Ulysses Currie

Democrat, 25^th Legislative District

Prince George's County, Maryland

Ulysses Currie was elected to the Maryland Senate in 1994 after serving eight years in the General Assembly as a member of the House of Delegates.  Currently, Senator Currie serves as Chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and as a member of the Capital Budget Subcommittee and the Pensions Subcommittee.  In this role, Senator Currie oversees the State's operating budget totaling nearly $30 billion, and the State's capital budget of approximately $810 million.  During Senator Currie's tenure as chairman of the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, Maryland has become the wealthiest state in the nation in terms of average personal income per capita.  Senator Currie also serves as Co-Chairman of the Spending Affordability Committee, and as a member of the Executive Nominations Committee, the Rules Committee, the Legislative Policy Committee, and the Joint Audit Committee. 

Senator Currie has led efforts to fund education, school construction, and law enforcement.  He has sponsored key welfare reform legislation to eliminate the marriage penalty from the welfare system that removed men from the family.  His legislative initiatives also offer incentives to businesses to effectively move people from welfare to the workplace.  He played a significant role in co-sponsoring legislation to enable young people to attend college and has been a champion of education issues for Prince George's County and the State.

A career educator prior to being elected to the Maryland General Assembly, Currie served over 30 years in positions ranging from classroom teacher and principal to supervisor of the Prince George's County Federal Head Start Program.  When in the House of Delegates, he served as Majority Whip, member of the Ways and Means Committee, Appropriations Committee, vice-chair of the Human Resources & Public Safety Subcommittee, Legislative Policy Committee; Joint Budget and Audit Committee; and the Joint Subcommittee on Program Open Space and Agricultural Land preservation.

Born in Whiteville, North Carolina, Currie served his country in the U.S. Army.  He earned a B.S. degree in Social Studies and History from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State College and a M.A. degree from American University.  He also attended Howard University and the University of Maryland, where he completed coursework for a doctorate degree in education.

A charter member of the Coalition for Handicapped Children, Currie has been active in numerous professional and civic organizations, including the Association of School-Based Administrators and Supervisors of Prince George's County, Maryland; the Mental Health Association of Prince George's County, Inc., and First College Bound.  He has received many awards and honors for his contributions to educational institutions, corporations, non-profit organizations, community and civic groups, and faith-based organizations.

Married to the Reverend Shirley A. Gravely-Currie for the past 19 years, he is the father of two sons, Ulysses Michael and Aris Ulysses.  He lives in Forestville, Maryland.