Marvin Abney
Representative · State house · Rhode Island · District 73
Democratic
Biography
Marvin L. Abney (D) has served the residents of Newport and Middletown in District 73 since first being elected in November 2012. In May 2016, he was named chairman of the House Finance Committee, which is tasked with adopting the annual state budget. He also serves on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, the House Committee on Conduct and the Special Legislative Commission on Defense Economy Planning. He serves on the National Conference of State Legislators' (NCSL) Foundation Board of Directors. He is a member of the Council of State Governments' (CSG) National Leadership Team and a member of the CSG Eastern Region Executive Committee. In addition, Chairman Abney served as a member of the 2012 Electoral College. Chairman Abney is a retired Major of the United States Army after a 20-year Army career, including a tour of duty as a detachment commander at NATO Headquarters with responsibilities in Belgium, the American Embassy in Paris, France, and the Netherlands. In 2025, he was inducted into the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame at Fort Moore in Georgia. He also retired from the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where he held the position of executive assistant to the commissioner. He taught general business courses at City Colleges of Chicago, European Division. He attended Dunbar High School in Texarkana, Texas, and in 2018 was honored by the Texarkana Independent School District as a Distinguished Alumnus. He is a four-time finisher of the New York City Marathon and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
On the record
- Education
- Stephen F. Austin State University, bachelor's degree in public administration, 1975; Webster University, master's of management, 1982; Command and General Staff College, late 1980s; University of Rhode Island, master's of business administration, 2000; Johnson & Wales University, certificate of advanced graduate study in educational leadership, 2005
- Profession
- Retired United States Army Major; Retired executive assistant to the commissioner at the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education; Instructor
- Born
- 1949-11-10
- Birthplace
- Texarkana, TX
- Family
- Married; three children, six grandchildren.
Contact
- Capitol office
- 82 Smith St., Providence, RI 02903 · 401-222-3580
- Phone
- 401-222-3580
- rep-abney@rilegislature.gov