PEOPLE
Greek Life: Which Lawmakers Pledged Fraternities? -- PICTURES
By Chris Heller
Updated: September 16, 2011 | 3:13 p.m.
September 13, 2011 | 9:08 a.m.
Summer is officially over and the new school year is at hand. For some college freshmen, the beginning of a new school year means the chance to pledge a fraternity. Take a look at which congressmen and senators chose to go Greek when they first stepped onto college campuses.
(RELATED: Where Hill People Go To College)
Before he was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., pledged Delta Chi while on a Naval ROTC scholarship at the University of Southern California. Webb's fraternity brothers include Reps. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, and John Mica, R-Fla., and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala. -- PHOTO: HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: HOANG DINH NAM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., who graduated from New York University, is one of eight Alpha Phi Alpha brothers currently serving in the House. -- PHOTO: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES)
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., joined Phi Sigma Kappa while he was a student at George Washington University. -- PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES)
Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is one of a few congressional members of Alpha Gamma Rho, an agricultural science fraternity. Others include Reps. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Tom Latham, R-Iowa. -- PHOTO: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/GETTY IMAGES)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., was initiated into Alpha Epsilon Pi, a predominantly Jewish fraternity, as an associate member in 1993. -- PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES)
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., joined the Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Denison University, making him a bit more relatable to Beta Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and Bill Nelson, D-Fla. -- PHOTO: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES)
House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., joined Delta Tau Delta during his time at Miami University in Ohio. His frat brothers include Sens. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., and Thomas Carper, D-Del., and Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-Ky. -- PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES)
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, pledged Delta Sigma Phi while at Iowa State on a Navy ROTC scholarship. He's not the only Delta Sig in Congress, though—Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, is in the fraternity, too. -- PHOTO: WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: WIN MCNAMEE/GETTY IMAGES)
At Southwest Baptist University, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., joined the Kappa Alpha Order. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., is also a member of the fraternity. -- PHOTO: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., is a brother of Iota Phi Theta, a predominantly black fraternity with more than 40,000 members. -- PHOTO: SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES)
Sigma Chi is one of the most well represented fraternities in Congress. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., is one of nine sitting politicians—five representatives and four senators—who pledged. -- PHOTO: SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES (SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)
Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, are both members of Pi Kappa Alpha. -- PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES)
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon during his time at the University of Tennessee. Other brothers include Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Reps. Mark Pryor, D-Ariz., Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and David Drier, R-Calif. -- PHOTO: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES)
Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, pledged Lambda Chi Alpha at Gettysburg College. Five other congressmen, including Rep. Kevin Yoder, R-Kan., are members of the fraternity. -- PHOTO CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES (PHOTO: CHIP SOMODEVILLA/GETTY IMAGES)
You've read which congressmen pledge fraternities; see which congresswomen pledge sororities. (Brendan Hoffman)
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