Jesuit University Alumni Comprise 10% of 115th US Congress

The Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) has announced that ten percent of the 115th U.S. Congress are Jesuit college and university alumni/ae. Among the 535 members of this Congress, 56 are alumni/ae of Jesuit institutions: 12 in the Senate and 44 in the House of Representatives. This represents a notable increase from 50 members in the 114th U.S. Congress.
Of the 56 alumni/ae in the 115th U.S. Congress, ten were elected in 2016. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD, Georgetown) was elected to the Senate after serving seven terms in the House of Representatives, succeeding fellow Jesuit alum Barbara Mikulski (D-MD, Loyola University Maryland). He is joined by fellow freshman Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV, Gonzaga University), the first Latina elected to the Senate. In the House, Stephanie Murphy (D-FL, Georgetown) is the first Vietnamese-American woman elected to Congress, while fellow Georgetown alumna Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) is the first Indian-American woman to serve in the House.
In the Senate, Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL, Georgetown) serves as Minority Whip and in the House, Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD, Georgetown) continues to serve as Minority Whip. Representatives Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA, College of the Holy Cross) and Juan Vargas (D-CA, Fordham University) remain co-leaders of the Congressional Friends of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Caucus in the House. And although not an elected member, Gonzaga University alumnus Rev. Patrick Conroy, S.J. continues his service as House Chaplain.
There are currently 13 Jesuit institutions represented by alumni/ae in the U.S. Congress. Georgetown University has the most alumni/ae with a total of 28, followed by Boston College and Fordham University, tied with 7 each (note: Representative Tom Suozzi (D-NY) is an alumnus of both Boston College and Fordham). The College of the Holy Cross has 3 alumni while Saint Peter’s University, Santa Clara University and the University of Detroit Mercy all have two alumni/ae represented. The remaining schools with alumni/ae in Congress are Creighton University, Gonzaga University, Loyola University Chicago, Marquette University, Saint Joseph’s University and Wheeling Jesuit University.
In addition to the 56 alumni/ae from Jesuit colleges and universities who are serving in the 115th Congress, there are many alumni/ae of Jesuit high schools in office. Of note, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), the 2016 Democrat candidate for Vice President of the United States, is a graduate of Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, MO.
AJCU President Rev. Michael J. Sheeran, S.J. said, “A hallmark of Jesuit education is service to others, and we are proud to see that commitment represented by the alumni of Jesuit institutions who serve in the House and Senate. We appreciate their leadership and look forward to working with them during the 115th Congress.”

UNITED STATES SENATE (12 alumni)

Senator John Barrasso
(R-WY) Appointed 2007, Elected 2008
B.A. Georgetown University (1974)
M.D. Georgetown University (1978)
Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.
(D-PA) Elected 2006
B.A. College of the Holy Cross (1982)
Senator Richard J. Durbin
(D-IL) Elected 1996
B.S.F.S. Georgetown University (1966)
J.D. Georgetown University (1969)
Senator Mazie Hirono
(D-HI) Elected 2012
J.D. Georgetown University (1978)
Senator Patrick J. Leahy
(D-VT) Elected 1974
J.D. Georgetown University (1964)
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
(D-NV) Elected 2016
J.D. Gonzaga University (1990)

UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (44 alumni)

Representative Vern Buchanan
(R-FL) Elected 2006
M.B.A. University of Detroit Mercy (1986)
Representative Michael Capuano
(D-MA) Elected 1998
J.D. Boston College (1977)
Representative David Cicilline
(D-RI) Elected 2010
J.D. Georgetown University (1986)
Representative Barbara Comstock
(R-VA) Elected 2014
J.D. Georgetown University (1986)
Representative Henry Cuellar
(D-TX) Elected 2004
B.S.F.S. Georgetown University (1978)
Representative John Delaney
(D-MD) Elected 2012
J.D. Georgetown University (1988)
Representative Rosa L. DeLauro
(D-CT) Elected 1990
B.A. Marymount College* (1964)
Representative Mark DeSaulnier
(D-CA) Elected 2014
B.A. College of the Holy Cross (1974)
Representative Debbie Dingell
(D-MI) Elected 2014
B.S.F.S. Georgetown University (1975)
M.A.L.S. Georgetown University (1998)
Representative Dan Donovan
(R-NY) Appointed 2015
J.D. Fordham University (1988)
Representative John Faso
(R-NY) Elected 2016
J.D. Georgetown University (1979)
Representative Jeff Fortenberry
(R-NE) Elected 2004
M.P.P. Georgetown University (1986)
Representative Lois Frankel
(D-FL) Elected 2012
J.D. Georgetown University (1973)
Representative Mike Gallagher
(R-WI) Elected 2016
M.A. Georgetown University (2012 & 2013)
Ph.D. Georgetown University (2015)
Representative Paul Gosar
(R-AZ) Elected 2010
B.S. Creighton University (1981)
D.D.S. Creighton University (1985)
Representative Trey Hollingsworth
(R-IN) Elected 2016
M.P.P. Georgetown University (2014)
Representative Steny H. Hoyer
(D-MD) Elected 1981
J.D. Georgetown University (1966)
Representative Jared Huffman
(D-CA) Elected 2012
J.D. Boston College (1990)
Representative Pramila Jayapal
(D-WA) Elected 2016
B.A. Georgetown University (1986)
Representative Hakeem Jeffries
(D-NY) Elected 2012
M.P.P. Georgetown University (1994)
Representative William Keating
(D-MA) Elected 2010
B.A. Boston College (1974)
M.B.A. Boston College (1982)
Representative Ann McLane Kuster
(D-NH) Elected 2012
J.D. Georgetown University (1984)
*Marymount College later merged with Fordham University.
**Representative Mulvaney has been nominated by President-Elect Donald Trump as Director of the Office of Management & Budget.