Who is Cedric Richmond - Director of the Office of Public Engagement: Biography, Career, Time Life and Family
Cedric Richmond. Photo: President-Elect Joe Biden |
Who is Cedric Richmond?
He was born in 1973 and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. Cedric Richmond was elected to the state legislature at age 26. He moved on to a U.S. congressional seat in 2011, eventually joining the House Judiciary and Ways and Means committees and becoming chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. After co-chairing Joe Biden's successful 2020 presidential campaign, Richmond was appointed senior adviser to the president-elect and director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.
Early Life and Education
Cedric Levon Richmond was born on September 13, 1973, in eastern New Orleans, Louisiana. Enduring the death of his father when he was just 7 years old, Richmond credits his mother, Maple, and the recreational coaches at a local playground with providing firm guidance.
Richmond became a multi-sport star at Benjamin Franklin High School and continued playing baseball at Morehouse College, earning his B.A. in 1995. He went on to attend Tulane University School of Law and complete the Harvard University Executive Education Program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Cedric Richmond's Professional career
Photo: The New York Times. |
Louisiana State Legislature
Richmond embarked on a lengthy political career with his election to the Louisiana State Legislature from District 101 in 1999. A Democrat, he rose to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee and co-chairman of the Legislative Audit Advisory Council, his accomplishments including the creation of the State New Markets Tax Credit program that brought more than $250 million to areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
It is indicated by the biography.com that Richmond's popularity helped him survive some bumpy patches during this period: He misrepresented his primary residence while seeking election to the New Orleans City Council in 2005, leading to his disqualification from the race and brief suspension of his license to practice law, and was involved in a fight at a pool hall in 2007.
U.S. Congressman
Following an unsuccessful attempt at a U.S. congressional seat in 2008, Richmond earned the endorsement of President Barack Obama en route to easily defeating incumbent Republican Ánh "Joseph" Cao for Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District in November 2010.
Committees and Legislation
A member of the New Democrat Coalition since his early days in the U.S. House of Representatives, Richmond also joined the House Committee on Homeland Security, the Judiciary Committee and the Ways and Means Committee.
Richmond sponsored 90 bills during his decade-long tenure in the chamber, including the Community Lending and Small Business Jobs Act of 2013, the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act in 2018 and the Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2019. He also emerged as a prominent congressional voice for crucial discussions about COVID-19 relief and police reform in 2020.
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Cedric Richmond, Close Biden Adviser, Tests Positive For The Coronavirus
Richmond tested positive for the Covid-19. Photo: Kienthuc |
Unluckily, Cedric Richmond has tested positive for the coronavirus, the transition team said on Thursday. Richmond, who Biden picked as his director of the Office of Public Engagement, was not in close contact with Biden, his spokeswoman Kate Bedingfield said in a statement. He will quarantine for 14 days and be tested twice before returning to in-person work, she said. |
NPR reveals that Richmond had been at a rally for the Senate runoffs in Georgia on Tuesday, but was not in close contact with the candidates, Bedingfield said. "Richmond's interactions with the president-elect happened in the open air were masked and totalled less than 15 consecutive minutes, the CDC's timeframe for close contact. Richmond travelled to Georgia on his own and not with the president-elect," she said.
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