Topic: Henry Waxman

Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939) is the U.S. Representative for California's 30th congressional district, serving in Congress since 1975. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress. His district includes much of the western part of the city of Los Angeles, as well as West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, and used to be the 29th District before the post-2000 census redistricting. Before his election to Congress, he served six years in the California State Assembly.

With the Democrats' victory in the 2006 midterm elections, Waxman became chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the principal investigative committee of the House. He was the committee's ranking Democrat from 1997 to 2007. In 2009, he began serving as the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee after defeating Chairman John Dingell in a 137-122 secret vote of House Democrats on November 20, 2008. In January 2011, Republicans became the majority party in the House, ending Democratic chairmanships.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Waxman attended college at UCLA, earning a bachelor's degree in political science in 1961 and a degree from UCLA's law school in 1964. After graduating, he worked as a lawyer. He was elected to the California Assembly in 1969 and served three terms. Along with Congressman Howard Berman, Waxman co-founded the Los Angeles County Young Democrats.