Ed Pastor was born on June 28, 1943 to Enrique and Margarita Pastor in the small mining community of Claypool, Arizona. Ed is the oldest of three children, and the first member of his family to attend college; graduating from Arizona State University in 1966 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry.

Upon graduating from ASU, Ed Pastor became a teacher at North High School where he taught chemistry. With a strong education and a commitment to giving back to his community, Ed later went on to serve as the Deputy Director of the Guadalupe Organization Inc., a non-profit, community-based organization. Ed Pastor's community work motivated him to enroll in the College of Law at ASU where he received his Juris Doctorate in 1974.

After graduating from law school, Ed joined Governor Raul Castro's staff where he enforced the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ensuring that every worker was receiving equal opportunity to work in a discrimination-free environment. In 1976, Ed Pastor was elected to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors where he served three terms before resigning in May of 1991 to run for the Congressional seat vacated by the late Mo Udall. In the fall of 1991, Ed Pastor won the special election and was elected to Congress to serve the people of what was then Arizona's Second Congressional District.

Since being elected to the United States House of Representatives, Congressman Pastor has served on the House Appropriations Committee, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, the Education and Labor Committee, and the Committee on Small Business. Currently, in the 111th Congress, Ed serves on the House Appropriations Committee and sits on three subcommittees: the Subcommittee of Energy and Water Development, the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies, and the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies. Ed also serves on the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee and is a Chief Deputy Whip in the Democratic Leadership. Ed is married to Verma Mendez Pastor. They have two daughters, Laura and Yvonne, and are the proud grandparents of Alexis, Frank, Eduardo, and Sophia.