Richard Sherzan

{{Short description|American politician (born 1946)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name =Richard Sherzan

|image =

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|office=Member of the Iowa House of Representatives

|term_start =January 8, 1979

|term_end =January 11, 1981

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|birth_name=

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|12|22}}

|birth_place =Mobile, Alabama, U.S.

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|party = Democratic

|occupation=Retired (2014) Administrative Law Judge

|spouse =

|children =

|relations=Gary, Helen, Michael (brothers and sister)

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|module={{Infobox military person|embed=yes

|allegiance = United States

|branch = Army

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|battles = Vietnam War

|battles_label = Wars

|awards = Purple Heart Award; and Bronze Star Award with "V" Device}}

}}

Richard E. Sherzan (born December 22, 1946) is an American politician living in the State of Iowa.{{Cite web |title=State Representative |url=https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=68&personID=63 |access-date=2023-04-11 |website=www.legis.iowa.gov}} He is a lifelong Democrat. Sherzan was born in Mobile, Alabama, to Gloria and Edward Sherzan. He grew up in Des Moines, Iowa. He moved to Arizona in 1983, and then returned to live in Iowa, in 2021. He has an M.A., Master's degree, in American History, University of Iowa, and a J.D. degree from Drake University Law School, in Des Moines. In 1976, he was Polk County, Iowa, Coordinator for the Morris K. Udall Presidential Campaign. He served in the Iowa State Legislature, House of Representatives, from 1979 to 1981, after a year long, door-to-door campaign.{{Cite news |date=January 7, 1979 |title=Meet the Members of the Iowa House |pages=34 |work=The Des Moines Register}}

While living in Arizona, he worked as a law clerk with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office (Civil Division); Arizona Attorney General's Office (Criminal Division); and private law firms (self-employed). He has a Community College Teacher Certification (Law, History) from Arizona; and has been a part-time Community College Teacher, and Substitute Teacher, K-12. In 2014, after working 17 years, he retired, as an Administrative Law Judge, from the Arizona Dept. of Economic Security, Unemployment Insurance Office of Appeals. He is a U.S. Army, Vietnam War Veteran, with Honorable Discharge; Purple Heart Award; and Bronze Star Award with "V" Device (heroism in ground combat, Vietnam). He also protested the Vietnam War.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

In Arizona, Sherzan was a candidate for the U.S. Senate in the Arizona Democratic Party primary elections of 2016 and 2018.The Arizona Republic Newspaper, May 3, 2015, [https://www.azcentral.com/story/ejmontini/2015/05/03/richard-sherzan-claire-sargent-u-s-senate-john-mccain/26659097/ "Democrat believes sixth time is charm against McCain"]; The Arizona Republic Newspaper, September 28, 2017, [https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2017/09/28/rep-kyrsten-sinema-enters-senate-race-hoping-unseat-jeff-flake/609555001/ "Rep. Kyrsten Sinema enters Senate race, hoping to unseat Jeff Flake"]