P.S. 197 Kings Highway Academy

Throughout his career, Charles “Chuck” Schumer has fought to make government work for all Americans by cutting through red tape and finding common-sense solutions to challenges facing the middle- class.  Chuck has become known for his tireless work to reduce crime, increase economic opportunity, and expand access to higher education, affordable health care and housing.

Although Chuck’s career has taken him from the New York State Assembly to the U.S. House of Representatives to the U.S. Senate, he still resides in Brooklyn with his wife, Iris Weinshall, and their two daughters, Jessica and Alison.  He is known as one of America’s hardest working and most accessible elected officials – countless New Yorkers from all walks of life have interacted with him during his appearances at town hall meetings, parades, festivals, community events and graduations.  Each year, Chuck visits all of New York’s 62 counties and is a constant presence all across New York.

Childhood

The eldest of three children, Chuck was born on November 23, 1950, in the Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY to his parents, Abe and Selma Schumer.  His father, Abe, who grew up in Utica and served as a radar operator in planes flying over the Himalayas in World War II, took over his father’s exterminating business after the war. Shaped at an early age by his father’s experiences as a small businessman, Chuck has never forgotten the difficulties faced by middle-class New Yorkers who work hard to create a better life for their families.

Education

Chuck attended public school in Brooklyn at P.S. 197 and Madison High School; he was a hard working basketball player and a good student who became valedictorian. He also worked in a printing shop for a Brooklyn High School teacher named Stanley Kaplan, who was in the early stages of building his test preparation business.  In 1967, he attended Harvard, becoming the first in his family to attend college.  At first, he studied chemistry, but soon became active in the College Democrats, working on Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 Presidential campaign. After graduation, Chuck attended Harvard Law School where he further developed his commitment to a career in public service.

Charles Schumer Website       https://nydems.org/party/biographies/federal-officeholders/senator-schumer/