Alan Scott Frumin (; born December 26, 1946) is a former

parliamentarian of the United States Senate The Parliamentarian of the United States Senate is the official advisor to the United States Senate on the interpretation of Standing Rules of the United States Senate and parliamentary procedure. Incumbent parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ...

Career

A 1968 graduate of

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and

Georgetown University Law Center 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 ...

, Frumin's entire career has been spent giving non-partisan procedural advice in the United States Congress. He began his career in 1974 by participating in the editing of ''Deschler's Precedents of the House of Representatives'' (the official authoritative compilation of the precedents of the House) before joining the Senate Parliamentarian's Office in 1977. He is the editor of ''Riddick's Senate Procedure'', the official authoritative compilation of Senate precedents.Lisa Friedman (2008) The Almanac of the Unelected 2008: Staff of the U.S. Congress. 405. Pennsylvania: Bernan Press. He was promoted to the position of chief parliamentarian in 1987, when the Democratic party obtained a majority and control of the Senate, and the incumbent parliamentarian,

Robert Dove Robert B. Dove (October 18, 1938 – July 28, 2021) was a parliamentarian of the United States Senate and a professor of political science at George Washington University. Early life and education Dove was born in Hamilton, Ohio and attended Ohi ...

, was dismissed. In 1995, when the Republican party regained control of the Senate, Dove was reinstated as parliamentarian, and Frumin was returned to his previous position as top assistant. In 1997, while serving as the senior assistant parliamentarian, the Senate honored Frumin by granting him the status of parliamentarian emeritus. In May 2001, Dove was again dismissed, this time by the

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

majority leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.

Trent Lott Chester Trent Lott Sr. (born October 9, 1941) is an American lawyer, author, and politician. A former United States Senator from Mississippi, Lott served in numerous leadership positions in both the United States House of Representatives and the ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, and Frumin was again promoted to chief parliamentarian, thus becoming the first person to become chief parliamentarian under both parties. He was subsequently retained as chief parliamentarian at each successive change in party control of the Senate: in June 2001; January 2003; and January 2007. His 35-year-and-one-month tenure in the Senate Parliamentarian's Office is the longest such tenure in the history of that office, and his 18-year and 10-month service as chief parliamentarian is second only to the 29½ years served by

Charles L. Watkins Charles Lee Watkins (1879-1966) was the first Parliamentarian of the United States Senate. Early life and education Watkins was born on August 10, 1879, in Mount Ida, Arkansas. He attended the University of Arkansas School of Law. Career Wat ...

, the Senate's first parliamentarian. Frumin began receiving significant media coverage and notice in his usually quiet role during the 2010 healthcare reform debate for the critical role he played in determining the validity of the

reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Sculpture * ''Reconciliation'' (Josefina de Vasconcellos sculpture), a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos in Coventry Cathedra ...

procedure being employed to apply changes desired by the House to portions of the

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Affordable Care Act (ACA), formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and colloquially known as Obamacare, is a landmark U.S. federal statute enacted by the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by Presi ...

passed by both houses. In November 2011, Frumin was included on ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...

'' list of Washington's most powerful, least famous people.

Family

Frumin was born December 26, 1946, to Harry H. and Nanette Frumin in

. He has one sister, Leslie. On February 15, 1981, he married

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...

lawyer Jill Meryl (née Brown); they have one daughter, Allison.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Frumin, Alan 1946 births 21st-century American politicians Colgate University alumni Georgetown University Law Center alumni Living people Parliamentarians of the United States Senate People from Bethesda, Maryland