Tom Perez

Tom Perez – Life, Career, and Notable Quotes

Discover the life story, public service, and memorable quotes of Tom Perez (born October 7, 1961), an American politician, civil rights lawyer, former U.S. Secretary of Labor, and Democratic Party leader.

Introduction

Tom Perez (full name Thomas Edward Perez) is an American politician, attorney, and public servant who has held senior roles in the U.S. government and the Democratic Party. Born on October 7, 1961, he has become a prominent figure in civil rights, labor policy, and party leadership. Over his career, Perez has championed worker protections, voting rights, and equality under the law.

Early Life and Family

Tom Perez was born in Buffalo, New York, to parents of Dominican descent. His father, Rafael Pérez, was a physician who had emigrated to the U.S. and served at a Veterans Affairs hospital. His mother, Grace (née Altagracia Brache Bernard), came from a family with diplomatic connections; her father, Rafael Brache, served as ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United States.

Perez is one of multiple siblings; his father passed away from a heart attack when Tom was around twelve years old.

He attended Canisius High School, a Jesuit boys’ school in Buffalo, New York.

Education

  • Perez earned a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and political science from Brown University in 1983.

  • In 1987, he obtained a Juris Doctor (J.D.), cum laude, from Harvard Law School, along with a Master of Public Policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

  • Early in his legal career, he clerked for Judge Zita Weinshienk on the U.S. District Court in Colorado (1987–1989).

Career & Public Service

Perez’s career has spanned civil rights law, public administration, local government, and party leadership.

Federal Civil Rights & Early Roles

  • From 1989 to 1995, he worked as a federal prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

  • Later, he served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights under Attorney General Janet Reno.

  • From 1995 to 1998, Perez was an adviser to U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, focusing on civil rights, criminal justice, and constitutional issues.

  • During the final years of the Clinton administration, Perez directed the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Local & State Government

  • In 2002, Perez was elected to the Montgomery County Council (Maryland), representing the 5th district. He served until 2006 and during that period also became Council President (2005–2006).

  • In 2006, he ran for Maryland Attorney General, but legal challenges arose regarding his eligibility under state bar experience rules; ultimately, his candidacy was rejected by the Maryland Court of Appeals.

  • In January 2007, Perez was appointed Secretary of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation by Governor Martin O’Malley, serving until October 2009.

  • In that role, he prosecuted workplace fraud, reformed labor rules (such as cracking down on misclassification of workers), and supported living wage proposals.

U.S. Department of Justice & Labor

  • In October 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Perez as Assistant Attorney General, heading the Civil Rights Division at DOJ; the Senate confirmed him later that year.

  • In this capacity, Perez oversaw key civil rights enforcement, including discrimination suits, oversight of police practices, voting rights challenges, and application of statutes like the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Act.

  • In July 2013, Obama nominated him as U.S. Secretary of Labor, and Perez was confirmed along party lines.

  • As Labor Secretary, Perez advanced a number of rules and reforms, including the Fiduciary Rule for retirement advisors, the Home Care Rule to ensure overtime pay for home health workers, and rules related to “persuader” disclosures in union avoidance.

  • Some of these rules were challenged or struck down in court; Perez also made “house calls” (onsite visits) to interact with workers and hear their concerns directly.

Democratic Party Leadership

  • In December 2016, Perez announced his candidacy to be Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), pledging reforms including rejecting lobbyist and dark money funding.

  • On February 25, 2017, Perez won the DNC chairmanship on the second ballot, defeating Representative Keith Ellison; he became the first Latino ever to lead the DNC.

  • He served as DNC Chair until January 2021, declining to run for a second full term.

  • During his tenure, he launched a “Unity Tour” with Senator Bernie Sanders to unify progressive factions.

Recent Roles

  • In 2021, Perez ran in the Democratic primary for Governor of Maryland in 2022, but lost the nomination to Wes Moore.

  • In June 2023, President Joe Biden appointed Perez as Senior Advisor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, roles he held until the end of the administration in January 2025.

Personality & Vision

Perez is known for combining legal expertise, activism, pragmatism, and messaging skills. He often emphasizes inclusion, equity, and fairness in labor and civil rights policy.

He has frequently framed civil rights as persistent, ongoing work—not as issues resolved once and for all.

