Stephen F. Lynch is an American politician who has served in the United States House of Representatives since 2001, representing Massachusetts. He was the son of an ironworker, and he had followed in his father’s footsteps and entered the trade. Experiencing firsthand what it takes to be an ironworker made him more aware of the concerns and issues that the working class faces. He is also a licensed attorney with knowledge in labor and employment law. Years of working with ironworkers and as a lawyer instilled in him a strong sense of social responsibility. He had been involved in politics since he was a child, and at the age of 3012, he became the youngest ever president of The Iron Workers Union. He began his political career by earning a position in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives, eventually rising to become a Senator in the Massachusetts State Senate. Lynch was given the opportunity to compete in the special election to succeed Joe Moakley, a Democratic congressman from Massachusetts’ Ninth District. He defeated his primary opponents, state Senators Cheryl Jacques, Brian Joyce, and Marc Pacheco, in the election.
Childhood and Adolescence
Francis and Anne Lynch had six children, and he was one of them. He was reared with five sisters as the only son of his parents. His father worked as an ironworker, and his mother as a postmistress.
He began working in construction alongside his father in high school, having been a diligent worker since boyhood. In 1973, he graduated from high school and began working as an apprentice ironworker.
Stephen Lynch’s Career
He worked as an ironworker for multiple firms, including General Motors and U.S. Steel, on various structural ironwork projects around the United States.
From the early 1980s, he was an active member of the Iron Workers Union. He was elected president of the union at the age of 30, making him the union’s youngest president ever.
He worked during the day and spent his evenings and weekends completing studies at Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in construction management in 1988.
He studied law at Boston College Law School and received his J.D. in 1991, as well as admission to the Massachusetts and New Hampshire bars. He represented labor unions and unemployed employees alongside Gabriel O. Dumont, Jr.
He also served as a lawyer for the Boston Housing Authority, representing residents of housing projects. His pals pushed him to run for the government since he had political ambitions.
In 1994, he ran for a seat in the Massachusetts State House of Representatives, defeating Democratic state lawmaker Paul J. Gannon.
In 1996, he ran for President of the Massachusetts Senate in a special election after 14 months. He defeated William M. Bulger, Jr. and Patrick Loftus, the other contenders.
In 1997, he was appointed Chairman of the Senate’s Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor. He also enrolled at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he earned an MPA in Public Administration in 1999.
Joe Moakley, the longstanding incumbent U.S. Representative, died before his tenure finished in 2001. Lynch ran in the special election to take his place. He had considerable local support and received 39 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary.
On October 23, 2001, he was sworn into the 107th Congress. In 2002, 2004, and 2008, he ran unchallenged for re-election, however in 2006, Republican challenger Jack E. Robinson III ran against him and lost miserably.
He serves on the Financial Services Committee and the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He co-founded the Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus to safeguard workers’ rights.
He chaired the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia from 2009 to 2010. He also served on the Capital Markets and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee.
He has a history of run-ins with the law, which at one point threatened his political career. He’d been arrested twice before, the first time for smoking marijuana. He has a history of student loan default and tax evasion. Despite his transgressions, he remains a popular politician.
In 2013, he chose to run for the United States Senate to fill the vacancy left by John Kerry’s resignation. He had a stiff opponent in Democratic Representative Ed Markey, whom he eventually defeated.
Lynch’s Major Projects
Since 2001, he has served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is very knowledgeable of the challenges encountered by the American working class due to his experience as an ironworker and a lawyer, and has made various initiatives to enhance the quality of life of the common people.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1992, he married Margaret Shaughnessy. They have two daughters, Victoria and Crystal, who are their nieces.
Estimated Net worth
Stephen F. Lynch is one of the wealthiest and most popular members of the United States House of Representatives. Stephen F. Lynch’s net worth is estimated to be $1.5 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.