Bernie Sanders Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Bernie Sanders is considered to be arguably one of the most popular politicians in the U.S. His hold on the college students and progressives is considered as complete and total. In fact, it was his immense popularity amongst his supporters that helped him give a tough fight to Hillary Clinton. He also has decent approval amongst neutrals. Some analysts and political experts have claimed that if Sanders had been the Democratic candidate instead of Clinton, he might have halted Donald Trump‘s ascent to the U.S. White House.

Born Name

Bernie Sanders

Nick Name

Bernie

Sun Sign

Virgo

Born Place

New York City, New York, United States

Residence

He divides his time between –

• Vermont, United States
• D.C., United States

Nationality

Education

Bernie Sanders received his elementary education from Public School 197 in Brooklyn. He also used to attend Hebrew School in the afternoons. Later, he got enrolled at James Madison High School. Upon graduation from high school, he went to Brooklyn College.

However, a year later, he decided to transfer to the University of Chicago from where he graduated in 1964 with a bachelor of arts degree in Political Science.

Occupation

Politician, United States Senator, Singer

Family

• Father – Elias Ben Yehuda Sanders (Paint Salesman)
• Mother – Dorothy Sanders
• Siblings – Larry Sanders (Older Brother) (Academic, Social Worker, Health Spokesperson of the Green Party of England and Wales)
• Others – Leibisch “Leon” Yehuda Sander (Paternal Grandfather), Ettel /Etla /Jetti “Ethel” Guttman (Paternal Grandmother), Benjamin /Benyamin Ben Avraham Meier Glassberg (Maternal Grandfather), Breine “Bessie” Greenberg (Maternal Grandmother)

Manager

Not Applicable

Genre

Folk, Spoken Word

Instruments

Vocals

Labels

He released his album, We Shall Overcome, via BurlingTown in 1987.

Build

Average

Height

6 ft or 183 cm

Weight

80 kg or 176.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Bernie Sanders has dated –

1. Deborah Shiling Messing – Bernie Sanders first met Deborah Shiling Messing while they were studying in college. They grew close while volunteering on the Israeli kibbutz Sha’ar HaAmakim for several months. They eventually got married in a small and intimate wedding ceremony in 1964. However, the couple decided to end the marriage in 1966.
2. Susan Campbell Mott – After his divorce from Deborah, Sanders went out with Susan Campbell Mott. She gave birth to his son, Levi Sanders, in 1969.
3. Jane O’Meara Driscoll (1988-Present) – In 1988, he got married to the social worker and college administrator, Jane O’Meara Driscoll. As a result of their marriage, he became stepfather to her 3 children – Dave Driscoll (born 1975), Carina Driscoll (born 1974), and Heather Driscoll (born 1971).

Race / Ethnicity

White

He has Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry.

Hair Color

White

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

Gravelly Voice

Religion

Judaism

He had his bar mitzvah in 1954.

Best Known For

Arguably being the most popular socialist politician in the United States. He began his political career in the 80s and vocally supported socialism when it wasn’t even considered a mainstream political ideology.

First Album

He released his debut album, We Shall Overcome, in 1987. He had collaborated with 30 Vermont musicians for the album.

First Film

In 1988, he made his theatrical film debut in the romantic drama movie, Sweet Hearts Dance. However, his appearance in the movie wasn’t credited.

His first credited theatrical film appearance came in 1999 in the musical comedy movie, My X-Girlfriend’s Wedding Reception.

First TV Show

In 2005, Bernie Sanders made his first TV show appearance in the talk show, Real Time with Bill Maher.

Personal Trainer

Bernie Sanders has made changes to his eating habits to keep himself in good shape and to deal with his advancing age. When he is at home, he likes to start his day with a light breakfast of Raisin Bran, cherry juice, and an English muffin. When he is eating out, he likes to have bacon and eggs for breakfast.

