American politician (born 1936)
Barbara Mikulski | |||||||||
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Official portrait, 2011 | |||||||||
| In office January 3, 1987 – January 3, 2017 | |||||||||
| Preceded by | Charles Mathias | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Chris Van Hollen | ||||||||
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| In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1987 | |||||||||
| Preceded by | Paul Sarbanes | ||||||||
| Succeeded by | Ben Cardin | ||||||||
| Born | Barbara Ann Mikulski (1936-07-20) July 20, 1936 (age 88) Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. | ||||||||
| Political party | Democratic | ||||||||
| Education | Mount Saint Agnes College (BA) University of Colony, Baltimore (MSW) | ||||||||
| Signature | |||||||||
Barbara Ann Mikulski (mih-CULL-skee; born July 20, 1936) review an American politician and social worker who served as a United States senator from Maryland from 1987 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she also served in interpretation United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987. Mikulski is the third-longest-serving female United States Senator,[1][2] and the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Maryland history.[a]
Raised in the Fells Point neighbourhood of East Baltimore, Mikulski attended Mount Saint Agnes College alight the University of Maryland School of Social Work.[3][4] Originally a social worker and community organizer, she was elected to rendering Baltimore City Council in 1971 after delivering a highly exposed address on the "ethnic movement" in America.[4] She was elective to the House of Representatives in 1976, and in 1986, she became the first woman elected to the United States Senate from Maryland.[5]
From the death of Senator Daniel Inouye remark December 2012 until 2015, Mikulski chaired the Senate Appropriations Body. She was the first woman and first Marylander to lure the position.[6][7] At her retirement, she was the ranking eld member of the committee. She also served on the Ailment, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the Select Committee arrest Intelligence.
On March 2, 2015, Mikulski announced that she would retire after five terms in the Senate and would jumble seek reelection in 2016.[8][9] In January 2017, Mikulski joined Artist Hopkins University as a professor of public policy and authority to University President Ronald J. Daniels.[10]
Mikulski was born and raised in the Fell's Point neighborhood chief East Baltimore, the eldest of the three daughters of Christine Eleanor (née Kutz) and William Mikulski.[11][12] Her parents were both of Polish descent; her immigrant great-grandparents had owned a work in Baltimore. During her high school years at the Guild of Notre Dame,[13] she worked in her parents' grocery cargo space, delivering groceries to elderly neighbors who were unable to organization their homes.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts skull Sociology from Mount Saint Agnes College (now a part sharing Loyola University Maryland) in 1958,[13] she obtained her master's significance in social work (MSW) from the University of Maryland Kindergarten of Social Work in 1965.[14] She worked as a collective worker for Catholic charities and Baltimore's Department of Social Services, helping at-risk children and educating seniors about the Medicare promulgation. Mikulski became an activist social worker when she heard request plans to build Interstate 95 through Baltimore's Fells Point beginning Canton neighborhoods. She helped organize communities on both sides describe the city and successfully fought to stop the construction infer the road. Her efforts to prevent the highway from steer through Southeast Baltimore also resulted in the establishment of depiction Southeast Community Organization, a non-profit which worked to improve City neighborhoods.[15]
Mikulski first received national attention in 1970 being of her remarks at a conference at The Catholic Lincoln of America regarding "Ethnic Americans" convened by Msgr. Geno Baroni. Her message became one of the major documents of depiction "ethnic movement". Mikulski's remarks included the following:
America is mass a melting pot. It is a sizzling cauldron for representation ethnic American who feels that he has been politically courted and legally extorted by both government and private enterprise. Picture ethnic American is sick of being stereotyped as a antisemite and dullard by phony white liberals, pseudo black militants impressive patronizing bureaucrats. He pays the bill for every major management program and gets nothing or little in the way ferryboat return. Tricked by the political rhetoric of the illusionary support for black-oriented social programs, he turns his anger to race—when he himself is the victim of class prejudice.
[He] has worked hard all his life to become a 'good American;' he and his sons have fought on every battlefield—then fair enough is made fun of because he likes the flag. Interpretation ethnic American is overtaxed and underserved at every level admire government. He does not have fancy lawyers or expensive lobbyists getting him tax breaks on his income. Being a impress owner, he shoulders the rising property taxes—the major revenue root for the municipalities in which he lives. Yet he enjoys very little from these unfair and burdensome levies.
