Louise Slaughter
| Louise Slaughter | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 25th district |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2013 |
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 28th district |
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| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2013 |
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| Preceded by | Matthew F. McHugh |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 30th district |
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| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993 |
|
| Preceded by | Fred J. Eckert |
| Succeeded by | Jack Quinn (politician) |
| Chairman of the House Rules Committee | |
| In office January 4, 2007 – January 3, 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | David Dreier |
| Succeeded by | David Dreier |
| Member of the New York State Assembly from the 130th district |
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| In office 1983–1986 |
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| Preceded by | Thomas A. Hanna |
| Succeeded by | Robert L. King |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 14, 1929 Lynch, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Slaughter |
| Residence | Fairport, New York |
| Alma mater | University of Kentucky (B.S., M.P.H.) |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Religion | Episcopal Church in the United States of America |
Dorothy Louise McIntosh Slaughter (born August 14, 1929) is the United States representative for New York's 25th congressional district, serving since 1987. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 30th District from 1987 to 1993 and the 28th District from 1993 to 2013, is based in Rochester and includes most of surrounding Monroe County Formerly the Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee from 2007 until 2011, she has served as ranking minority member of the Committee since 2011, a post she also held from 2005 to 2007.
Contents |
Early life, education, and early political career [edit]
Slaughter was born Dorothy Louise McIntosh to Oscar Lewis (Mack), a blacksmith for a coal mine, and Daisy Grace McIntosh on August 14, 1929, in Lynch, Kentucky, a coal mining town built by a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. Slaughter had two brothers, Philip and David as well as two sisters, Marjorie and Virginia. Her sister Virginia died of pneumonia while she was a child; Slaughter would later cite this as her reason for earning degrees in microbiology and public health.
The family moved to Monticello, Kentucky, where Slaughter attended high school. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, where she studied microbiology. After graduating with a bachelor's degree, she went on to earn a master's degree in public health, also from the University of Kentucky.
After graduate school, she went to work for a major chemicals manufacturer in New York doing market research. Already involved in community groups like the Scouting in New York and the League of Women Voters, Slaughter became increasingly concerned with local political and community issues. She was involved in a local environmental group, the Perinton Greenlands Association, which promoted recycling and opposed development of Harts Woods. Slaughter decided to run for the Monroe County Legislature, winning on her third try. One and a half terms into her service on the County Legislature, she accepted an offer from then- New York Secretary of State Mario Cuomo to serve as his regional coordinator in the Rochester area. When Cuomo was elected lieutenant governor, Slaughter stayed on as his Rochester regional coordinator.
In 1982 local Democrats approached Slaughter with a desire to see her run for the New York State Assembly against the United States Republican Party incumbent Tom Hanna, whom she eventually defeated by a narrow margin. She was reelected by 10 points in 1984.
U.S. House of Representatives [edit]
Elections [edit]
After four years in the state assembly, Slaughter decided to run for the Democratic nomination in New York's 30th congressional district. At the time, the district included downtown and eastern Rochester, most of eastern Monroe County, all of Genesee County and northern Livingston and Ontario counties. Moderate Republican Barber Conable had represented the district for 20 years before giving way in 1985 to a considerably more conservative Republican, Fred J. Eckert. Slaughter managed a one-point victory in the 1986 midterm election. Slaughter was the first Democrat to represent the 30th District since 1910, the first woman to represent Western New York, as well as the first Democrat ever elected to a full term from the 30th since its creation in 1893 (it had been renumbered several times in the previous century).
Redistricting after the 1990 census renumbered Slaughter's district as the 28th District. She lost her share of Genesee, Livingston, and Ontario counties, but picked up the rest of Rochester and more of Monroe County. The redistricting put her into the same district as 30-year incumbent Republican Frank Horton (New York politician), a close friend of Slaughter's. The district had already been moving away from its moderate Republican roots, but the new territory made the district solidly Democratic. Horton opted to retire, though he would have been a heavy underdog against Slaughter in any case. She has been reelected seven more times since then.
