Anna Eshoo

Anna Eshoo
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 14th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 5, 1993
Preceded by	Tom Campbell
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	December 13 1942 (1942--) (age 64) New Britain, Connecticut
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	George Eshoo (Divorced)
Religion	Roman Catholic

Anna Georges Eshoo (born December 13, 1942) is an American politician who has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the 14th District of California, the heart of Silicon Valley (see map).

Family

She was born in New Britain, Connecticut of Assyrian and Armenian heritage.^[1] She is a Chaldean Catholic and is the oldest of three children. She has a brother, Frederick Kenneth Georges, and a sister, Veronica May Georges. Her sister is married to Lawrence Patrick Purcell and they have two children, Celine and Alexander Purcell. She was married to attorney George Eshoo, is now divorced, with two children Karen and Paul. She resides in Menlo Park, California.

Education

• She received an Associate of Arts degree in 1975 from Cañada College.
• Honorary Doctorate, Menlo College

San Mateo County Board of Supervisors

• She was elected a member of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and served two full terms and two years of her third, which amounted to 10 years from 1983-1993. In 1988 (the middle of Eshoo's second term), she ran for Congress but narrowly lost to Tom Campbell. When Campbell ran for the senate in 1992, Eshoo won the seat.

United States House of Representatives

Council Member Diane Howard, Arts Commissioner Don Saye and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo

• In 1993 she was elected to the U.S. House.
• She was elected by her colleagues as an At-Large Democratic Whip in the 108th Congress in 2003-present.
• Member of House Intelligence Committee, where she is the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Technical and Tactical Intelligence (appointed in January 2003).
• Serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee
• Serves on the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet.
• Serves on the House Medical Technology Caucus and the 21st Century Health Care Caucus.
• Serves on the Subcommittee on Health.
• She co-chairs the Congressional E-911 Caucus, the House Medical Technology Caucus and
• Serves as Vice Chair of the 21st Century Health Care Caucus.

Political Experience

• President, San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, 1986
• Democratic National Committee, 1981-1992
• Chief of Staff, California Assembly Speaker pro tempore of the California Assembly Leo McCarthy, 1981-1982.
• Chair, San Mateo Democratic Party, 1978-1982.
• Arcata National Corporation, 1966-1970
• Aluminum Company of America, 1963-1966
• Fellow, Coro Leadership.

Civil Rights

• Anna Eshoo was a strong supporter of the Gay Rights movement. In 1992 when a mailer was directed at Supervisor Tom Nolan (who was also running for the congressional seat), Anna Eshoo stood fast in defending him, his record and years of service. Tom Nolan later moved out of the county having been elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors and serving as the first openly gay Supervisor in the county's history.
• Authored an amendment to H.R. 2601, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, to protect indigenous Assyrian Christians in Iraq from continuing religious persecution and political exclusion.

Notation

She is currently the only Assyrian American member of Congress and one of two Armenian American members of Congress.

Organizations

• Chair, San Mateo County General Hospital Board of Directors, 1984-1992
• Member, American Association of University Women
• Former Chair, Bay Area Air Quality Management District
• Former Member, Bay Conservation and Development Commission
• Democratic Activists for Women Now
• Junior League of Palo Alto
• League of Conservation Voters
• Member, League of Women Voters
• Co Founder, San Mateo Women's Hall of Fame.

Technology Legislation

Based in the Silicon Valley, Congresswoman Eshoo has taken leadership roles in introducing legislation for innovation in technology.

• In November 2005, Rep. Eshoo led the House Democratic Caucus in introducing The Innovation Agenda — A Commitment to Competitiveness to Keep America #1. Representative Eshoo developed this comprehensive policy in conjunction with House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and others after extensive consultation with Silicon Valley and tech leaders around the country, venture capitalists, and scholars.
• Rep. Eshoo authored a bill authorizing electronic signatures.
• Eshoo introduced controversial legislation to help alleviate the proliferation of unsolicited email, known as Spam. The U.S. House of Representatives passed The CAN-SPAM Act of 2003 (S. 877), which authorizes a “Do Not Spam” list, regulates commercial email, and imposes fines on spammers.
• Eshoo authored the Consumer Internet Privacy Enhancement Act of 2001 (H.R. 237),
• As founding member of the Internet Caucus, she created a program to provide discounts to schools and libraries for Internet access.
• She co-chairs the House Medical Technology Caucus.
• Authored The Computer Donation Incentive Act

Eshoo and Youth

• Congresswoman Eshoo, a leader in her interaction with the youth of the nation, created student advisory boards in 1996. The boards consist of youth from her congressional district, who advise her on policies and make recommendations, and are located in both San Mateo and Santa Cruz. The students attend bi-weekly meetings and choose one topic to focus on each year. Past topics have included medicine, foreign affairs, and the media.
• Eshoo hosts a congressional arts competition, which students can apply to win.

External links

• U.S. Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo official House site
• Anna Eshoo at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Federal Election Commission — Anna Eshoo campaign finance reports and data
• League of Women Voters of California — Anna G. Eshoo November 7, 2006, Election
• On the Issues — Anna Eshoo issue positions and quotes
• OpenSecrets.org — Anna Eshoo campaign contributions
• Project Vote Smart — Representative Anna G. Eshoo (CA) profile
• Washington Post — Congress Votes Database: Anna Eshoo voting record
• Anna Eshoo for U.S. Congress official campaign site

• Introduction of the Computer Donation Incentive Act Congresswoman Anna G. Eshoo, April 29, 1997
• Lawmakers push for electronic signature use GCN, February 23, 1998
• Eshoo Urges Support of Religious Diversity Assyrian American Association of S. California, July 20, 2005
• Legislating Values Philosophy Talk on San Francisco's KALW (91.7 FM), January 31, 2006, interview
• Anna Eshoo has come a long way in Congress Keith Kreitman, The Daily Journal, October 27, 2006

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