Sander Martin Levin (born September 6, 1931) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2019. He represented Michigan's 9th congressional district, which was numbered as the 17th district from 1983 to 1993 and as the 12th district from 1993 to 2013. Levin is a member of the Democratic Party from Michigan. He was a former top member of the House Ways and Means Committee and served as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee from 2010 to 2011. He was the older brother of former U.S. Senator Carl Levin and the father of former Congressman Andy Levin, who succeeded him in Congress.

In December 2017, Levin announced he would retire from Congress when his term ended and did not run for re-election in 2018. His son, Andy Levin, was elected on November 6, 2018, and began serving in the 116th Congress on January 3, 2019.

Early life and education

Levin was born in Detroit, Michigan, to Jewish parents named Bess Rachel (originally named Levinson) and Saul R. Levin. He attended Central High School in Detroit. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Chicago in 1952, a master's degree in international relations from Columbia University in 1954, and a law degree from Harvard Law School in 1957. After completing his education, he worked as a lawyer in private practice in Detroit.

State politics

Levin became chairman of the Oakland County Democratic Party in 1962. In 1964, he was elected as State Senator for the 15th district, defeating Republican George W. Kuhn. He held this position until 1970. After Zolton Ferency resigned as chairman of the Michigan Democratic Party in 1967, Levin was elected state party chairman on December 17. He resigned as minority floor leader the next month. Levin served as Senate minority leader from January 1969 until January 1970, when he resigned to run for governor.

He tried to become Governor of Michigan in 1970 and 1974 but lost both times to Republican William Milliken. In 1975, he was a Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. From 1977 to 1981, he worked as an assistant administrator of the Agency for International Development.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1982, current Democratic U.S. Congressman William Brodhead chose not to run for re-election and instead tried to become governor, but he was not successful. In Michigan's 17th congressional district, which included parts of northwestern Detroit, Macomb, and Oakland counties, Levin won the Democratic primary with 49% of the vote. He then won the general election with 67% of the vote. From that time forward, Levin usually won re-election with at least 56% of the vote, except in the 1992 and 1994 elections. After the 1990 U.S. census, his district was renumbered as the 12th district and no longer included as much of Detroit. In 1992, Levin narrowly defeated businessman and Vietnam War veteran John Pappageorge with 53% to 46%. In 1994, during the Republican Revolution, Levin again defeated Pappageorge with 52% to 47%. In 1996, Levin won again with a larger margin, 57% to 41%. In 1998, Levin won re-election against Republican candidate Leslie A. Touma with 56% to 42%. In 2000, businessman Bart Baron received support from the United Auto Workers Union, but Levin still won re-election with 64% of the vote. Redistricting in the 2000s added Democratic areas like Southfield and Mount Clemens to his district, and he won re-election with at least 61% of the vote in every election since.

After redistricting, Levin's district was combined with the 9th District of fellow Democrat Gary Peters. The district kept Peters' number—the 9th—but was mostly similar to Levin's old district. Peters chose to run in the newly drawn 14th District. This change allowed Levin to keep the Democratic nomination. Although Levin lost Southfield to the 14th District, his district gained areas like Royal Oak, Oak Park, Clawson, and Berkley. The new district remained strongly Democratic, and Levin easily won his 16th term with 61.4% of the vote.

• Committee on Ways and Means (former Ranking Member) Subcommittee on Trade (Ranking Member) Subcommittee on Income Security

Levin became chairman of the Ways and Means committee on March 4, 2010, after Charles B. Rangel of New York stepped down due to ethics violations. Levin held the chair until January 2011 and remained ranking member until the end of 2016.

Levin was a member of the House Baltic Caucus and the Congressional Arts Caucus.

Political positions

As a member of Congress, Levin supported Israel. He backed the Iran nuclear deal and believed that Israel, the region, and the world would be more secure as part of the agreement.

Personal life

On September 4, 2008, Levin’s wife, Vicki Schlafer, passed away after 50 years of marriage. Together, they had four children: Andy, Jennifer, Madeleine, and Matthew, and ten grandchildren.

In July 2012, Levin married Pamela Cole, a 61-year-old psychology professor at Pennsylvania State University who studies how emotions develop. They met because of his late wife, Vicki. Cole and Levin helped create a fund named after her to support young professionals studying early childhood development.

Levin comes from a family that has been important in Michigan politics for many years. His younger brother, Carl Levin, was the state’s senior Senator until he retired in January 2015. His uncle, Theodore, was a federal judge. His first cousin, Charles, became a justice on the Michigan Supreme Court after working as a judge on the Michigan Court of Appeals. Another first cousin, Joseph Levin, ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. His son, Andy Levin, did not win the Michigan Senate election in 2006. However, in 2018, Andy was elected to replace his father in the U.S. House of Representatives.