A Representative from Illinois; born in Albany, Dougherty County, Ga., November 23, 1946; attended Marshall High School, Marshall, Ill.; B.A., Roosevelt University, Chicago, Ill., 1974; M.A., University of Illinois, Chicago, Ill., 1994; M.A., McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, Ill., 1998; United States Army, 1963-1968; insurance agent; alderman, Chicago, Ill., city council, 1983-1993; deputy chairman, Illinois Democratic Party, 1990; unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Chicago, Ill., 1999; minister; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Third and to the ten succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1993-present).