{{short description|American politician (born 1947/48)}} {{other people|James Brewster}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = Jim Brewster.jpg | name = Jim Brewster | state_senate = Pennsylvania | district = 45th | term_start = November 17, 2010<ref>[http://www.senatorbrewster.com/brewsters-state-senate-swearing-in-set-for-wednesday-in-harrisburg SenatorBrewster.com]</ref> | term_end = November 30, 2024<ref>{{cite web | title=James Brewster | url=https://ballotpedia.org/James_Brewster }}</ref> | predecessor = Sean Logan | successor = Nick Pisciottano | birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|62|2010|12|2}} | birth_place = Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | alma_mater = | occupation = | spouse = | children = | website = }} '''James R. Brewster''' is an American politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania Senate for the 45th District from 2010 to 2024.

== Education == Brewster earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from the California University of Pennsylvania.<ref>[https://www.senatorbrewster.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Biography_3_17.pdf STATE SENATOR JIM BREWSTER]</ref>

== Career == Brewster is a former vice president for fraud management with Mellon Bank and mayor of McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

On November 2, 2010, Brewster won a special election to fill the remaining term of Senator Sean F. Logan, who had resigned his seat on August 24, 2010, to take a position at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Brewster was sworn into the Pennsylvania Senate on November 17, 2010.

In July 2020, Brewster organized a meeting with bar and restaurant owners and signed a letter to Governor Tom Wolf urging him to lessen the restrictions on them imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{cite web|date=2020-07-24|title=Pa. Legislators Send Letter To Gov. Tom Wolf, Requesting Restrictions Be Readjusted For Bars And Restaurants|url=https://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2020/07/24/pa-legislators-send-letter-to-gov-tom-wolf-requesting-restrictions-be-readjusted-for-bars-and-restaurants/|access-date=July 27, 2020|website=KDKA}}</ref>

He announced that he would not seek re-election to his seat in 2024.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brewster Decides to Retire from the PA Senate After 14 Years | date=January 11, 2024 | url=https://pasenate.com/brewster-decides-to-retire-from-the-pa-senate-after-14-years/ }}</ref>

=== 2020 election === {{See also|2020 Pennsylvania Senate election#District 45}} In January 2021, although Brewster narrowly defeated his opponent, Republican Nicole Ziccarelli, by 69 votes, the Republican-led State Senate refused to swear in Brewster for his fourth term, despite the fact that his win had already been certified by state officials.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Routh|first=Julian|date=2021-01-05|title=Pa. Senate Republicans refuse to seat Democrat Brewster in contentious swearing-in ceremony|url=https://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-state/2021/01/05/Pa-Senate-refuses-to-seat-McKeesport-s-Brewster-in-contentious-swearing-in-ceremony/stories/202101050125|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Meyer|first=Katie|date=2021-01-05|title=In Explosive Debate, Pa. GOP Refuses To Swear In Reelected Democratic Senator|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/05/953738158/in-explosive-debate-pa-gop-refuses-to-swear-in-reelected-democratic-senator|access-date=January 6, 2021|website=NPR.org|language=en}}</ref> Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman attempted to swear Brewster in. In a bizarre move, Republican leaders voted to remove Fetterman from his presiding role and halt Brewster's seating. Senator Jake Corman, when reading out names of the new and re-elected senators, intentionally omitted Brewster's, with Republicans once again voting to confirm the disruptive action.<ref>[https://whyy.org/articles/fight-over-senate-election-mars-start-of-pa-legislative-session/ In chaotic session, GOP seizes control from Fetterman, refuses to seat Democratic member who won election], ''WHYY-FM'', Katie Meyer, January 5, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.</ref>

After a federal court ruling re-affirmed his win over Ziccarelli, Brewster was sworn in on January 13, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hughes|first=Sarah Anne|date=2021-01-12|title=Federal judge rules in favor of Democratic Pa. Senate candidate GOP refused to seat|url=https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2021/01/jim-brewster-pennsylvania-senate-undated-ballots-election-2020/|access-date=2021-01-12|website=Spotlight PA|language=en-us}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/legis/home/member_information/senate_bio.cfm?id=1197 Pennsylvania Senate - Jim Brewster] *[http://www.senatorbrewster.com/ Pennsylvania Senate Democratic Caucus - Jim Brewster] {{CongLinks |votesmart=47363}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brewster, Jim}} Category:Living people Category:Democratic Party Pennsylvania state senators Category:Politicians from Pittsburgh Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:21st-century members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly