Katherine Clark facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Katherine Clark
Official portrait, 2023
House Minority Whip
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2023
Leader	Hakeem Jeffries
Preceded by	Steve Scalise
Assistant Speaker of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023
Leader	Nancy Pelosi
Preceded by	Ben Ray Luján
Succeeded by	Jim Clyburn (Assistant Democratic Leader)
Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus
In office January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021
Leader	Nancy Pelosi
Preceded by	Linda Sánchez
Succeeded by	Pete Aguilar
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 5th district
Incumbent
Assumed office December 12, 2013
Preceded by	Ed Markey
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
In office January 5, 2011 – December 10, 2013
Preceded by	Richard Tisei
Succeeded by	Jason Lewis
Constituency	Middlesex and Essex district (2011–2013) 5th Middlesex district (2013)
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 32nd Middlesex district
In office March 13, 2008 – January 5, 2011
Preceded by	Mike Festa
Succeeded by	Paul Brodeur
Member of the Melrose School Board
In office 2001–2007
Personal details
Born	Katherine Marlea Clark (1963-07-17) July 17, 1963 (age 61) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Rodney Dowell ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	3
Education	St. Lawrence University (BA) Cornell University (JD) Harvard University (MPA)
Website

Katherine Marlea Clark (born July 17, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician. She currently serves as the House Minority Whip since 2023. This means she helps lead the main opposition party in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has also been a U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district since 2013.

Before her current role, she was the Assistant Speaker from 2021 to 2023. She also served as the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus from 2019 to 2021. Clark has a lot of experience in government. She was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011. Then she served in the Massachusetts Senate from 2011 to 2013.

Katherine Clark was born in Connecticut. She worked as a lawyer in different states. In 1995, she moved to Massachusetts. There, she worked for the state government. She joined the Melrose School Committee in 2002. She became the committee's leader in 2005. She was first elected to the state legislature in 2008. She helped create laws about justice, education, and local government. She is now in her sixth term in the U.S. Congress. She won a special election in 2013 to represent the 5th district of Massachusetts. She is also part of the House Appropriations Committee.

Her district includes many cities and towns near Boston. These are places like Medford, Framingham, Woburn, Waltham, and her home city of Revere.

Early Life and Education

Katherine Marlea Clark was born on July 17, 1963, in New Haven, Connecticut. She went to St. Lawrence University. She also studied law at Cornell Law School. Later, she earned another degree from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 1983, she even studied in Nagoya, Japan.

In her early career, she worked as a lawyer in Chicago. She then moved to Colorado. There, she worked for a judge and later for the Colorado District Attorneys' Council. In 1995, she moved to Massachusetts. She became the main lawyer for the state's Office of Child Care Services.

Local Government Work

In 2001, Clark moved to Melrose, Massachusetts. She was elected to the Melrose School Committee. She started her work there in January 2002. This committee helps make decisions for local schools. In January 2005, she was chosen by everyone to be the chairwoman of the Melrose School Committee.

Clark also helped with political campaigns. She was appointed to co-lead "Victory 2006." This was the state Democratic Party's effort to raise money and run campaigns for the 2006 election for governor. She also worked as the chief of policy and government relations in the Massachusetts Attorney General's office for a time.

Serving in the Massachusetts Legislature

At an event with then-U.S. Representative Ed Markey in 2008

Massachusetts House of Representatives

In October 2007, the state House member for her area resigned. Katherine Clark decided to run in the special election to take his place. During her campaign, she talked about her experience as a lawyer. Her main goal was to bring "stability in state aid" to her district. She won the Democratic primary election in January with 65% of the votes. She then won the main election against a Republican opponent, 63% to 37%. In November 2008, she was reelected without anyone running against her.

She officially started her work on March 13, 2008. She represented the towns of Melrose and Wakefield. She worked on committees that dealt with education, justice, and local government.

Massachusetts Senate

In 2010, the state senator for her area resigned. Katherine Clark decided to run for that seat. She won the Democratic primary election. In the general election in November 2010, she won against her Republican opponent, 52% to 48%.

