Biography

Since January of 2007, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown – a champion of middle class families in the Senate – has held more than 200 community roundtables across Ohio’s 88 counties with local leaders and business owners, entrepreneurs and educators, and workers and families to find ways to rebuild our economy.

Recently described as “Congress’ leading proponent of American manufacturing,” Brown is working with the Obama Administration on the creation of a national manufacturing policy that would invest in manufacturing innovation, strengthen our component supply chain, connect workers with emerging industries, and align our trade policies to promote our national interests.

He is also working with Ohio’s universities, entrepreneurs, and community leaders to use Ohio’s resources to create new jobs in high-growth industries and make Ohio a national leader in clean energy manufacturing.

And as a long-time advocate for fair trade, Senator Brown has stood up to presidents of both parties on wrongheaded trade agreements that ship jobs overseas. He led the bipartisan opposition to NAFTA in 1993 – as a freshman in the U.S. House of Representatives – and to CAFTA in 2005.  Sen. Brown is working on trade policies that promote our workers and manufacturers while creating jobs and expanding markets for businesses through an aggressive export promotion strategy.

A fierce advocate for our nation’s middle class families, Sherrod Brown helped pass the historic health care law that will make health insurance more affordable and accessible for American families. This new law will also provide strong consumer protections that will prevent insurers from placing limits on the care patients receive and discriminating against consumers based on age or pre-existing health conditions.

Senator Brown is also working to ensure that Ohioans receive the education and training needed for 21st Century jobs. For the last four years, Senator Brown has also convened a one-of-its-kind Ohio College Presidents Conference in Washington to discuss ways to leverage federal resources to promote higher education and job training in Ohio.

Brown is just the sixth Ohio Senator in history to serve on the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee where he works to ensure that Ohio receives its fair share of federal resources and investments.  He also serves on the Senate Banking Committee, where he played an instrumental role in passing the historic Wall Street reform law, and is Chairman of its Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection Subcommittee. From his position on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Brown is a staunch supporter of providing comprehensive benefits and body armor to our nation’s service members, even as an early and outspoken opponent of the Iraq War. He is the only Ohio Senator to serve a full term on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee.

Brown is also the first Ohio Senator in 40 years to serve on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, where he has been instrumental in strengthening the farm safety net and addressing childhood hunger.

Prior to serving in the United States Senate, Brown served as a United States Congressman for the 13th District, Ohio’s Secretary of State, as a member of the Ohio General Assembly, and has taught in Ohio’s public schools and at The Ohio State University. An Eagle Scout, Brown is a native of Mansfield, Ohio, where he spent summers on his family’s farm.  He is married to Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Connie Schultz. They reside in Avon, Ohio, and have three daughters, a son, both a daughter and son-in-law, and a grandson.