During his public service, he has been willing to engage directly with communities and workers to understand their lived challenges—e.g. visiting workplaces and listening to stories.

Because some of his signature rules were challenged in courts, Perez’s approach also underscores the tension between executive regulatory ambition and judicial or legislative constraints.

Notable Quotes

Here are some quotations and statements attributed to Tom Perez:

  • “Civil rights is the unfinished business of America.”

  • During his DNC campaign, Perez pledged: “I will not take money from federal lobbyists, foreign nationals, or current Labor Department employees.”

  • On worker protections and dignity: as Labor Secretary, he emphasized the importance of meaningful hearing from workers in shaping policy. (Paraphrase drawn from reports of his “house calls” and outreach)

  • On unity in politics: when he won the DNC chair, he moved to appoint Keith Ellison as deputy chair, signaling an effort at internal bridge-building.

Lessons & Legacy

  1. Persistence in civil rights work
    Perez’s career reflects that civil and human rights remain ongoing challenges, demanding vigilance and institutional attention.

  2. Policy requires listening
    His frequent site visits and direct engagement with affected communities suggest that policy rooted in lived experience is more grounded.

  3. Balancing ambition with constraints
    His regulatory efforts (e.g. in labor law) encountered judicial pushback, illustrating the limits of executive authority and the need for coalition support.

  4. Leadership through inclusion
    As DNC Chair, Perez sought to unite different wings of the Democratic Party, signaling that plural leadership can strengthen rather than divide.

  5. Multi-dimensional public service
    His trajectory from civil rights to party leadership to intergovernmental affairs shows how public roles can cross branches and functions of government.

His full legacy is still in formation, but he leaves behind a footprint in labor policy, civil rights enforcement, and party institutional reform.

Articles by the author

In the wealthiest nation on Earth, no one who works a full time job should have to live in poverty. That's a fundamental value proposition, an article of faith in our country that I know an overwhelming majority of Americans agree on.

Tom Perez

Each year, Labor Day gives us an opportunity to recognize the invaluable contributions that working men and women make to our nation, our economy and our collective prosperity. It gives us a chance to show gratitude for workers' grit, dedication, ingenuity and strength, which define our nation's character.

Tom Perez

Budgets are moral documents. They reflect the values of any government and when you're compromising clean air, clean water, and lead, you're making a statement about communities you don't care about.

Tom Perez

I had the luxury of skipping the cabinet meeting to attend my daughter's graduation. So many people don't have the luxury of taking an hour away from the workplace to attend indispensable family commitments. We have to change that dynamic.

Tom Perez

The first Friday of every month is what we call Numbers Day - it's the day that the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the monthly jobs report. We have a ritual at the Labor Department - at 8 A.M., we gather around a table in my office, and the commissioner of labor statistics briefs me and the department's senior leadership on the numbers.

Tom Perez

There's a myth out there that you have to genuflect at the altar of quarterly earnings. But it's a false choice that you can either be a good fiduciary or promote values such as environmental sustainability.

Tom Perez

The theme of the Labor Department's centennial is 'Then, Now, Next.' So in honoring Esther Peterson, we look not just to the past but to the future, acknowledging with honesty and a sense of purpose the lingering challenges we still face and the distance we've yet to travel before equality is truly a reality in the lives of all women.

Tom Perez

From the new hate crimes law to the repeal of DOMA and 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' to the emerging popular support for marriage equality, we are making progress at breakneck speed. As someone who has dedicated most of my career to civil rights law, I am deeply moved by this sea change and proud to have done my part.

Tom Perez

The United States is one of the few nations on the planet where paid family and medical leave or earned sick time is not the law of the land.

Tom Perez

My father earned his citizenship by serving in the Army during World War II. He devoted his life to caring for our nations veterans at a VA hospital in Buffalo, New York. That desire to serve fellow Americans propelled my four siblings into medical careers, too.

Tom Perez

I believe the passage of a national paid family and medical leave law is not a question of if, but when. But as is so often the case on important public policy issues, we need states and localities to be the incubators of innovation.

Tom Perez

With patience, persistence, and partnership, we can create economic opportunity for every person willing to work hard for it.

Tom Perez

The Labor Department's Hall of Honor recognizes men and women - like Cesar Chavez, Helen Keller and the Workers of the Memphis Sanitation Strike - who have made invaluable contributions to the welfare of American workers.

Tom Perez