State Senator Eric D. Coleman

State Senator Eric D. Coleman began serving the Second Senatorial District in January 1995. The district includes portions of Bloomfield, Windsor and Hartford. Prior to his election to the Senate, he served in the House of Representatives from 1983 to 1994.

While a member of the House of Representatives, Senator Coleman served two terms as Assistant Majority Leader. In 1991, he served a term as Majority Whip, and was elected Deputy Speaker of the House in 1993. Senator Coleman has sponsored legislation to improve Connecticut's minority business set-aside program and helped establish a mutual housing program.

Senator Coleman serves as Chair of the Planning and Development Committee. He is also the Vice Chair of the Human Services Committee and is a member of the Judiciary, and Public Health Committees. He also acts as Deputy President Pro Tempore.

Senator Coleman made history in 2001 when he was appointed to serve as Chair of the Judiciary Committee — the first African-American to hold that position. The George W. Crawford Law Association, an organization of African-American lawyers in Connecticut, and a number of civil rights organizations honored him for his contributions to the legal profession.

Senator Coleman has received numerous awards and honors since he was elected to the Senate in 1994. In 2001 the African-American Affairs Commission named Coleman “Legislator of the Year”, and he was also honored by the George Crawford Law Association, an organization of Black lawyers in Connecticut. The Legislative Education Action Program (L.E.A.P) honored him in 2000 for his work on the law that requires all cities and towns in Connecticut to observe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Senator Coleman has also been honored by the Connecticut Citizen Action Group for his commitment to social change, the Urban League of Greater Hartford Development Corporation, the Appreciation Award for support of the Annual Dr. Carter G. Woodson Scholarship of Tau Iota Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, the Greater Hartford NAACP, the Uptown Troops Color Guard, the United Negro College Fund, the Unsung Hero Award of the Upper Albany Revitalization Zone Organization, the Greater Hartford Labor Council AFL-CIO, the Connecticut Alliance for Basic Human Needs, the Nigerian American Society, the Clarence Daniels Advocacy Award of the Connecticut AIDS Residence Coalition, and the Achievement Award of the Connecticut Chapter of Men and Women for Justice, Inc.

Senator Coleman serves on the Board of Directors of Greater Hartford Legal Assistance Association and is a member of the American Bar Association as well as the Hartford County Bar Association. He is a member of Metropolitan A.M.E. Zion Church and the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, and also served on the Bloomfield Democratic Town Committee from 1984 to 2002.

Senator Coleman graduated from the Pomfret School and Columbia College of Columbia University. He received his J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1977 and established his own law practice in Hartford in 1986.

Senator Coleman resides in Bloomfield with his wife, Pamela, and their children; Trevonn, Lamar and Erica.