Congressman Jim Himes

Bringing the Real World to Washington

Jim Himes is a community leader, a businessman, and an executive at a major non-profit organization. A husband and father of two young daughters, Jim is not a career politician. Rather, he is someone who will bring a real-world perspective to Washington, utilizing his experience in the business and non-profit sectors to bring a fresh, practical, solutions-oriented perspective to the challenges facing our community and country today.

As a father to Emma (9) and Linley (6), Jim cares deeply about the legacy we as Americans will be leaving to our children and to future generations.

Jim was elected to Congress by the people of the Fourth Congressional District in November 2008.   He currently serves on the Financial Services Committee, which oversees and passes legislation regulating the securities, banking and insurance industries and has a special focus on creating affordable housing.  

Understanding the Importance of American Values

Jim was raised with a deep appreciation for American values. Born in Lima, Peru in 1966 to American parents, Jim spent his first 10 years of his childhood in Peru and Colombia while his father worked for the nonprofit Ford Foundation and for UNICEF. As an American abroad, Jim grew up fluent in both Spanish and English and was raised with an awareness of the unique position of the United States in the world - a leader in civil liberties, democratic self-government, and the rule of law, and a beacon of hope and economic opportunity for others around the world.

Jim's mother brought Jim and his two sisters back to the United States in time for the bicentennial celebrations of 1976. Like many Americans, Jim grew up as the child of a single working mom in a small town.   He worked just about every job in town - mowing lawns, painting houses, working at the pizza place, the hardware store, and the drug store.

As a member of Congress, Jim works hard to provide all American children the same opportunities he had to succeed: access to a first-rate public school, affordable and effective health care, a decent and safe home, and a supportive community.

Making Good on the Promise of Public Education

Jim and his two sisters attended public schools in their hometown, and the foundation of a good public education continues to open doors in Jim's life.

On the strength of us public high school education, Jim was admitted to Harvard College, where he studied and worked closely with the Pulitzer-prize winning author Dr. Robert Coles on his book The Spiritual Life of Children.   His work and his athletic accomplishments as an undergraduate earned him the Rhodes Scholarship, which enabled Jim to attend Oxford University in England for two years.   At Oxford, he continued his studies of Latin America, including his thesis research in El Salvador.

After completing his studies, Jim took an entry level job at Goldman Sachs & Co., in order to pursue his goal of bringing economic opportunity to Latin America.  He worked his way up to Vice President over the course of a 12-year career, working extensively in Latin America and heading the telecom technology group.

From Ridgefield to Bridgeport, from Stamford to Shelton,Jim believes that every child should be afforded the promise and opportunity of a good public education.  As Jim’s own life shows, public education is the key to economic opportunity and the foundation of good citizenship.

Serving the Community in Connecticut's 4th District

After the experiencing the tragedy of 9/11 in downtown Manhattan, Jim decided to put his talents to work for the broader public good.  In 2002, he devoted himself full-time to pursuing business-oriented solutions to the problems of urban poverty through the Enterprise Foundation.  Under Jim's leadership, Enterprise worked with private, public, and community organizations to address complex issues of urban poverty.  Jim’s team led the way in financing the construction of thousands of affordable housing units in the greater New York metropolitan region, often using new green technologies to achieve energy efficiency and reduce utility costs.

In our local community, Jim put his expertise in affordable housing to work as chair of his town’s Housing Authority, leading that organization through a badly needed program of reforms. 

Jim is an Elder in his local Presbyterian congregation and an active Board Member of the Fairfield County Community Foundation, the largest community foundation in the 4th Congressional District dedicated to funding and promoting nonprofit programs to strengthen communities in Fairfield County. Jim has also been a member of the advisory board of Bridgeport-based Family Assets, Inc., and is the former chairman of the board of Bridgeport-based Aspira of Connecticut, which promotes academic success and leadership development of Puerto Rican and Latino youth in our community.

Restoring American Values at Home and Abroad
Jim's experience living in Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East has given him a unique understanding of how the United States relates to the rest of the world. Described by his friends as "fiercely patriotic," Jim believes that the ideals of this country are our most important national treasure. He knows that we Americans are at our best when the ideas of freedom, service, and democracy guide our conduct here at home and in the wider world.

As the father of two young girls who will inherit the world we leave them, Jim believes our country has a unique role to play in leading the world to a more peaceful and prosperous future.   As a member of Congress, Jim wants to restore America’s commitment to fairness and opportunity here at home and to honor, decency, and moral leadership around the world.