Sidney Kramer


Sidney Kramer is an American politician.

Early life and education

Sidney was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School in 1944, and entered George Washington University where he obtained baccalaureate degrees in physics and chemistry. In 1957, he became the owner and operator of Automatic Car Washes when he moved to Montgomery County, Maryland.

Personal life

Sidney married Betty Mae and had two children together. His daughter, Rona E. Kramer, represented Maryland's 14th District in the State Senate from 2003 to 2011, and his son, Benjamin F. Kramer, has represented Maryland's 19th District in the Maryland House of Delegates since 2007. The Betty Mae Krammer Gallery and Music Room is named after her wife.

Career

In 1960, Kramer joined and actively participated in the local parent-teacher associations, the Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce, and the Montgomery County Citizens Planning Association.
A lifelong Democrat, Kramer served on the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee from 1965 to 1966. In the 1966 election, he lost a bid for a seat in the Montgomery County Council. In 1970, however, he successfully gained election to the Council and served as a member until 1974. In 1974, he was the Democratic nominee for Congress against incumbent Republican Gilbert Gude. He lost 2:1. In 1978, Kramer was elected to a seat in the Maryland Senate where he served for eight years as Chairperson of the Montgomery County Delegation. In 1986, he returned to the County and subsequently defeated then-County Council Member David Scull in the race to become the third County Executive of Montgomery County. He was defeated in the 1990 Democratic primary by Neal Potter, who went on to become the fourth Montgomery County Executive.