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James G. Abourezk, born in Wood, South Dakota, was the first Arab-American to serve in the United States Congress. Growing up on the Rosebud Reservation, he attended schools in Wood and Mission. After high school, Abourezk served in the United States Navy from 1948-1952. He graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology with a civil engineering degree in 1961. He attended the University of South Dakota Law School and was admitted to the South Dakota bar in 1966. After a successful election on the Democratic ticket, Abourezk served in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1973. He won the 1972 campaign for the Senate seat vacated by Karl Mundt. Abourezk served in the Senate from 1973 to 1979 when he decided not to run for re-election. After leaving the Senate, Abourezk practiced law in Washington, D.C. before returning to South Dakota.
