Elizabeth Esty

Elizabeth Esty
Name	Elizabeth Esty
Caption	Official portrait, 2013
State	Connecticut
District	5th
Term start	January 3, 2013
Term end	January 3, 2019
Preceded	Chris Murphy
Succeeded	Jahana Hayes
Party	Democratic
Birth date	25 August 1959
Birth place	Oak Park, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard College (BA), Yale Law School (JD)
Spouse	Daniel C. Esty

Elizabeth Esty is an American attorney and former politician who served as the U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 5th congressional district from 2013 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she succeeded Chris Murphy and was succeeded by Jahana Hayes. Her tenure was marked by advocacy for gun control, environmental policy, and transportation infrastructure, though her congressional career concluded following controversy over her office's handling of a staff misconduct allegation.

Early life and education

Born in Oak Park, Illinois, she is the daughter of a University of Chicago professor and a Chicago Public Schools teacher. She attended Oak Park and River Forest High School before enrolling at Harvard College, where she graduated magna cum laude with a degree in History and Science. She subsequently earned her Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, where she was an editor for the Yale Law Journal and participated in the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization.

Early career

Following law school, she served as a law clerk for Judge Diana Gribbon Motz on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She then practiced law at the Washington, D.C. firm Covington & Burling before moving to Connecticut. Her early public service included roles as a staff attorney for the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund and as a member of the Cheshire Town Council. She was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives in 2008, representing the 103rd district, where she focused on issues like energy policy and economic development.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elected in 2012, she served on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. She was a vocal proponent of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 and co-sponsored the Background Check Expansion Act. She worked to secure funding for projects like the Hartford Line and advocated for research at institutions like the National Institute of Standards and Technology. In 2018, she announced she would not seek re-election after reports surfaced that she had failed to promptly address harassment allegations against her former Chief of Staff, leading to criticism from colleagues including Nancy Pelosi.

Post-congressional career

Since leaving Congress, she has been a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics and has taught at Georgetown University's McCourt School of Public Policy. She serves on the board of the League of Conservation Voters and is a policy advisor for the American Federation of Teachers. She has also contributed commentary to media outlets like CNN and The Washington Post on topics including democratic reform and climate change.

Electoral history

In the 2012 election, she defeated Republican nominee Andrew Roraback and Connecticut for Lieberman candidate John M. Pistone. She won re-election in 2014 against Clay Cope and again in 2016 against Cope. She did not appear on the ballot for the 2018 election, which was won by Jahana Hayes.

Personal life

She is married to Daniel C. Esty, a professor at Yale University and former commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. They have three children and reside in Cheshire, Connecticut. She is an active member of the First Congregational Church of Cheshire and has served on the board of the Cheshire Public Library.

Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives from Connecticut Category:Harvard University alumni Category:Yale Law School alumni