Sander “Sandy” Levin was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He was elected to the Congress in 1982. He currently represents the 12th Congressional District which spans suburban communities, just north of Detroit, in Oakland and Macomb Counties.
Sandy is the third ranking Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee. He recently became the Chair of the Trade subcommittee and continues to serve on the Social Security subcommittee. He has also been a member of the Human Resources subcommittee (during the debate over welfare reform) and the Health Subcommittee (during the debate over health care reform) and remains active on all of these issues.
Public Service
Sandy’s career in public service began when he was elected to the State Senate in 1964, serving as Senate Minority Leader from 1969 to 1970. As a State Senator, he reformed the state’s laws to give state employees the right to collectively bargain for the first time (known as the Public Employee Relations Act), reformed the state’s workers compensation, unemployment compensation and minimum wage laws. He was also instrumental in reforming the State’s Special Education system. After competing for the Governorship with Republican Bill Milliken in 1970 and 1974, Sandy joined the Carter Administration as as an Assistant Administrator in the Agency for International Development (AID). At AID, he saw firsthand the importance of international family planning programs and has been an eloquent and active defender of those programs in the Congress.
Family
Sandy and Vicki have been married for 50 years. They have four children and eight grandchildren. Sandy’s brother, Carl, serves in the United States Senate. Historically, there have only been a handful of these “Siblings Teams” serving together in Congress.
Education
Levin graduated from Central High School in Detroit, MI. He earned his B.A. at the University of Chicago, his M.A. in international relations from Columbia University and a law degree from Harvard University.
