History of Maxine Waters in Timeline
Maxine Waters is an American politician who has served as the U.S. Representative for California's 43rd congressional district since 1991. Her district encompasses a significant portion of southern Los Angeles and includes parts of Gardena, Inglewood, and Torrance. She previously represented the 29th and 35th districts. Waters is known for her outspoken political views and activism.
August 15, 1938: Maxine Waters Born
On August 15, 1938, Maxine Moore Waters, née Carr, was born in St. Louis, Missouri.
1938: Birth of Maxine Waters
In 1938, Maxine Waters was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Remus Carr and Velma Lee (née Moore).
1961: Moved to Los Angeles
In 1961, Maxine Waters moved with her family to Los Angeles.
1966: Assistant Teacher in Head Start
In 1966, Maxine Waters became an assistant teacher with the Head Start program in Watts.
1971: Received Bachelor's Degree
In 1971, Maxine Waters received a bachelor's degree in sociology from Los Angeles State College (now California State University, Los Angeles).
1973: Chief Deputy to City Councilman
In 1973, Maxine Waters began working as chief deputy to City Councilman David S. Cunningham Jr.
1976: Elected to California State Assembly
In 1976, Maxine Waters was elected to the California State Assembly.
1990: Elected to U.S. House of Representatives
In 1990, Maxine Waters was elected to the United States House of Representatives for California's 29th congressional district.
1991: Elected to U.S. House of Representatives
In 1991, Maxine Waters began serving as the U.S. Representative for California's 43rd congressional district, then numbered as the 29th district.
July 1992: Waters Calls President Bush a Racist
In July 1992, Maxine Waters called President George H. W. Bush "a racist" who "polarized the races in this country".
1992: District Renumbered
In 1992, Maxine Waters's congressional district was renumbered as the 35th district.
1992: National Attention during Rodney King Riots
In 1992, during the riots after the Rodney King verdict, Maxine Waters gained national attention for leading a chant of "No justice, no peace" and providing relief in Watts.
1993: District Renumbered
In 1993, California's 29th congressional district, which Maxine Waters represented, was renumbered as the 35th district.
July 29, 1994: Suspended from House after interrupting Peter King
On July 29, 1994, Maxine Waters was suspended from the House for the rest of the day after repeatedly interrupting a speech by Representative Peter King.
1996: Called for CIA Crack Allegations Investigation
In 1996, after a San Jose Mercury News article alleged CIA complicity in the Los Angeles crack epidemic, Maxine Waters called for an investigation.
1997: Chaired Congressional Black Caucus
In 1997, Maxine Waters began chairing the Congressional Black Caucus.
1998: Chaired Congressional Black Caucus
In 1998, Maxine Waters continued to chair the Congressional Black Caucus.
1999: Waters calls on Clinton to return Elian Gonzalez to Cuba
In 1999, Maxine Waters called on President Bill Clinton to return six-year-old Elián González to his father in Cuba.
1999: End of term as Chair of Congressional Black Caucus
In 1999, Maxine Waters ended her term as the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
2000: Objected to Florida's Electoral Votes
In 2000, Maxine Waters objected to Florida's electoral votes, which George W. Bush narrowly won; however, the objection was dismissed.
2004: Death of Gary Webb
In 2004, Gary Webb, the author of the original story, was found dead with two bullet holes in his head, declared a suicide.
2004: Voted Against Counting Ohio's Electoral Votes
In 2004, Maxine Waters was one of 31 House Democrats who voted to not count Ohio's electoral votes in the presidential election.
2004: Allegations of Relatives Profiting from Waters' Connections
In 2004, the Los Angeles Times reported that Maxine Waters's relatives had made over $1 million in the preceding eight years by doing business with entities that Waters had helped.
2005: Named to List of Corrupt Members of Congress
In 2005, Liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Maxine Waters to its list of corrupt members of Congress.
2005: Secretly met with Farrakhan
In 2005, Maxine Waters along with other members of the Congressional Black Caucus secretly met with Louis Farrakhan.
2005: Testified on For-Profit Education Fraud
In 2005, Maxine Waters testified at the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce hearings, highlighting the American College of Medical Technology as a "problem school" in her district.
2006: Named to List of Corrupt Members of Congress
In 2006, Liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Maxine Waters to its list of corrupt members of Congress.
2006: Involved in King Drew Medical Center Debate
In 2006, Maxine Waters was involved in the debate over King Drew Medical Center, criticizing media coverage and challenging the license renewal for KTLA-TV.
January 2008: Endorsed Hillary Clinton
In late January 2008, Maxine Waters, as a superdelegate, endorsed Hillary Clinton for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination.
August 2008: Waters Introduces Stop VULTURE Funds Act
In August 2008, Maxine Waters introduced HR 6796, the Stop VULTURE Funds Act, aimed at limiting investors' ability to enforce sovereign debt against defaulting countries in U.S. courts.
September 2008: Arranged Meetings for OneUnited Bank
In September 2008, Maxine Waters arranged meetings between U.S. Treasury Department officials and OneUnited Bank, where her husband was a stockholder and former director, to seek federal aid.
2008: National Housing Trust Enacted
The National Housing Trust was enacted in 2008, but has yet to be funded.
June 2009: Named Porker of the Month
In June 2009, Citizens Against Government Waste named Maxine Waters the Porker of the Month due to her intention to obtain an earmark for the Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center.
