 1942 and was raised in New York City. He is married to Jane Merrill and has two children – a daughter Erin who lives in New York and son Adam who lives in San Diego with his wife Kim and their children, Madeline and Joseph.