Tony Coelho

Tony Coelho

Anthony Lee "Tony" Coelho (born June 15, 1942 in Los Banos , California ) is an American politician . Between 1979 and 1989 he represented the state of California in the US House of Representatives .

Career

Tony Coelho attended the public schools in Dos Palos and then studied until 1964 at Loyola University in Los Angeles . Between 1965 and 1978 he was on the staff of Congressman Bernice F. Sisk . During this time he also worked in an advisory and administrative role for various congress committees. Politically, Coelho joined the Democratic Party . Between 1976 and 1988 he was a delegate to the respective Democratic National Conventions . He also attended several regional Democratic Party conventions in California.

In the 1978 congressional election , Coelho was elected to the 15th  constituency of California in the US House of Representatives in Washington, DC , where he succeeded Bernice Sisk on January 3, 1979. After five re-elections, he could remain in Congress until his resignation on June 15, 1989 . There he campaigned for the disabled. He was a co-initiator of the Americans with Disabilities Act . His resignation came after he made negative headlines in the press linking him to questionable private money deals. But there was never any charge or conviction.

After his time in the US House of Representatives, Coelho worked as a department director for an investment firm. In 1992 he was involved in the house banking scandal. Between 1994 and 2000 he was Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities . Coelho was also chairman of the Epilepsy Foundation , of which he is still a member today.

Web links

• Tony Coelho in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)