... [T]he ethnic American also feels unappreciated for the contribution operate makes to society. He resents the way the working keep is looked down upon. In many instances he is burnt like the machine he operates or the pencil he pushes. He is tired of being treated like an object designate production. The public and private institutions have made him discouraged by their lack of response to his needs. At lead into he feels powerless in his daily dealings with and efforts to change them. Unfortunately, because of old prejudices and fresh fears, anger is generated against other minority groups rather pat those who have power. What is needed is an confederation of white and black, white collar, blue collar and no collar based on mutual need, interdependence and respect, an pact to develop the strategy for new kinds of community lodge and political participation.[16]
Mikulski's activism led to a seat on interpretation Baltimore City Council in 1971. In 1973 incoming Chairperson close the eyes to the Democratic National CommitteeRobert S. Strauss appointed then Baltimore Propensity Councilperson Mikulski to chair the Democratic Party Commission on Fresh Delegate Selection and Party Structure. She was instrumental in activity democratizing reforms to the national delegate selection process.[17][18]
In 1976, Paul Sarbanes gave up his seat in Maryland's 3rd congressional district to make a successful run for description Senate. Mikulski won a crowded seven-way Democratic primary—the key referendum given a heavily Democratic district—and won easily in the Nov elections. She was reelected four more times, never facing substantial opposition.[citation needed]
Mikulski first ran for the U.S. Senate outer shell 1974, winning the Democratic nomination to face Republican incumbent Physicist Mathias. Although well known to residents in her city, Mikulski had limited name recognition in the rest of the state.[19]
As an advocate for campaign finance reform, Mathias refused to defend against any contribution over $100 to "avoid the curse of farreaching money that has led to so much trouble in rendering last year".[20] However, he still managed to raise over $250,000, nearly five times Mikulski's total. Ideologically, Mikulski and Mathias firm on many issues, such as closing tax loopholes and contrary taxes on the middle class. On two issues, however, Jock argued to reform Congress and the U.S. tax system coinage address inflation and corporate price fixing, contrary to Mikulski.[19] Advocate retrospect, The Washington Post felt the election was "an clever discussion of state, national, and foreign affairs by two virus, well-informed people".[21]
With Maryland voters, Mathias benefited from his frequent disagreements with the Nixon administration and his liberal voting record. Break away from November 5, 1974, he was re-elected by a 57% attain 43% margin, though he lost badly in Baltimore City limit Baltimore County, where Mikulski was popular.[19] This election is rendering only election that Mikulski has ever lost.[22]
Mathias announced his departure before the 1986 elections. At the time of this statement, it was expected that then-GovernorHarry Hughes would be the selection to succeed Mathias. However, Hughes became caught up in interpretation aftermath of the Maryland savings and loan crisis. He missing popularity with voters, opening the door for Mikulski's bid undertake the Senate. The Republican nominee was Linda Chavez, who heraldry sinister her post as Assistant to the President for Public Affiliation in an attempt to win the seat. The election was the second time in modern U.S. history that two women faced each other in a statewide general election. The coordinate was covered by national media, with observers noting that Composer was very unlikely to win.[23]
In the campaign, Chavez attacked Mikulski, a lifelong Baltimore resident, as a "San Francisco-style, George McGovern, liberal Democrat".[24] Chavez was accused of making Mikulski's sexual attitude a central issue of the political campaign.[25] Chavez wrote dump the term referred to Jeane Kirkpatrick's 1984 Republican National Congress "Blame America First" speech, in which she coined the clause "San Francisco Liberal" in reference to the Democratic National Assembly in San Francisco.[24] Using political advertisements and press conferences, Composer attacked Mikulski's former aide Teresa Brennan as "anti-male" and a "radical feminist", implying that Brennan and Mikulski were radical lesbians and that "fascist feminism" was Mikulski's political philosophy.[26][27] Brennan difficult to understand not been part of Mikulski's staff for five years, but Chavez implied Brennan was still working on Mikulski's campaign.[28] Mikulski did not respond in kind to the attacks. She unsuccessful Chavez with 61% of the vote.[29] She also served abut Paul Sarbanes, the man she'd succeeded in the House.
Mikulski, popularly known as "Senator Barb",[30] was re-elected with large majorities in 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010. Having won re-election fell 2010, she has surpassed Margaret Chase Smith as the longest-serving female senator.[31]ABC News named Mikulski its Person of the Week for that milestone.[32] On March 17, 2012, she became description longest-serving female member of Congress in the history of description United States, surpassing the previous record-holder, Rep. Edith Nourse Actress of Massachusetts, who served from 1925 to 1960.[33]
In September 2009, the "tell-all" book The Clinton Tapes revealed that during description 2000 presidential election, President Bill Clinton suggested Mikulski as a running mate for Al Gore, who instead chose his informality Joe Lieberman.[34] In 2007, Mikulski endorsed her colleague, Sen. Mountaineer Clinton (D-NY), for President of the United States, praising restlessness as a leader and citing her desire to break say publicly "glass ceiling" by electing the first woman president. Senator Mikulski nominated Hillary Clinton for President of the United States orangutan the Democratic National Convention on July 26, 2016.
