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Paul Hodes

(1951 - )

Paul Hodes is a Jewish American attorney, musician and politician who formerly served in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hodes (born March 21, 1951) was born in New York City and recieved his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1972. After receiving his law degree from Boston College in 1978, Hodes was hired as Assistant Attorney General of New Hampshire and worked under David Souter from 1979-1982. Hodes then worked as a state prosecutor at which time he won the state’s first criminal case against an environmental polluter.

An avid supporter of the arts, from 1990-1996 Hodes served as the first Chairman of the Board of the Capitol Center for the Arts. He was also the first Chairman of the Board of FamilyStrength and serves on the boards of Tricinium, Ltd. (a Monadnock area arts organization), the New Hampshire Children’s Alliance, and Concord Community Music School. Hodes is also a member of the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts and the New England Creative Economic Council.

In November 2006, Hodes was elected to Congress as the representative of the 2nd District of New Hampshire. He defeated incumbent republican Charlie Bass in a close campaign. Hodes had previously run against Bass in 2004, but had then lost by more than 20 percentage points.

Hodes won reelection to the House in 2008 but was defeated for in his campaign for the New Hampshire Senate seat in 2010 by Kelly Ayotte.

Hodes has also been a performer since he was an undergraduate at Dartmouth College. He and his wife, Peggo, founded Peggosus, a nationally acclaimed children’s rock group. Their songs include "If My School Was a Zoo" and "Cheerios in My Kazoo." In 1996, Peggosus was invited to perform at the White House for President Clinton. Hodes also wrote a political musical, “The Peoples House,” which premiered in 2001 and is currently working on a new opera.


Sources: Hodes for Congress, National Journal, Wikipedia