About Gwen

From her personal life story to her professional and legislative accomplishments, Congresswoman Gwendolynne S. Moore has established herself as a bold and tenacious leader; a clear and strong voice for the citizens of the 4th Congressional District of Wisconsin.  Throughout the majority of her adult life, Congresswoman Moore has been a tireless advocate for the working families of Wisconsin.  During her time in the Wisconsin Legislature, Moore was an effective champion of social justice and equal rights issues, worked to advance job creation, funded quality education and expanded access to affordable health care.

Born in Racine, and raised in Milwaukee, Congresswoman Moore's early life relates in a very personal way to the many obstacles faced by the residents of the 4th Congressional District, which includes all of the city of Milwaukee plus the suburbs of Cudahy, St. Francis, South Milwaukee, West Milwaukee, and West Allis. The eighth of nine children, Moore's father was a factory worker while her mother worked as a public school teacher. Attending a poor, inner city high school Moore understood her prospects for college were bleak. "By the eleventh grade I realized with horror that my assumption of attending college was no more than that -an assumption -said Moore. Even then, her determination and commitment to improving the lives of others was evident; she chose to face the challenges head on by leading and helping others -- serving as student council president and working to support her family.

Congresswoman Moore graduated from North Division High School and was accepted at Marquette University in Milwaukee. She began college as an expectant mother dependent on welfare to put food on the table. "Too many people feel that where you start out dictates where you should end up," said Moore. "I was on welfare and just shy of 19 when my first daughter was born, but I was encouraged to take advantage of my ability and drive and remained in school. Moore continued to overcome daily challenges to success and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Marquette.  Moore was climbing her way to independence from welfare.

Understanding the conditions in the neighborhoods of her youth Moore dedicated her early career toward finding solutions to the problems facing those communities. After graduation, she served as a VISTA volunteer and spearheaded the start-up of the Cream City Community Development Credit Union. From 1985-89, Moore worked for the City of Milwaukee as a Neighborhood Development Specialist, for both the Wisconsin Department of Employment Relations and the Department of Health and Human Services, as a Program and Planning Analyst and as a Housing Officer for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA).

In 1989, Moore turned her energy and drive toward another arena and sought public office.  This allowed her to continue to help others and to build Wisconsin's communities. Moore won two consecutive terms to the Wisconsin State Assembly (1989-92) and then in 1992 was elected to the Wisconsin State Senate, becoming the first African-American woman to hold this office. Representing the Fourth State Senatorial District, Moore served until 2004, holding a variety of leadership positions:  Chair of Black and Hispanic Legislative Caucus; Member of the powerful Joint Finance Committee; past-Secretary of Senate Democratic Caucus; and past-President Pro Tempore of the Wisconsin Senate.

During Moore's time in the Senate, she was a champion of progressive and social issues and was a clear voice for each and every constituent and neighborhood across the city. She applied her career expertise to help create jobs and build communities.  Moore made a positive impact in critical issues related to welfare, education and criminal justice. A tireless advocate of women's rights and civil rights, Moore led the fight against racial profiling, domestic abuse and voting rights violations.

In 2004, when Congressman Jerry Kleczka announced his retirement, Moore faced an open Democratic Primary against two opponents.  Receiving the early support of EMILY's List, and with the on-going support of groups, such as the American Federation of Teachers, the United Brotherhood of Teamsters, WAND, NARAL- Pro Choice America, and the United Steel Workers of America amongst many, many others, Moore won the Democratic nomination with 69% of the vote.  With a district as heavily Democratic as the Wisconsin 4th, Moore faced minor Republican opposition in the November 2nd General Election. 

Well into the 109th Congress, Representative Moore has sought and received appointments on the Financial Services and Small Business Committees.  The Financial Services Committee oversees the entire financial services industry, including the securities, insurance, banking, and housing industries. The Committee also oversees the work of the Federal Reserve, the Treasury, the SEC, and other financial services regulators.  This committee also has authority over urban development as well as private and public housing. 

The Committee on Small Business has jurisdiction over all of SBA's financial assistance programs, including various loans and venture capital initiatives, as well as its small business advocacy, business development assistance for our nation's veterans, and efforts to obtain federal research and development funding for small businesses.