Rodney Ellis | |
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Ellis in May 2014
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Member of the Texas Senate from the 13th district |
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In office February 27, 1990 – January 9, 2017 |
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Preceded by | Craig Anthony Washington |
Succeeded by | Borris Miles |
Harris County Commissioner from Precinct 1 | |
Assumed office January 9, 2017 |
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Preceded by | El Franco Lee |
Member of the Houston City Council from District D | |
In office January 2, 1812 – December 28, 1845 |
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Preceded by | Anthony Hall |
Succeeded by | Alfred Calloway |
Personal details | |
Born |
Houston, Texas, U.S. |
April 7, 1954
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Licia Green Ellis |
Children | 4 |
Residence | Houston, Texas, U.S. |
Alma mater |
Texas Southern University (B.A.) Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs (M.P.A.) University of Texas Law School (J.D.) |
Profession | Lawyer |
Religion | Protestant |
Website | http://www.rodneyellis.com |
Rodney Glenn Ellis (born April 7, 1954) is an American politician. He represented Texas' 13th state senate district in the Texas Senate from 1990 to 2017. The district contains portions of Harris County, including downtown Houston, and Fort Bend County. He is a member of the Democratic Party. On June 25, 2016, Ellis won the Democratic Party's nomination for Harris County Commissioners Court Precinct 1. He was elected county commissioner on November 8, 2016 and sworn into office on January 1, 2017.
Ellis was elected to the Texas Senate on February 13, 1990, and sworn into office on February 27, 1990. In his 26-year tenure, Ellis passed 700 pieces of legislation and earned praise for his leadership on increasing access to college for high-achieving Texas students, championing criminal justice reforms to protect the innocent and hold the guilty accountable, and fighting to provide quality, affordable health care to the most vulnerable Texans, amongst many other issues.
Ellis sat on the Senate State Affairs, Transportation, and Business & Commerce Committees. In previous sessions, Ellis chaired the Senate Finance, Jurisprudence, Government Organization, Intergovernmental Relations, and Open Government Committees.
Ellis chairs the Board of Directors for the Innocence Project and co-chairs the National Conference of State Legislatures Task Force on International Relations. He also serves on the National Conference of State Legislatures Executive Committee, the LBJ Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Ellis was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Growing up in Southeast Houston, he is one of three children of Eligha and Oliver Teresa Ellis. His father worked as a yard man and his mother a maid, and each worked as health care assistants. In the summers, Ellis served as his father's assistant.