Peter Welch

From KeyWiki

Peter Welch is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the at large population of Vermont.

Welch is married to Margaret Cheney, a member of the Vermont House of Representatives.^[1]

Background

Peter Welch was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1947 into a family of six children. He attended Holy Name Grammar School and Cathedral High School. After graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in 1969, he was selected to be in the first class of Robert F. Kennedy Fellows. This honor allowed him to continue the civil rights work he began in college, helping families in Chicago overcome discriminatory housing policies. Welch graduated from the University of California Berkeley, Boalt Hall in 1973.

Settling in Vermont, Welch worked as a public defender and subsequently founded the law firm of Welch, Graham & Manby.^[2]

State Senate

In 1980, Welch became only the second Democrat ever elected to represent Windsor County in the Vermont State Senate. In 1985 he was elected by his colleagues to serve as President Pro Tem of the Vermont Senate, becoming the first Democrat in Vermont history to hold this leadership position. Welch returned to the Senate in 2002 and his colleagues again elected him President Pro Tem in 2003, a position he held until 2006.^[3]

Congress

Welch, who lives in Hartland and Norwich, Vermont, was elected to his first term as Vermont's lone U.S. Representative in 2006 and was reelected in 2008 and 2010. As a Chief Deputy Whip, Welch is a member of the House leadership and serves on the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. ^[4]

Supported by Council for a Livable World

The Council for a Livable World, founded in 1962 by long-time socialist activist and alleged Soviet agent, Leo Szilard, is a non-profit advocacy organization that seeks to "reduce the danger of nuclear weapons and increase national security", primarily through supporting progressive, congressional candidates who support their policies. The Council supported Peter Welch in his successful House of Representatives run as candidate for vermont.^[5]

Congressional Progressive Caucus

As of February 20 2009 Peter Welch was listed as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.^[6]

Supported Lifting the Gaza Blockade

On Jan. 27, 2010, U.S. Representatives Keith Ellison and Jim McDermott led 52 other members of Congress in signing a letter addressed to President Barack Obama, calling for him to use diplomatic pressure to resolve the blockade affecting Gaza. Peter Welch was one of the signatories of the letter. ^[7] The entire letter together with a complete list of signatories can be read by clicking here.

External links

• Welch website with the House of Representatives

References