Gregory Meeks: Biography
Gregory Weldon Meeks was born on September 25, 1953, in East Harlem, New York City. He is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, serving New York's 5th Congressional District since 1998. He currently holds the position of Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as chairman of the Queens County Democratic Party .
Early Life and Family Background
Meeks's family roots trace to Rock Hill, South Carolina, where his ancestors lived when slavery was abolished. His parents, James and Mary Meeks, migrated northward as part of the Great Migration, eventually settling in East Harlem 2. His father worked as a taxi driver and handyman, while his mother raised Gregory and his three younger siblings . The family lived in a public housing project, where both parents were active in community affairs and instilled in their children a deep commitment to social justice and civic engagement 2.
Meeks attended Julia Richman High School in New York City, graduating in 1971 . From an early age, he knew he wanted to pursue a career in law, and he has cited Thurgood Marshall, the civil rights advocate and first Black U.S. Supreme Court Justice, as his primary political role model .
Education
Meeks earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Adelphi University on Long Island in 1975 . He then attended Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C., where he embraced the legal philosophies of Thurgood Marshall and Charles Hamilton Houston, graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 1978 2. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity .
Legal and Judicial Career
Following law school, Meeks returned to New York and began a career in public service that spanned more than a decade before he entered electoral politics. He worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Queens County from 1978 to 1983, where he specialized in prosecuting narcotics cases . He subsequently served as a prosecutor for the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York .
Meeks then joined the New York State Investigations Commission, serving as deputy counsel from 1984 to 1985, where he investigated corruption, fraud, and official misconduct . He later became Supervising Judge for the New York State Workers' Compensation Board, a position he held from 1985 to 1992 .
Personal Life
Meeks married Simone-Marie Meeks in 1997. The couple has three daughters: Ebony, Aja, and Nia-Aiyana . He is a member of the Allen AME Church in St. Albans, Queens, New York 6. His social media biography describes him as a husband, father, grandfather, and brother .
Political Identity and Orientation
Meeks is a member of the New Democrat Coalition, a caucus of pro-economic-growth Democratic members that represents one of the largest ideological groupings within the House Democratic Caucus . His political profile does not fit neatly into a single ideological lane: He supports a significant government role in Americans' lives through spending on education, job training, and safety-net programs, and his positions on abortion rights, gun control, LGBTQ rights, and environmental protection align with core Democratic priorities . At the same time, his membership in the New Democrat Coalition and his senior role on the Financial Services Committee reflect a pro-business orientation that distinguishes him from the Congressional Progressive Caucus, to which he does not belong .