Donna Christian-Christensen
| Donna Christian-Christensen | |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from the Virgin Islands's At-large district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Victor Frazer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 19, 1945 Teaneck, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Chris Christensen |
| Alma mater | St. Mary's College, Indiana George Washington University |
| Religion | Moravian |
Donna Marie Christian-Christensen, formerly Donna Christian-Green (born September 19, 1945), is the non-voting Delegate from the United States Virgin Islands to the United States House of Representatives (map).
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Biography[edit]
Early life[edit]
Born Donna Christian in Teaneck, New Jersey, the daughter of a county judge. She attended St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana and the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. and earned an M.D.[1] She interned at San Francisco's Pacific Medical Center and performed her residency at Howard University medical center.
Career[edit]
Donna Christian-Christensen worked as a physician, first in the emergency room and later in the maternity ward. She then served as medical director for the St. Croix Hospital in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. She was the Commissioner of Health for the Virgin Islands in 1993 and 1994 and also ran a private medical practice until 1996. Christian was a delegate to the Democratic National Conventions for the 1984, 1988, and 1992 elections. She has also previously served on the Status Commission and the Board of Education for the USVI.
U.S. House of Representatives[edit]
Donna Christian-Christensen ran unsuccessfully for the position of USVI delegate in 1994, losing a three-way race to Victor Frazer of the Independent Citizens Movement. However, she was elected as a Democrat to the House in a 1996 rematch with Frazer and has served from January 3, 1997, to the present.
Christian-Christensen has supported Obama's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Shortly before the Supreme Court affirmed the legislation, she said "For 99 years, presidents have been trying to do this. Finally, our president has made it possible for each and every American."[2]
Donna Christian-Christensen is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus. She was featured on The Colbert Report's Better Know a Protectorate segment. She is also the first female physician to win a congressional election.
Elections[edit]
- 2008
During the 2008 electoral campaign,[3] she appeared in a TV advertisement endorsing the reelection of neighboring Puerto Rico Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, who went to trial after the November 2008 elections for a twenty-four-count federal Grand Jury indictment for corruption.[4] The jury found him not guilty, though he did lose his bid for re-election.
- 2010
Christian-Christensen won her 2010 reelection campaign with 71.22% of the vote.[5]
- 2012
Christian-Christensen received substantial donations, at least $37,000 dollars, for her re-election from sources that are connected to Jeffrey Thompson, the chartered health services chairman. However, since he has recently come under fire for a scandal, this money may be considered 'pecunia non grata', or unwanted money. Soon after, Thompson's firm was awarded a $6.3 million dollar government contract in the Virgin Islands, Christensen's home district.[6][7][8]
Committee assignments[edit]
Caucus memberships[edit]
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
- Congressional Travel and Tourism Caucus
- International Conservation Caucus
- Congressional Arts Caucus
Honors and recognitions[edit]
On March 23, 2009, Delegate Christensen became the Ship Sponsor of the USCGC Reef Shark during the vessel's commissioning ceremony in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Reef Shark is a new 87' cutter, built at an approximate cost of $7.5 million by Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport, Louisiana.
References[edit]
- ^ Donna Christian-Christensen, Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ "Awaiting Health Care Ruling, Leaders Tell What Black People Have To Lose". The Seattle Medium. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- ^ [1][dead link]
- ^ http://www.primerahora.com/noticia/otras/noticias/libre_sin_fianza_anibal_acevedo_vila/173083[dead link]
- ^ By ALDETH LEWIN Daily News Staff (2010-11-04). "Christensen re-elected in landslide - News". Virgin Islands Daily News. Retrieved 2012-07-09.
- ^ Mike DeBonis (18 July 2012). "Thompson’s money now poisonous to politicos". Washington Post. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ Associated Press. "Virgin Islands delegate got money from DC donor under investigation".
- ^ Associated Press. "Jeffrey Thompson has $6.3 million Virgin Island contract".
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Donna Christian-Christensen |
- Official site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record at The Washington Post
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Victor Frazer |
Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from the Virgin Islands' At-large congressional district 1997–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Eleanor Holmes Norton as Delegate to the House of Representatives from the District of Columbia's At-large district |
Order of Precedence of the United States | Succeeded by Madeleine Bordallo as Delegate to the House of Representatives from Guam's At-large district |
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- 1945 births
- African-American members of the United States House of Representatives
- African-American women in politics
- Alumni of women's universities and colleges
- American people of the Moravian Church
- Delegates to the United States House of Representatives from the United States Virgin Islands
- Democratic Party of the Virgin Islands politicians
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- George Washington University alumni
- Living people
- People from Teaneck, New Jersey
- Saint Mary's College (Indiana) alumni
- United States Virgin Islands people of the Moravian Church
- United States Virgin Islands women in politics