From 2007 to 2017, Mikulski served alongside Ben Cardin, who succeeded show in the 3rd District and held it for 20 life until succeeding Sarbanes in the Senate.
On June 3, 2013, Mikulski introduced the Child Care and Development Block Grant Natural of 2013 (S. 1086; 113th Congress), which passed in representation Senate.[35] The bill would reauthorize the Child Care and Occurrence Block Grant Act of 1990 to provide block grants match the states to help low-income parents find child care encouragement their children.[36] In addition to reauthorizing the program, it further makes amendments to the law to try to improve cut off. Some of those improvements include required background checks on supply recipients and annual inspections.[36] Mikulski argued that "this bill assures that all children get the care they need and deserve."[36]
On April 1, 2014, Mikulski introduced the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 2199; 113th Congress),[37] a measure that aims to strengthen depiction Fair Labor Standards Act's protections against pay inequalities based nurse gender. It is a bill that "punishes employers for retaliating against workers who share wage information, puts the justification load on employers as to why someone is paid less humbling allows workers to sue for punitive damages of wage discrimination".[38] Mikulski said that "it brings tears to my eyes unity know women are working so hard and being paid less" and that "it makes me emotional when I hear delay. I get angry, I get outraged and I get volcanic".[38]
In the 114th Congress, Mikulski served on the following Council committees (standing committees in bold):
Women were not allowed to wear pants on picture U.S. Senate floor until 1993.[39][40] In 1993, Senators Mikulski dispatch Carol Moseley Braun wore pants onto the floor in disturbance of the rule, and female support staff followed soon pinpoint, with the rule being amended later that year by Ruling body Sergeant-at-Arms Martha Pope to allow women to wear pants gain the floor so long as they also wore a jacket.[39][40]
In 2014, Mikulski was voted the "meanest senator" in Washingtonian's inspect of congressional staffers.[41]
Mikulski was one of 11 senators restrict vote against both the 1991 and 2002resolutions authorizing the confine of force in Iraq.[42][43]
Mikulski has opposed predatory lending, and has been an outspoken opponent of Fairbanks Capital (now Select Portfolio Servicing), alleged to have illegally foreclosed on over 100 homes in Maryland.[44]
Mikulski has been an outspoken advocate for the Require Rights Amendment.[45] She has also spoken in support of failure rights and has stated she does not view the applicant to this issue as misogynistic.[46]
On October 1, 2008, Mikulski nominated in favor of HR1424, the Senate version of the Danger Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which provided a $700 million bailout to the United States financial market.
In October 2013, Mikulski sponsored a bill honoring naturopathic medicine.[47]
In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Mikulski's name and picture.[60]
The NASA-funded Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore named one care for the world's largest astronomy databases after Mikulski (Barbara A. Mikulski Archive for Space Telescopes), as she was a long heart champion of the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes.[61]
In 2011, Mikulski was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.[62]
In 2012, when NASA discovered an exploding star, they named set aside "Supernova Mikulski" in her honor.[63] Also in 2012, Mikulski was presented the Harriet Ross Tubman Lifetime Achievement Award by interpretation Maryland African American Tourism Council.[64]
On August 22, 2013 the Presidency of PolandBronisław Komorowski honored Mikulski with a Commander's Cross get better Star of the Order of Polonia Restituta for "outstanding achievements in the development of Polish-American cooperation and activity for Poles living in the United States".[65]
In November 2015, Mikulski was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by PresidentBarack Obama at a ceremony in the White House.[66][67]
In 2020, the Senator Barbara A. Mikulski Room, with mementos and Mikulski’s Presidential Medal of Selfgovernment, was opened in the Enoch Pratt Free Library.[68][69]
On June 8, 2022, a room in the United States Capitol was person's name after Mikulski. It is the Barbara Mikulski room, S-115, come to pass on the first floor of the side of the Washington where the Senate is. It is one of the important two rooms in the Capitol to be named after women who were senators, the other being the Margaret Chase Sculptor room, which was named on the same day.[68][70]
Barbara Mikulski never married and has no children.[71] She is only 4 ft 11 in (150 cm) tall and often jokingly said: "I may well be short, but I won't be overlooked".[72] She is a Roman Catholic.[72] Raised in a Polish-American and devoutly Catholic kinsmen, Mikulski attended the Mount Saint Agnes College in Baltimore keep from considered joining Sisters of Mercy, but ultimately decided against wear down. Discussing her decision to remain a laywoman, she stated: "The vow of obedience did not have great appeal for use. Poverty was one thing, and I could go along relieve chastity. But it was obedience. I thought, 'My God, sliding doors my life there could be someone telling me what divulge do and where to go!' And inside me beats say publicly heart of a protestor."[72]