Quiz

Son of Dorothy "Dora" (Glassberg) and Elias Ben Yehuda Sanders. His father was a Polish Jewish immigrant whose family died in the Holocaust. He moved to the US from Slopnice, Poland, in 1921. Bernie's mother was born in New York, to Russian Jewish parents.

In the summer of 1963 he was found guilty of resisting arrest during a demonstration against segregation in Chicago's public schools and was fined $25.

Congressman from Vermont, 1991-2007. For most of his tenure he was the only independent in the House of Representatives.

Mayor of Burlington, the largest city in Vermont, 1981-89.

Was present at the first civil rights sit-in in Chicago history when he and 32 other students at the University of Chicago participated in one in protest of the university's segregated housing policy.

Sanders, who is Jewish, became the first non-Christian person to win a major US party's presidential primary when he won the New Hampshire Democratic primary in 2016. He's not the first person of Jewish descent to win a primary though, as three previous winners, Barry Goldwater in 1964 and John Kerry and Wesley Clark in 2004, all have Jewish ancestry but their families had converted to Christianity.

Taught political science at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in 1989.

His original family surname was Gutman. His father was born Eliasz Gutman in Poland, immigrated to the US in 1921 at age 17 and legally changed his name to Elias Sanders upon obtaining official US citizenship in 1927. It was common for European immigrants in the early 20th century to Anglicize their names to sound "more American".

US Senator from Vermont since 2007. He replaced Jim Jeffords as the only independent in the Senate and is one of two current Congressional independents (with Angus King).

Has a son named Levi Sanders (b. 1969) from a relationship with Susan Campbell Mott, and has three stepchildren with his second wife Jane Sanders (b. Mary Jane O'Meara).

Taught political science at Hamilton College in 1991.

Was captain of his track team in high school.

Has a BA degree in Political Science from the University of Chicago.

Larry David played him several times on Il Saturday Night Live (1975). On the genealogy show Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (2012) they found out that they were distantly related to each other.

Has an older brother, Lawrence (Larry) Sanders (b. April 25, 1934), who has lived in England since 1968 and in 2016 was named the Health Spokesperson for the Green Party of England and Wales.

On 2/19/19 he launched his 2020 Democratic presidential campaign.

Studied at Brooklyn College for a year (1959-60) before transferring to the University of Chicago.

If he had been elected President, he wold have been the oldest ever person to assume the Presidency at 79 years, 134 days of age in January 2021.

If he had been elected, he would have been the first president born during World War II, the first and only "Silent Generation" President, the first Jewish President, the third divorced president (the others were Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump) and the third President born in New York City (the others were Theodore Roosevelt and Trump].

Sought the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination,and ultimately won 23 contests and 43% of the popular vote. Hillary Clinton won the primary process, and Sanders suspended his campaign on 7/12/16 and formally endorsed Clinton.

His eclectic musical tastes include such artists as Ludwig van Beethoven (complete works on his iPad), Willie Nelson, Tamla Motown artists such as Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Temptations, etc.

A self-described Democratic Socialist, Sanders is the longest-serving independent Senator in U.S. congressional history.