Representative Earl F. Hilliard - Contact Information

Earl Frederick Hilliard (born April 9, 1942) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Alabama who served as the U.S. Representative for Alabama’s 7th Congressional District from 1993 to 2003. A member of the Democratic Party, he contributed to the legislative process during five terms in office, representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American political history. Over the course of his career, he also served in both the Alabama House of Representatives and the Alabama Senate, becoming a prominent figure in state and national politics. His son, Earl Hilliard Jr., has followed him into public service and is also a politician.

Hilliard was born on April 9, 1942, in Birmingham, Alabama, and grew up in the segregated South, an experience that helped shape his later commitment to civil rights and public service. Raised in a period of intense social and political change, he came of age as the civil rights movement was transforming Alabama and the broader United States. These early experiences in Birmingham, a focal point of civil rights activism, informed his understanding of racial justice, economic opportunity, and the role of government in addressing inequality.

Hilliard pursued higher education as part of his path into professional and public life. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, one of the nation’s leading historically Black colleges, where he studied political science and was exposed to a broad network of emerging African American leaders. He later studied law, equipping himself with the legal training that would underpin both his private practice and his legislative work. His legal education and early professional experience as an attorney provided him with a detailed understanding of the law and the workings of state and local government, which he would later apply in his political career.

Hilliard’s formal political career began at the state level in Alabama. He was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives, where he served as a member of the Democratic Party and worked on issues affecting his district and the state as a whole. Building on this experience, he went on to serve in the Alabama Senate. In these roles, he gained a reputation as a capable legislator and advocate for his constituents, focusing on matters such as economic development, education, and infrastructure, and developing the legislative skills and relationships that would support his later service in Congress.

In 1992, Hilliard was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Alabama’s 7th District, taking office on January 3, 1993. His election was historically significant, as he became the first African American elected to Congress from Alabama since Reconstruction. During his five terms in the House of Representatives, from 1993 to 2003, he participated actively in the democratic process and contributed to the legislative work of the chamber. Serving during a period marked by debates over economic policy, health care, welfare reform, and foreign affairs, he represented a district that included many of Alabama’s African American communities and areas facing persistent economic challenges. In Congress, he worked to secure federal resources for his district, supported programs aimed at improving education and job opportunities, and advocated for civil rights and voting rights protections.

Hilliard’s decade in Congress coincided with significant national and international events, including the end of the Cold War era, the economic expansion of the 1990s, and the early years of the war on terror. Within this context, he aligned with the Democratic Party on major domestic policy questions and sought to ensure that the needs of his constituents in Alabama’s 7th District were reflected in federal decision-making. His service in Congress from 1993 to 2003 thus placed him at the center of key legislative debates, and he remained a visible advocate for his district’s interests throughout his tenure.

After leaving Congress in 2003, Hilliard returned to private life and continued to be involved in civic and political affairs in Alabama. Drawing on his background as an attorney and former legislator, he remained engaged in community development and political advocacy, while also supporting the next generation of leaders, including his son, Earl Hilliard Jr., who entered public office in the Alabama Legislature. Hilliard’s long career in public service—from the Alabama House of Representatives and Alabama Senate to the U.S. House of Representatives—has made him a notable figure in Alabama’s political history and an important participant in the broader story of African American representation in Congress.