For his dinner, he likes to have a prime rib with broccoli and corn on the cob. In fact, he is an avid meat eater and prefers to have locally raised meat. He has also added some healthier options such as fresh fruits, salads, and turkey sandwiches to his meal.

Bernie Sanders Favorite Things

• Restaurant – Burlington’s India House in Vermont (where he loves to eat tandoori pork)

Source – People

Bernie Sanders Facts

1. While studying in high school, he was active in track events and even managed to finish in the 3rd place in the New York City indoor one-mile race. He was also the captain of the high school track team.
2. He participated in his first election while studying in high school. However, he wasn’t successful and finished in the last spot amongst 3 candidates in the election for the student body presidency.
3. While he was studying at the University of Chicago, he became a member of the Young People’s Socialist League (the youth affiliate of the Socialist Party of America). He was also a member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).
4. As the Chairman of the university chapter of the CORE, he presided over its merger with the university chapter of SNCC.
5. He was a fierce opponent of the police brutality while studying in university and once, spent a whole day putting fliers against it. But, he noticed that a police car had been following him all along and had also been removing the fliers.
6. In 1963, he was in attendance at the ‘March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom’. It was at this event that the civil rights movement icon, Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his I Have a Dream speech.
7. During the Vietnam war, he applied for conscientious objector status. Later, his application was eventually turned down because, by that time, he had become too old to be drafted in the armed forces.
8. Although he was an active member of many peace and antiwar movements in the 60s and 70s and was also a vocal opponent of the Vietnam war, he has never criticized anyone who fought in the war. In fact, he is a staunch supporter of veterans’ benefits.
9. After graduating from college, he moved to New York City and did a number of jobs which included working as a carpenter, psychiatric aid, and Head Start teacher.
10. In 1968, he decided to move to Vermont after falling in love with rural life. There, he worked as a carpenter, filmmaker, and writer. He used to create and sell the so-called ‘radical film strips’ and educational material to schools.
11. In 1971, he became a member of the Liberty Union Party and started his electoral political career. He was party’s nominee for governor of Vermont in 1972 and 1976. He was also party’s candidate for U.S. senator in 1972 and 1974.
12. In October 1977, he announced that he would be retiring from the Liberty Union Party. He started working as the director and writer of the nonprofit American People’s Historical Society (APHS).
13. In 1980, he decided to take on incumbent Democratic mayor Gordon “Gordie” Paquette in the election for mayor of Burlington, Vermont. Paquette had served as a mayor for 5 terms and has been a member of the Burlington City Council for 13 years before becoming the mayor.
14. Under Sanders’ leadership, Burlington became the first city in the U.S. to support community-trust housing. He also led to city’s lawsuit against the local television cable franchise, which resulted in reduced rates for the customers.
15. His administration also helped balance the city budgets. The administration also brought a minor league baseball team, the Vermont Reds, which was a Double-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, to the city.
16. In 1990, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, thus, becoming the first independent candidate to be elected to the Congress since Frazier Reams, who was elected in 1950.
17. In April 2005, Sanders announced that he was going to run for U.S. Senate after Senator Jim Jeffords announced that he would be retiring after his 3rd term.
18. Sanders was immediately endorsed by Chuck Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which implied that no other Democratic candidate would get financial assistance from the party.
19. In May 2015, he officially announced his campaign for the U.S. Presidential election. For his campaign, he rejected large donations from the financial industry, any Super PAC, and corporations. He largely relied on his supporters’ enthusiasm to drive his campaign forward.
20. In the Democratic primary, he managed to give Hillary Clinton a close run by winning 23 caucuses and primaries. Overall, he managed to win approximately 46% of pledged delegates to Clinton’s 54%.
21. In November 2016, he published his book, Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In. Immediately after the release, the book managed to climb to the 3rd spot on The New York Times Best Seller list.
22. Visit his official website @ berniesanders.com.
23. Follow Bernie Sanders on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Featured Image by United States Congress / sanders.senate.gov / Public Domain