Steven Dane Irwin (born July 1, 1959) is an American lawyer, activist, and politician who currently serves as Chair of the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee of the
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility fo ...
and previously served as the
Banking and Securities Commissioner of Pennsylvania.
A member of the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
, Irwin
ran for Congress in 2022, but was defeated in one of the nation's closest races, by State Representative
Summer Lee in the primary.
Early life
Irwin spent his early childhood in
Queens, New York
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...
and moved to
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
when he was age 10.
His father, a
Korean War
, date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...
veteran, worked as a butcher and his mother worked as a secretary to a Rabbi.
One of the only Jews in St. Petersburg, he was often bullied and his house was egged because he was Jewish.
He attended
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, on a scholarship, and went on to attend
Georgetown Law School
The Georgetown University Law Center (Georgetown Law) is the law school of Georgetown University, a private research university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law school in the United States by enrollment and ...
.
At Georgetown Law, Irwin wrote for three of the school's law journals.
Career
Irwin worked as a legislative aid for Senator
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter (February 12, 1930 – October 14, 2012) was an American lawyer, author and politician who served as a United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1981 to 2011. Specter was a Democrat from 1951 to 1965, then a Republican fr ...
from 1982 to 1986.
While working for Specter, Irwin took a leading role in helping to establish the
Pittsburgh Light Rail
The Pittsburgh Light Rail (commonly known as The T) is a light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and surrounding suburbs. It operates as a deep-level subway in Downtown Pittsburgh, but runs mostly at-grade in the suburbs south of the ci ...
and the
Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway
The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway is a two-lane bus-only highway serving the city of Pittsburgh and many of its eastern neighborhoods and suburbs. It was named after Martin Luther King Jr. in recognition of the eastern portion of the route ...
.
Following his work with Specter, Irwin moved to Pittsburgh, to live with his wife, a Pittsburgh-native.
His first job in Pittsburgh was clerking for judge
Joseph F. Weis Jr., who served on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (in case citations, 3d Cir.) is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:
* District of Delaware
* District of New Jersey
* Ea ...
.
Irwin is an attorney and litigates complex commercial, employment and regulatory matters.
He serves as counsel for the Healthcare Council of Western Pennsylvania,
Pittsburgh Zoo
__NOTOC__
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is one of only six major zoo and aquarium combinations in the United States. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Highland Park, the zoo sits on of park land where it exhibits more than 4,000 animals repr ...
and
PPG Aquarium
__NOTOC__
The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is one of only six major zoo and aquarium combinations in the United States. Located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Highland Park, the zoo sits on of park land where it exhibits more than 4,000 animals repr ...
.
In 2006, Irwin was nominated to the position of
Banking Commissioner of Pennsylvania, by Governor
Ed Rendell
Edward Gene Rendell (; born January 5, 1944) is an American lawyer, prosecutor, politician, and author. He served as the 45th Governor of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2011, as chair of the national Democratic Party, and as the 96th Mayor of Philade ...
and he was confirmed by the
Pennsylvania Senate
The Pennsylvania State Senate is the upper house of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, the Pennsylvania state legislature. The State Senate meets in the State Capitol building in Harrisburg. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered ...
.
Irwin served in this position, during the Rendell and
Corbett Corbett may refer to:
* List of Corbetts (mountains), 222 mountains in Scotland between , with prominence over
* Corbett, Oregon, a community in the United States
* Corbett Award, US award for athletics administrators
* Corbett (surname), people w ...
administrations before Corbett, a Republican, removed him from the position in 2014.
In this position, Irwin oversaw state investment regulations and fought financial fraud.
He closely worked with the
North American Securities Administrators Association
The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA), founded in Kansas in 1919, is the oldest international investor protection organization. NASAA is an association of state securities administrators who are charged with the responsi ...
to translate the
Dodd-Frank Act to the state level.
Irwin has long been an active member of the Allegheny County Democratic Committee and served as the campaign manager, four times, for the Democratic nominees running for
Attorney General of Pennsylvania.
Irwin also serves as the host of the Pittsburgh political show, "Political Jungle" that airs on PCTV.
2022 Congressional campaign
Irwin announced his candidacy for
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district
Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district is located in southwestern Pennsylvania, which includes Pittsburgh and much of Allegheny County. It has been represented since January 3, 2023 by Summer Lee.
Prior to 2018, the 12th district was located ...
in November 2021.
Congressman
Mike Doyle Michael, Mick or Mike Doyle may refer to:
Politics
* Michael Doyle (Irish politician), Irish Farmers' Party politician from Wexford, TD from 1922 to 1927
*Michael Doyle, alleged member of the Molly Maguires
*Mike Doyle (American politician) (born ...
had previously announced his retirement and went on to endorse Irwin's candidacy in March 2022.
Irwin's candidacy was also endorsed by former Pittsburgh Mayor
Bill Peduto
William Mark Peduto (born October 30, 1964) is an American politician who was the 60th mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 2014 until 2022. He was a Democratic member of the Pittsburgh City Council from 2002 to 2014.
Before his election to ...
, Rendell and
Democratic Majority for Israel
The Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) is a centrist or left-leaning American advocacy group that supports pro-Israel policies among the United States Democratic Party's political leaders. DMFI was founded in January 2019 in reaction to pol ...
.
The initial votes, which were primarily mail-in ballots, favored Irwin and he held a commanding lead on much of election night.
However, his lead shrank when in-person votes were tabulated and he lost to State Representative
Summer Lee by less than 750 votes.
Personal life
Irwin is married to his wife, Andi, an artist, and has three children.
He is an avid musician and plays the
accordion
Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
.
He is a former member of the synagogue,
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation
Tree of Life – Or L'Simcha Congregation () is a Conservative Jewish synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The congregation moved into its present synagogue building in 1953. It merged with Congregation Or L'S ...
where there was a
mass shooting
There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...
in 2018.
Irwin personally knew about half of the 11 shooting victims.
Irwin currently serves on the
Anti-Defamation League's Midwest regional board and previously served as an ADL National Commissioner.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Irwin (attorney), Steve
1959 births
21st-century American politicians
Candidates in the 2022 United States House of Representatives elections
Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Living people
Pennsylvania Democrats
Harvard University alumni
21st-century American Jews