Full Biography
On November 12, 2014, with his grandson by his side, Donald Norcross was sworn into the 113th Congress to represent New Jersey’s First Congressional District, which includes 52 towns throughout Camden, Gloucester, and Burlington Counties.
Born and raised in South Jersey, Donald is committed to improving the lives of working families by focusing on the issues that matter most to them: strengthening our economy, creating good-paying jobs, ensuring affordable access to a high-quality education, and honoring our seniors and veterans, and providing them with the best national health care services we can offer.
An electrician by trade, Donald worked for years installing power lines in refineries and on the tops of bridges. He rose through the ranks and eventually became assistant business manager for Local 351 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and President of the Southern New Jersey AFL-CIO, where he advocated on behalf of thousands of hardworking men and women for nearly 20 years.
Donald has long been active in local community service organizations, serving as chairman of the Camden County United Way, and a member of the Home Port Alliance, which was instrumental in bringing the Battleship New Jersey to Camden’s Waterfront. Donald also managed a non-profit organization that connected local families with community resources, built wheelchair ramps for seniors and disabled veterans, and offered job training for local residents.
As a graduate of both Camden County College and a skilled apprenticeship program, Donald fully understands the value of a quality, affordable education that connects young minds with rewarding careers. He played a key role in historic higher education reforms that established New Jersey as a research and medical education hub. He worked with Rowan and Rutgers Universities to form partnerships with our local county colleges to make earning a degree more affordable for local students. He also created pipelines for local employers to hire talent from vocational and technical schools, and has championed programs to expand and diversify the workforce through the recruitment and hiring of women and minorities.
Donald previously served in both the New Jersey General Assembly and State Senate where he developed a reputation as an effective, bipartisan reformer. Among his accomplishments, he led the charge to increase New Jersey’s minimum wage and championed a groundbreaking effort to improve our economy and bring new, family-sustaining jobs to the region. These efforts have led to the announcement and opening of new manufacturing, service, and retail businesses along Delaware River ports and throughout South Jersey.
In addition, he successfully fought to improve public safety and keep violent offenders out of our communities by overhauling New Jersey’s antiquated bail system. And thanks to his efforts on behalf of veterans, New Jersey's colleges and universities now offer in-state tuition rates to all service members, and local governments are encouraged to partner with veteran-owned businesses and those that employ our nation’s finest.
Donald was selected to serve as Assistant Whip in the 114th Congress, and is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee, House Budget Committee, and was appointed by the members of his Caucus to the Steering & Policy Committee, and the Communications Committee.
Donald and his wife Andrea live in Camden City and are the proud parents of three grown children and grandparents of two.
Download the official photo of Congressman Norcross.