After the 2000 census, much of her district was merged with the 29th District of fellow Democrat John LaFalce, which included Niagara Falls and the northern portion of Buffalo. Original plans called for LaFalce's district to be merged with that of Republican Jack Quinn, who represented the other side of Buffalo. The new district retained Slaughter's district number, but was geographically more LaFalce's district. Only a thin tendril in Orleans County connected Rochester to Buffalo. However, LaFalce did not seek a 15th term, effectively handing the seat to Slaughter. With her election in 2002, she became the first woman to represent a significant portion of Buffalo in the House.
Following the 2010 census, Slaughter's district was renumbered as the 25th District. It was significantly more compact than its predecessor, as it took in most of Monroe County and lost its territory near Buffalo. However, it was also slightly less Democratic than her former territory; while Barack Obama carried the old 28th with 68 percent of the vote, he would have carried the new 25th with 59 percent of the vote. She faced a vigorous and well-funded challenge from Republican Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, but Slaughter won a 14th term with 58% of the vote on November 6, 2012.
Tenure [edit]
Slaughter is one of the most liberal members of the New York congressional delegation from upstate New York, and in the 110th Congress (2007–2008), was the most Progressive member of the entire House of Representatives according to National Journal.[1] Among Congressmen from upstate, only fellow Democrat Maurice Hinchey has a lower lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union. She is one of several Democratic congressmen and senators who post at Daily Kos, a Democratic-oriented blog. She is also a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
In early 2005, she authored the Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act, or FAB Act, which would reinstate the Fairness Doctrine. Drawing on her experience as a microbiologist with a master’s degree in public health, Slaughter has authored legislation to protect Americans from discrimination by health insurance providers and employers based on genetic makeup. Slaughter co-authored the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 and wrote legislation to make permanent the United States Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women Office.
As a member of the United States House Committee on the Budget in the early 1990s, she secured the first $500 million earmarked by Congress for breast cancer research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She fought for legislation guaranteeing that women and minorities are included in all federal health trials and establishing an Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at NIH. In addition, along with Senator Christopher Dodd, she introduced the Women's Progress Commemoration Act which established the Women's Progress Commemorative Commission in 1998.[2]
Slaughter’s efforts to secure funds for her district was recognized by the Rochester Institute of Technology, when it named its Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies facility "The Louise M. Slaughter Building."
Slaughter became Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee during the 110th Congress, after the 2006 mid-term takeover of the House by the Democratic party.
Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Slaughter brought an action against President George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.[3] The case (Conyers v. Bush) was ultimately dismissed.[4]
Slaughter declared that "the greatest thing she has done in her time in Congress" is passage of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008. She introduced and reintroduced this bill for 12.5 years, and could claim victory when the bill was signed into law on May 21, 2008.
In 2007, Slaughter introduced the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (PAMTA), which would limit the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, to counter the threat of antibiotic resistant bacteria.[5]
Slaughter was strongly critical of the Stupak-Pitts Amendment, which places limits on taxpayer-funding for elective abortions in the context of the November 2009 Affordable Health Care for America Act.
