REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY)
Hakeem Sekou Jeffries (/ˌhɑːˈkiːm/; born August 4, 1970) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the U.S. Representative for New York’s 8th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, his district covers parts of the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens. A corporate lawyer by occupation, he worked for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, then Viacom and CBS, before running for and serving in the New York State Assembly from 2007 to 2012, representing the 57th Assembly district.Jeffries has also chaired the House Democratic Caucus since 2019.
Jeffries was born in Brooklyn, New York at Brooklyn Hospital to Laneda Jeffries, a social worker, and Marland Jeffries, a state substance-abuse counselor. Jeffries grew up in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.
In 1988, Jeffries graduated from Midwood High School. In 1992, Jeffries received a B.A. degree, with honors, in political science from Binghamton University. During his time at Binghamton he became a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. In 1994, he received a MPP degree from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. In 1997, Jeffries received a J.D. degree from New York University School of Law.
