Alex A. Knopp (born September 23, 1947) is an American professor and former politician who served three terms as a member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

from the 139th District, which encompassed Norwalk, from 1987 to 1993. He served another four terms from the 137th District between 1993 and 2001 for the Democratic Party. From 2001 to 2005, Knopp served two-terms as

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

. He was defeated for re-election on November 8, 2005, by Republican Richard A. Moccia.

Early life and education

Knopp is the son of Burton Knopp and Fay Honey Irving of Westport. Knopp received his B.A. from

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...

in 1969, graduating

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

and

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

. He received his J.D. from

George Washington University Law School The George Washington University Law School (GW Law) is the law school of George Washington University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C. Established in 1865, GW Law is the oldest law school in Washington, D. ...

in 1981, graduating as the

valedictorian Valedictorian is an academic title for the class rank, highest-performing student of a graduation, graduating class of an academic institution in the United States. The valedictorian is generally determined by an academic institution's grade poin ...

of his class.

Career

Since 2008, Knopp has been serving as the executive director of the Center for Public Service and Social Justice at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

. Since 2006, he has also been a visiting clinical lecturer at

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

Politics

Prior to serving as mayor, he served eight terms as a member of the

, first representing the 139th District for three terms from 1987 to 1993 and then due to redistricting, representing the 137th District for four more terms from 1993 to 2001. He served two terms as Norwalk Councilman-at-Large from 1983 to 1987.

Personal life

On March 25, 1984, Knopp married Bette L. Bono (b. 1950), in

.Connecticut Marriage Index They have two children.

References

21st-century mayors of places in Connecticut George Washington University Law School alumni Living people Mayors of Norwalk, Connecticut Democratic Party members of the Connecticut House of Representatives People from Westport, Connecticut Wesleyan University alumni 1947 births 20th-century members of the Connecticut General Assembly {{Connecticut-mayor-stub