In March 2010, Slaughter proposed that a House rule be passed to expedite the passage of health care reform legislation. The rule allows the House to deem the Senate version of the health care reform bill "already passed" by the House without the House holding a recorded vote on the bill. Critics, who called the strategy the "Slaughter Solution", charged this proposed strategy was an affront to democratic principles and challenged its constitutionality.[6][7][8][9][10] Supporters observe that the courts have affirmed the rule's constitutionality, and that Republicans have used the rule repeatedly to pass major legislation such as the Patriot Act and the Tax Relief Reconciliation Act.[11][12][13]
On March 19, 2010, two days before the health care vote, a window in Slaughter's Niagara Falls office was broken with a brick[14]
After the shooting of Gabrielle Giffords, Slaughter suggested the Federal Communications Commission was "not working anymore", and called for better policing of incendiary language.[15] In 2011, with the potential of a government shutdown looming, Slaughter said at a pro-choice rally, "This is probably one of the worst times that we've seen because the numbers of people who are elected to congress. I went through this as co-chair of the Arts Caucus. In '94, people were elected simply to come here to kill the National Endowment for the Arts. Now they're here to kill women".[16][17][18]
Slaughter is the oldest woman currently serving in Congress, followed by U.S. Senator from California Dianne Feinstein.[citation needed]
Committee assignments [edit]
- United States House Committee on Rules (Ranking Member)
- Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe
- Party leadership
- At-Large Whip
- Caucus memberships
- Congressional Arts Caucus-Co-chair
- Congressional Bipartisan Pro-Choice Caucus-Co-chair
- Congressional Progressive Caucus
Slaughter serves on the Democratic Steering & Policy Committee. She is the Democratic Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus and the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus. Louise also serves as Co-Chair of the Future of American Media Caucus and is former Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. After Martin Frost, the ranking member on the House Rules Committee, was defeated for reelection, Slaughter was appointed to this position, the first female member of Congress to serve in this post. After the United States House elections, 2006, she became the first woman to chair this committee.
Personal life [edit]
While traveling for work, she met Bob Slaughter, in San Antonio, Texas, and later married him. After marrying, the couple moved to Fairport, New York, a suburb of Rochester, where Bob had been offered a job. Although Louise has lived in Western New York for over half a century, she still speaks with a pronounced Kentucky accent. They have three daughters, Megan, Amy and Robin; and seven grandchildren.
Slaughter is a distant relative, through Daniel Boone, of former Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton.[19]
Electoral history [edit]
- Congressional
| Year | United States Democratic Party | Result | United States Republican Party | Result | Other | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 179,810 (57.4%) | Maggie Brooks | 133,389 (42.5%) | ||
| 2010 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 102,514 (64.9%) | Jill Rowland | 55,392 (35.1%) | ||
| 2008 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 172,655 (78.00%) | David W. Crimmen | 48,690 (22.00%) | ||
| 2006 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 111,386 (73.17%) | John E. Donnelly | 40,844 (26.83%) | ||
| 2004 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 159,655 (72.61%) | Michael D. Laba | 54,543 (24.81%) | Other | 5,678 (2.58%) |
| 2002 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 99,057 (62.45%) | Henry F. Wojtaszek | 59,547 (37.54%) | ||
| 2000 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 151,688 (65.70%) | Mark C. Johns | 83,445 (36.14%) | Other | 3,820 (1.65%) |
| 1998 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 118,856 (64.78%) | Richard A. Kaplan | 56,443 (30.76%) | Other | 8,159 (4.47%) |
| 1996 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 133,084 (57.25%) | Geoff H. Rosenberger | 99,366 (42.74%) | ||
| 1994 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 110,987 (56.63%) | Renee Forgensi Davison | 78,516 (40.06%) | Other | 6,464 (3.29%) |
| 1992 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 140,908 (56.34%) | William P. Polito | 112,273 (44.89%) | Other | 7,897 (.75%) |
| 1990 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 97,280 (59.02%) | John M. Regan, Jr. | 67,534 (40.97%) | ||
| 1988 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 128,364 (56.87%) | John D. Bouchard | 89,126 (39.48%) | Other | 8,222 (3.64%) |
| 1986 | Louise M. Slaughter | 86,777 (50.99%) | Fred J. Eckert (i) | 83,402 (49.00%) |
Key: (i) = Incumbent
Source: New York State Board of Elections
- State Assembly
| Year | United States Democratic Party | Result | United States Republican Party | Result | Other | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Louise M. Slaughter (i) | 30,556 (54.79%) | Donald S. Milton | 24,703 (44.29%) | Other | 506 (.90%) |
| 1982 | Louise M. Slaughter | 23,236 (52.18%) | Thomas A. Hanna (i) | 21,289 (47.81%) |
Key: (i) = Incumbent
Source: New York State Board of Elections
- Monroe County Legislature
| Year | United States Democratic Party | Result | United States Republican Party | Result | Other | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | Louise M. Slaughter | 4,698 (51.45%) | Walter G.A. Muench (i) | 4,433 (48.54%) | ||
| 1973 | Louise M. Slaughter | 4,082 (49.31%) | Walter G.A. Muench (i) | 4,195 (50.68%) | ||
| 1971 | Louise M. Slaughter | 3,507 (43.34%) | Walter G.A. Muench (i) | 3,998 (49.41%) | Other | 585 (7.23%) |
Key: (i) = Incumbent
Source: Monroe County Board of Elections
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Thomas, G. Scott. Slaughter ranked most liberal in House. Business First. 27 February 2009.
