Jane Harman (born June 28, 1945), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 2001, representing the 36th District of California (map). The 36th district includes Torrance, Redondo Beach, Venice and West Carson. She previously represented the district from 1993 to 1999. She was born in New York City, was educated at Smith College and the Harvard University School of Law, and was a lawyer, a staff member for US Senator John V. Tunney, adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, chief counsel and staff director for the United States Senate Judiciary subcommittee on constitutional rights, deputy secretary to the Cabinet at the White House (1977-1978) and special counsel to the Department of Defense before entering the House. Harman ran for Governor of California in 1998 but was defeated in the Democratic primary by then-Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of conservative Congressional Democrats, one of the few members who is not from the Deep South. She is the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). She is married to Dr. Sidney Harman, the cofounder of Harman Kardon electronics.
