James E. Clyburn

DemocratU.S. Representative, SC-6

Age	85 (b. 1940-07-21)
Gender	Male
In office since	1993-01-05 (~33 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	African American
Religion	Christian; African Methodist Episcopal (AME)
Education	Graduated from Mather Academy (Camden, SC); B.S./bachelor's degree in history from South Carolina State College (now South Carolina State University), 1962; attended University of South Carolina School of Law (1972-1974)
Prior occupation	Public school teacher (C.A. Brown High School, Charleston, SC); civil rights activist; director of two youth/community programs; South Carolina Human Affairs Commissioner
Military service	No
Birthplace	Sumter, South Carolina
Marital status	Widowed — Emily England Clyburn (married 1961; died 2019)
Children	3
Residence	Columbia, South Carolina
Notable relatives	Daughter Mignon Clyburn, former FCC commissioner; daughter Jennifer Clyburn Reed, federal co-chair of Southeast Crescent Regional Commission; daughter Angela Clyburn, South Carolina Democratic Party political director and Richland County School Board member; distant kinsman George W. Murray, Republican U.S. Representative from SC (1890s)

Wikipedia · Ballotpedia · OpenSecrets · Official site

Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	1992
Previous offices	South Carolina Human Affairs Commissioner (1974-1992) · Adviser to South Carolina Governor John C. West (appointed 1971; first nonwhite adviser to a SC governor)
Committees	House Committee on Appropriations · Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (Ranking Member) · Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies · Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
Caucuses	Congressional Black Caucus · House Democratic Caucus · Black Maternal Health Caucus · Congressional Arts Caucus · U.S.-China Working Group · Congressional International Conservation Caucus
Leadership	House Majority Whip (2007-2011; 2019-2023) · House Assistant Democratic Leader / Assistant Speaker (2011-2019; 2023-2024) · Chair, House Democratic Caucus (2006-2007) · Vice Chair, House Democratic Caucus (2003-2006)
Ideology	Considered a liberal/progressive Democrat; National Journal (2007) ranked him the 77th most liberal House member (liberal score 81). Widely described as an institutionalist and party power broker.
Signature legislation	10-20-30 Persistent Poverty Formula (directs at least 10% of certain federal program funds to counties with 20%+ poverty over 30+ years; included in 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Rural Development provisions) · Access for All Americans Act (2009), to fund community health centers

Financial

Net worth: disclosed $97,008–$282,000 (2018) · estimate

Investment Entrepreneurs LLC	business_owned · –$175,000 · 2016
Real estate holding	real_estate · –$75,000 · 2016
Commercial bank deposits/holdings	other · –$73,001 · 2016

Top donors: PricewaterhouseCoopers ($15,500 (2023-2024 cycle))

Top industries: Electric Utilities (top industry, $118,861 in 2023-2024 cycle)

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolved — FEC ADR 674 — Friends of Jim Clyburn Failure to Disclose Financial Transactions (2013 Q2)

campaign-finance · 2013-12-20 · Federal Election Commission — Alternative Dispute Resolution Office · Negotiated settlement approved 6-0 by the Commission; $3,100 civil penalty paid; committee required to develop FEC Compliance Manual.

The FEC's Reports Analysis Division referred Friends of Jim Clyburn and its treasurer James Bennett to the ADR Office after a review of reports showed that the committee failed to disclose all financial transactions on its 2013 April Quarterly Report. The case opened December 20, 2013 and closed July 31, 2014. The FEC Commission approved a negotiated settlement with a $3,100 civil penalty and a non-monetary requirement that the committee develop a FEC Compliance Manual.

Sources: Federal Election Commission · Federal Election Commission (settlement document)

resolved — House Fine for Bypassing Metal Detector (H.Res. 73) — Fine Vacated on Appeal

ethics-violation · 2021-04-21 · House Committee on Ethics / Office of the Sergeant at Arms · Fine of $5,000 initially assessed; Clyburn appealed disputing the Capitol Police account; House Ethics Committee majority voted to drop the fine. First successful appeal of a metal-detector fine.

On April 21, 2021, the Sergeant at Arms notified the House Committee on Ethics that Rep. Clyburn had been fined $5,000 under House Resolution 73 for allegedly bypassing mandatory weapons-screening magnetometers before entering the House chamber. Capitol Police reported he 'deliberately avoided being screened.' Clyburn denied this account and appealed on April 22, 2021. A majority of the Ethics Committee agreed with his appeal on May 18, 2021, making it the first successful appeal of a magnetometer fine. The fine was dropped entirely.

Sources: House Committee on Ethics · The Hill · CNN

Fine dismissed on appeal; no penalty imposed — House security screening fine assessed then dismissed on appeal

ethics-violation · 2021-04-21 · House Committee on Ethics (fine originally referred by the Office of the Sergeant at Arms under House Resolution 73) · Clyburn was assessed a $5,000 fine for an alleged failure to complete security screening before entering the House chamber; he appealed, disputing the officer's account, and the House Ethics Committee granted his appeal and dismissed the fine. No penalty was ultimately imposed.

In April 2021, following post-January 6 House security rules (House Resolution 73), Rep. James Clyburn was assessed a $5,000 fine after a Capitol Police officer reported he circumvented magnetometer screening on his way to the House floor. Clyburn disputed the account, stating he never refused screening, and appealed to the House Committee on Ethics. The Committee granted the appeal and dismissed the fine, reportedly the first such appeal granted. No fine was ultimately paid and no adverse finding was sustained against him.

Sources: Roll Call · U.S. House Committee on Ethics

resolved — FEC Administrative Fine #4561 — Failure to File 48-Hour Notices for 2022 Election Cycle Contributions

campaign-finance · 2022-10-20 · Federal Election Commission · Civil money penalty of $5,072 (initially calculated at $5,322, later recalculated) assessed and paid in full by October 5, 2023.

The FEC found reason to believe (6-0 vote, March 29, 2023) that Friends of Jim Clyburn and its treasurer James Bennett failed to file 48-Hour Notices for 17 contributions of $1,000 or more received between October 20 and November 5, 2022, totaling approximately $49,000–$51,500. The initial penalty was $5,322, later recalculated to $5,072. The penalty was paid in full by October 5, 2023.

Sources: Federal Election Commission · Federal Election Commission (memorandum)

resolved — FEC ADR 1107 — Friends of Jim Clyburn Failure to Disclose Disbursements on 2022 Pre-General Report

campaign-finance · 2023-04-12 · Federal Election Commission — Alternative Dispute Resolution Office · Negotiated settlement approved by the Commission; $3,500 civil penalty; committee required to participate in FEC training program.

The FEC RAD referred Friends of Jim Clyburn and its treasurer James Bennett to the ADR Office after the committee's original 2022 12-Day Pre-General Report failed to disclose approximately $62,102 in disbursements. The committee attributed the error to the serious illness and subsequent death (December 9, 2022) of its FEC compliance consultant Whitney Wyatt Burns. The error was corrected in the December 2022 report. The case opened April 12, 2023 and closed October 11, 2023, with a $3,500 negotiated settlement penalty approved by the Commission.

Sources: Federal Election Commission · Federal Election Commission (RAD referral) · Raw Story