2009: Co-sponsored Reparations Bill
In 2009, Maxine Waters co-sponsored Representative John Conyers's bill calling for reparations for slavery to be paid to black Americans.
2009: Confrontation over Earmark
In 2009, Maxine Waters had a confrontation with Representative Dave Obey over an earmark for a public school employment training center in Los Angeles named after her.
2010: Charged with Ethics Violations
In 2010, Maxine Waters was charged with violations of the House's ethics rules related to her efforts to help OneUnited Bank receive federal aid.
August 2011: Waters Criticizes Obama's Support for Black Community
In August 2011, Maxine Waters criticized President Barack Obama for being insufficiently supportive of the black community, citing the high unemployment rate.
August 20, 2011: Waters Criticizes Tea Party Movement
On August 20, 2011, Maxine Waters criticized the Tea Party movement, stating, "the 'tea party' can go straight to Hell ... and I intend to help them get there."
October 2011: Public Dispute with Obama
In October 2011, Maxine Waters had a public dispute with President Obama, arguing he focused more on swing voters than black voters.
2011: Named to List of Corrupt Members of Congress
In 2011, Liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Maxine Waters to its list of corrupt members of Congress.
2011: Voted Against National Defense Authorization Act
In 2011, Maxine Waters voted against the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 due to concerns over indefinite detention provisions.
September 21, 2012: Cleared of Ethics Charges
On September 21, 2012, the House Ethics Committee completed a report clearing Maxine Waters of all ethics charges after nearly three years of investigation.
2012: Ranking Member of House Financial Services Committee
In 2012, Maxine Waters became the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee upon Barney Frank's retirement.
2012: District Renumbered
In 2012, Maxine Waters's congressional district was renumbered as the 43rd district.
July 24, 2013: Voted in Favor of Amendment 100
On July 24, 2013, Maxine Waters voted in favor of Amendment 100 in H.R. 2397, which aimed to limit the NSA's data collection on U.S. citizens.
2013: District Renumbered Again
In 2013, California's 35th congressional district, which Maxine Waters represented, was renumbered as the 43rd district.
March 27, 2014: Introduced Home Forward Act of 2014
On March 27, 2014, Maxine Waters introduced a discussion draft of the Housing Opportunities Move the Economy Forward Act of 2014, known as the Home Forward Act of 2014, aimed at supporting affordable housing initiatives.
2016: Objected to Wyoming's Electoral Votes
In 2016, Maxine Waters objected to Wyoming's electoral votes after the presidential election, but the objection was dismissed.
July 2017: Reclaiming My Time
In July 2017, during a House Financial Services Committee meeting, Maxine Waters famously used the phrase "reclaiming my time" while questioning Secretary Mnuchin, which became associated with her criticisms of Donald Trump.
August 12, 2017: Waters Links Trump to Charlottesville Violence
On August 12, 2017, Maxine Waters linked President Trump to the violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, stating that the White House was "now the White Supremacists' House".
2017: Most recent instance of the Mace being employed for disciplinary purposes
As of 2017, July 29, 1994 incident of Maxine Waters interrupting a speech by Representative Peter King, is the most recent instance of the Mace being employed for a disciplinary purpose.
April 24, 2018: Waters Urges Trump to Resign
On April 24, 2018, while attending the Time 100 Gala, Maxine Waters urged President Trump to resign from office to avoid impeachment.
June 23, 2018: Waters Urges Harassment of Trump Officials
On June 23, 2018, Maxine Waters urged attendees at a Los Angeles rally to harass Trump administration officials after Sarah Huckabee Sanders was denied service at a restaurant.
October 24, 2018: Pipe Bombs Sent to Waters' Offices
On October 24, 2018, packages containing pipe bombs were sent to two of Maxine Waters's offices. The packages were intercepted and investigated by the FBI.
2018: Included in Time's "100 Most Influential People"
In 2018, Maxine Waters was recognized as one of Time magazine's "100 Most Influential People".
2018: Called on to Resign
In early 2018, Maxine Waters was among the members of Congress the Republican Jewish Coalition called on to resign due to their connections with Louis Farrakhan.
June 18, 2019: Waters Calls for Halt to Facebook's Libra Cryptocurrency
On June 18, 2019, Maxine Waters asked Facebook to halt its plan for the development and launching of Libra, a new cryptocurrency, citing a list of recent scandals and regulatory concerns.
December 18, 2019: Waters Votes for Trump's Impeachment
On December 18, 2019, Maxine Waters voted for both articles of impeachment against President Trump, calling him the "worst president in the history of the United States".
2019: Chaired House Financial Services Committee
In 2019, Maxine Waters became the chair of the House Financial Services Committee.
October 1, 2020: Waters Condemns Azerbaijan's Offensive Operations
On October 1, 2020, Maxine Waters co-signed a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemning Azerbaijan's offensive operations against Nagorno-Karabakh and denouncing Turkey's role in the conflict.
April 17, 2021: Waters' Comments on Daunte Wright Protests
On April 17, 2021, Maxine Waters made controversial comments while attending protests over the killing of Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, addressing the protests and the Derek Chauvin trial.
April 19, 2021: Judge Criticizes Waters' Comments in Chauvin Trial
On April 19, 2021, the judge in the Derek Chauvin trial criticized Maxine Waters' comments as "abhorrent" and disrespectful to the rule of law, denying a mistrial request but noting potential grounds for appeal.
2023: Ranking Member of House Financial Services Committee
In 2023, Maxine Waters became the ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee.