Clark was sworn into the Massachusetts Senate on January 5, 2011. She worked on important laws. In 2011, she helped write a bill to change how local government pensions worked. For her efforts, she received awards from groups like the Massachusetts Municipal Association. In 2012, she wrote a law to help all Massachusetts students read well by third grade. Also in 2012, she helped pass a law to protect pets in domestic violence cases. This law helps victims whose pets are used to control them. In 2013, she supported a bill to expand police wiretapping powers for serious crimes. At the same time, she also supported a bill to protect electronic privacy. This bill required police to have a good reason before looking at someone's electronic records.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives

Elections to Congress

2013 Special Election

In 2013, Katherine Clark ran for the United States House of Representatives. This was a special election for the 5th district of Massachusetts. The previous representative, Ed Markey, had been elected to the U.S. Senate. This district usually votes for Democrats. Clark won the Democratic primary election on October 15, 2013, with 32% of the votes. Her closest opponent received 22%. As expected, she easily won the special election on December 10.

Election Results

Time in Office

Clark during the 116th Congress

Katherine Clark was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on December 12, 2013. She serves on the House Appropriations Committee. This committee decides how the government spends money. In 2014, she ran for a full term and was unopposed, meaning no one ran against her.

In March 2015, Clark chose not to attend a speech by the Israeli prime minister. She said she still wanted a strong relationship between the U.S. and Israel. However, she noted that the invitation was made without talking to the U.S. President's team first. In 2023, Clark voted to support Israel after an attack by Hamas.

Clark has also worked on laws to stop online harassment. She has pushed for stronger enforcement of existing laws. After she suggested a law against "swatting" (making a false report to send emergency services to someone's home), she herself was targeted by such a false report.

In January 2017, Clark announced she would not attend Donald Trump's inauguration. She was one of a few members of Congress who chose to boycott the event. She stated her reason was to avoid making Trump's "bigoted, misogynist, anti-Semitic, and racist claims" seem normal.

According to an analysis in January 2023, Clark votes with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.

House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair

On November 28, 2018, it was announced that Clark had won the election to become the Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus. This is an important leadership role within the Democratic party in the House.

House Democratic Assistant Speaker

On November 18, 2020, Clark won another leadership election. She defeated another congressman to become the Assistant Speaker. This position is the fourth-highest leadership role for Democrats in the House.

House Democratic Whip

Clark with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in July 2024

In 2021, some people thought Clark might run to become the Speaker of the House. However, in November 2022, other top Democratic leaders announced they would step down from their roles. After this, Clark announced she would run for party whip. This is the second-highest leadership position for the minority party in the House. Since no one ran against her, Clark was elected as the House Minority Whip on November 30, 2022.

Committee Work

Katherine Clark is a member of the following committees in the U.S. House of Representatives:

• Committee on Appropriations
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development
  • Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch

Groups She Belongs To

Clark is part of many different groups in Congress, called caucuses. These groups focus on specific topics or interests. Some of them include:

• Animal Protection Caucus
• Armenian Caucus
• Autism Caucus
• Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change
• Biomedical Research Caucus
• Bipartisan Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer's Disease
• Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC)
• Congressional Women's Caucus
• Internet Caucus
• LGBT Equality Caucus
• Medicare for All Caucus
• Peace Corps Caucus
• Pre-K Caucus
• Prescription Drug Abuse Caucus
• Safe Climate Caucus
• Small Brewers Caucus
• Sustainable Energy & Environment Coalition
• Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
• Congressional Progressive Caucus

Personal Life

Katherine Clark is married to Rodney S. Dowell. He is the executive director for the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers. This group helps regulate lawyers in Massachusetts. They live in Revere and have three children.

When Congress is working, Clark shares a home with other Representatives. These include Annie Kuster, Grace Meng, Lois Frankel, Cheri Bustos, and Julia Brownley.

See also

In Spanish: Katherine Clark para niños

• Women in the United States House of Representatives