Xavier Becerra | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| 25th United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| Assumed office March 19, 2021 | |
| President | Joe Biden |
| Deputy | Andrea Palm |
| Preceded by | Alex Azar |
| 33rd Attorney General of California | |
| In office January 24, 2017 – March 18, 2021 | |
| Governor | Jerry Brown Gavin Newsom |
| Preceded by | Kamala Harris |
| Succeeded by | Rob Bonta |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California | |
| In office January 3, 1993 – January 24, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Edward Roybal (Redistricting) |
| Succeeded by | Jimmy Gomez |
| Constituency | 30th district (1993–2003) 31st district (2003–2013) 34th district (2013–2017) |
| Chair of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2017 | |
| Deputy | Joe Crowley |
| Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | John Larson |
| Succeeded by | Joe Crowley |
| Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2013 | |
| Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | John Larson |
| Succeeded by | Joe Crowley |
| House Democratic Assistant to the Leader | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Leader | Nancy Pelosi |
| Preceded by | John Spratt |
| Succeeded by | Chris Van Hollen |
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 59th district | |
| In office December 3, 1990 – December 3, 1992 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Calderon |
| Succeeded by | Dick Mountjoy |
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 26, 1958 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Carolina Reyes Becerra |
| Children | 3 |
| Education | Stanford University (BA, JD) |
| Occupation |
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Xavier Becerra (/ˌhɑːviˈɛər bɪˈsɛrə/ HAH-vee-AIR biss-ERR-ə, Latin American Spanish: [xaˈβjeɾ βeˈsera]; born January 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 25th United States secretary of health and human services, a position he has held since March 2021. He is the first Latino to hold this position in history.[1] Becerra previously served as the attorney general of California from January 2017 until March 2021. He was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Downtown Los Angeles in Congress from 1993 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Becerra was chairman of the House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017.[2]
Born in Sacramento, California, Becerra graduated from Stanford University and received his Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School. He worked as a lawyer at the Legal Assistance Corporation of central Massachusetts, before returning to California in 1986 to work as an administrative assistant for state senator Art Torres. He served as a deputy attorney general in the California Department of Justice from 1987 to 1990 before he was elected to the California State Assembly, where he served one term from 1990 to 1992.
Becerra was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1992. He represented California's 30th congressional district from 1993 to 2003, California's 31st congressional district from 2003 to 2013, and California's 34th congressional district from 2013 to 2017. He served as Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus from 1997 to 1999, Vice Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus from 2009 to 2013, and as a member of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction. He was elected Chairman of the U.S. House Democratic Caucus from 2013 to 2017.
- ^ "Becerra points to Latino successes in his first year as HHS secretary". NBC News. March 18, 2022.
- ^ "BECERRA, Xavier | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved January 22, 2023.