Henry Waxman Politician and U.S. Politician

Henry Arnold Waxman (born September 12, 1939 in Los Angeles, California) is an American politician and will be the next Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. He has represented California's 30th congressional district (map) in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1975. Waxman, a Democrat, is considered to be one of the most influential liberal members of Congress. He serves the cities of West Hollywood, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, and parts of the city of Los Angeles. Before his election to Congress, he served six years in the California State Assembly.

With the Democrats' victory in the 2006 midterm elections, Waxman became chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, the principal investigative committee of the House. He was the committee's ranking Democrat from 1997 to 2007. In 2009, he will begin serving as the Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House, as a result of beating former chairman John Dingell (D-MI) in a 137-122 secret vote of House Democrats on November 20, 2008.