Eleanor Holmes Norton

• U.S. Representative

  1991–Present

  Represented District of Columbia (at-large district) for 18 terms.

• Professor, Georgetown University Law Center

  1982–1990

  Joined the Georgetown University Law Center faculty as a professor of law in 1982.

• Chair, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

  1977–1981

  Served as the first woman to chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

• Chair, New York City Human Rights Commission

  1970–1977

  Appointed by Mayor John Lindsay to lead the New York City Human Rights Commission and held early hearings on discrimination against women.

• Law Clerk to Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr., U.S. District Court

  1964–1965

  Clerked for federal district court judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. after graduating from Yale Law School.

• Organizer, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

  1960–1964

  Worked as a civil rights organizer with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee while in college and law school.

Key legislative actions from Eleanor Holmes Norton's record in Congress.

• Home Rule Act

  Helped secure passage of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, granting D.C. residents the right to elect their own local government.

• D.C. Tuition Assistance Grants

  Authored legislation creating the D.C. Tuition Assistance Grant Program, providing college tuition support for D.C. students.

• Voting Rights Advocacy

  Led efforts in Congress to advance full voting rights and representation for District of Columbia residents.

• Federal Workforce Protections

  Secured expanded workplace rights and protections for federal employees, including paid family leave and anti-discrimination measures.

• House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
• House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform