Albert Wynn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Albert Wynn
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 4th district
In office January 3, 1993 – May 31, 2008
Preceded by	District established
Succeeded by	Donna Edwards
Member of the Maryland Senate from the 25th district
In office January 14, 1987 – January 13, 1993
Preceded by	B. W. Mike Donovan
Succeeded by	Beatrice P. Tignor
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from the 25th district
In office January 12, 1983 – January 14, 1987
Director of Prince George's County Consumer Protection Commission
In office 1977–1983
Personal details
Born	Albert Russell Wynn (1951-09-10) September 10, 1951 (age 73) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouses	Jessie Wynn (divorced) Gaines Clore Wynn (deceased)
Residence	Mitchellville, Maryland
Alma mater	University of Pittsburgh (BA) Georgetown University (JD)
Occupation	Attorney, lobbyist

Albert Russell Wynn (born September 10, 1951) is an American lobbyist and former politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented the 4th district of Maryland. His time in office was from 1993 to 2008.

On February 13, 2008, Wynn lost in the Democratic primary election. He was defeated by Donna Edwards. He then resigned from his position on May 31, 2008.

Early Life and Education

Albert Wynn was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He went to college at the University of Pittsburgh. He also studied at Howard University and Georgetown University Law Center. While at the University of Pittsburgh, he joined the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.

After finishing his education, Wynn became the director of the Prince George's County Consumer Protection Commission. In 1982, he started his own law firm. He then worked in the Maryland General Assembly for ten years. He was in the state house from 1983 to 1987. Later, he served in the state senate from 1987 to 1993.

Political Career

Albert Wynn decided to run for Congress in 1992. He entered the Democratic primary for Maryland's 4th District. This district had been redrawn to have a majority of Black voters. The person who held the seat before, Tom McMillen, was no longer in the district.

Wynn won the primary election by a small number of votes. He beat six other candidates. This win almost guaranteed him the election in the general election. The 4th District was very strongly Democratic. He won the general election in November with 75 percent of the votes. He was reelected seven times after that. He always won with at least 75 percent of the votes.

Work in Congress

Wynn was a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He led the Subcommittee on the Environment and Hazardous Materials. He focused a lot on economic issues. He also supported an energy bill that was promoted by Vice President Dick Cheney.

Congressman Wynn pledges his support for Prince George's Hospital Center.

During the 105th Congress, Wynn helped pass a law. This law aimed to create more opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses to get federal contracts. He received the Small Business Administration Administrator's Leadership Award twice. This was for his work helping small businesses.

In 2002, during the 107th Congress, Wynn voted for the resolution that allowed the Iraq War. He was one of only four members of the Congressional Black Caucus to vote yes. He also worked with the Congressional Black Caucus' Political Action Committee. He was part of its Minority Business Task Force.

Wynn has stated that he supports allowing illegal aliens to become part of society. However, he also believes there should be strong border security. He spoke at an Immigration Rally in Washington, D.C., in April 2006. He spoke against bills that aimed to deport all illegal immigrants. He said that people who are in the country deserve respect and fair treatment.

2006 Congressional Election

In 2006, Albert Wynn faced a challenge in the Democratic primary. A community activist named Donna Edwards ran against him. Edwards had worked for Wynn when he was in the state legislature in the 1980s. She criticized Wynn for some of his votes. These included his votes to support the Iraq war and a bankruptcy law. She argued that he was too conservative.

Many people thought Wynn would easily win. However, Edwards showed surprising strength. Two weeks before the primary, The Washington Post newspaper supported Edwards.

The primary election was held on September 12. Wynn won against Edwards by a small margin. He received 49.7 percent of the votes, while Edwards got 46.4 percent. The final count of the votes took almost two weeks. This was because of problems with new electronic voting machines.

2008 Congressional Election

Donna Edwards decided to run against Wynn again in 2008. This time, Edwards gained support from important groups like MoveOn.org. She also had the backing of many progressive community groups.

In the primary election, Edwards won by a large margin. She received 60 percent of the votes, while Wynn got 36 percent.

Resignation from Congress

On March 27, 2008, Wynn announced that he would resign from Congress. His resignation became effective in June of that year.

Donna Edwards was then elected in a special election. She finished the rest of Wynn's term. She won the general election in November 2008.

After Congress

After leaving Congress, Albert Wynn became a partner at Dickstein Shapiro. This is a large lobbying firm. Lobbyists work to influence government decisions. Their clients include various industries like tobacco, entertainment, and energy.

House rules say that former members cannot lobby current members of Congress for one year after they leave. Because Wynn resigned early in June 2008, he was able to start lobbying Congress in June 2009. If he had served his full term until January 2009, he would have had to wait until January 2010.

Election History

See also

In Spanish: Albert Wynn para niños

• List of African-American United States representatives