- ^ "Women's Progress Report 7/01". National Park Service. July, 2001. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ "11 House Members to Sue Over Budget Bill". ABC News. Associated Press. 2006-04-27. Retrieved 2007-02-20.[dead link]
- ^ "Judge Dismisses Budget Bill Lawsuit". ABC News. Associated Press. 2006-11-06. Retrieved 2006-11-28.[dead link]
- ^ "March 17, 2009 - Slaughter Introduces Bill to Curb Excessive Use of Antibiotics in Food Supply - Congresswoman Louise Slaughter". Louise.house.gov. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Western New York
- ^ "Power Line - The Slaughter solution?". Powerlineblog.com. 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ "GOP Leader Blog | Republican Leader John Boehner | gopleader.gov". Republicanleader.house.gov. 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ "Slaughter Solution Violates Nondelegation Doctrine". RedState. 2010-03-13. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Post (2010-03-16). "Slaughter House Rules - WSJ.com". Online.wsj.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Roper, Eric (2010-03-19). "Fact check: Bachmann gets it wrong on the "Slaughter Solution"". StarTribune.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Montopoli, Brian (2010-03-17). "Republicans Have Used "Slaughter Solution" Many Times - Political Hotsheet". CBS News. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Ornstein, Norman J. (2010-03-16). "Hypocrisy: A Parliamentary Procedure " The Enterprise Blog". Blog.american.com. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ Author: (2010-03-19). "Brick thrown through window in Slaughter's Falls office". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ http://thehill.com/homenews/house/137141-stunned-lawmakers-struggle-for-answers
- ^ "Congresswoman's Strong Choice of Words - Political Grapevine - Special Report - FoxNews.com". Fox News. 2011-04-08.
- ^ http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/bill-kellys-truth-squad/2011/apr/10/obama-reid-top-5-biggest-trolls-almost-government-/
- ^ http://centralny.ynn.com/content/politics/539401/republicans-react-to-slaughter-s-controversial-comments/
- ^ Barone & Cohen, 2008 Almanac of American Politics, pp. 958 & 1204
External links [edit]
- U.S. Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter official U.S. House site
- Louise Slaughter for Congress official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Congressional profile at GovTrack
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
- Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
- Voting record at The Washington Post
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Profile at SourceWatch
| New York Assembly | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thomas A. Hanna |
New York State Assembly 1983–1986 |
Succeeded by Robert L. King |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by David Dreier California |
Chairman of United States House Committee on Rules 2007–2011 |
Succeeded by David Dreier California |
| United States House of Representatives | ||
| Preceded by Fred J. Eckert |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 30th congressional district 1987–1993 |
Succeeded by Jack Quinn (politics) |
| Preceded by Matthew F. McHugh |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 28th congressional district 1993–present |
Succeeded by District eliminated due to redistricting |
| Preceded by Ann Marie Buerkle |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 25th congressional district 2013–present |
Incumbent |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by John Lewis (U.S. politician) D-Georgia (U.S. state) |
United States Representatives by seniority 24th |
Succeeded by Lamar S. Smith R-Texas |
- 1929 births
- Living people
- People from Lynch, Kentucky
- American Episcopalians
- New York Democrats
- Members of the New York State Assembly
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from New York
- People from Wayne County, Kentucky
- University of Kentucky alumni
- County Legislators in New York
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- Women state legislators in New York
- American feminists
- Christian feminists
