James George Abourezk was a South Dakota-born American politician and attorney who passed away on February 24, 2023. In addition to being the first Greek Orthodox Christian of Lebanese-Antiochite origin to achieve this post, he was the first Arab American to serve in the US Senate.
James Abourezk Bio
Abourezk was well recognized for taking a pessimistic view of US foreign policy in the MENA area, particularly with regard to the Palestine-Israel conflict. From 1973 until 1979, he served as South Dakota’s senator in the U.S. Senate and presided over the subcommittee on Indian affairs.
When Abourezk started participating in politics in South Dakota, he joined the Democratic Party. He ran for South Dakota attorney general in 1968 but lost to Gordon Mydland. He was chosen in 1970 to represent the state’s second Congressional district, which was abolished in 1983, in the US House of Representatives, where he served from 1971 to 1973.
Abourezk was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1972 and served there from 1973 to 1979 before deciding not to run for reelection. He was named one of the “200 Faces for the Future” by TIME magazine in 1974.
James Abourezk Party
James Abourezk was Democrat
James Abourezk’s Previous Offices
James Abourezk was a Senator between 1973 and 1979. He was also a Representative from 1971 to 1973
James Abourezk’s Organization Founded
After James Abourezk retired in 1980, he established the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. This organization is a grassroots civil rights advocate that seeks to end prejudice against Arab Americans in the country.
The objective of the organization, which is still in operation today, is to advance the civil rights of Arab Americans and to strengthen their ties to other racial and ethnic groups in the country.
James Abourezk Education
Between 1948 to 1952, Abourezk served in the US Navy during the Korean War. He sought a civil engineering degree at the South Dakota School of Mines in Rapid City after finishing his military duty, which he attained in 1961.
He afterward enrolled in Vermillion’s University of South Dakota School of Law, where he earned his J.D. in 1966. Afterward, he started working as a lawyer in Rapid City, South Dakota.
James Abourezk Family
Charles and Lena Abourezk, owners of two general stores, welcomed James George Abourezk into the world in Wood, South Dakota. His parents were immigrants from Lebanon. He grew up primarily on the Rosebud Reservation close to Wood and lived in South Dakota his entire life.
James Abourezk Health and Death
According to reports, James Abourezk passed away on February 24, 2023, without any health complications.