Lorain Representative Is Longest Serving Woman In U.S. House

LORAIN, OH — Representative Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat in Ohio's 9th district, became the longest serving woman in the history of the House of Representatives on Sunday. She took office in January 1983 and has served, consecutively, since then. That's 17 straight terms and more than 35 years and two months of service.

Kaptur is breaking the record held by Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers, a Massachusetts Republican. Rogers served from 1925 until 1961.

"It is my great honor and privilege to represent the people of Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District, and I thank them for putting their faith in me for so many years and inspiring our work to make America a better place,” said Kaptur. “Whether it is pension and retirement security, peace and stability throughout the world or fighting for a fair playing field where working people have a chance to get a leg up and achieve the American dream – our work continues.”

Speaker of the U.S. House Paul Ryan and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi both shared some remarks about Kaptur's record-breaking run in the House at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Pelosi then hosted a special event at 3 p.m. honoring Kaptur.

A native Toledo resident, Kaptur is the longest serving woman in Ohio history, already, and one of the senior members of the Democratic Party in the House. She attended St. Ursula Academy and then became the first person in her family to go to college, getting a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Wisconsin in 1968. She then went on to get a master's degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan.

Kaptur then spent 15 years working as a city and regional planner, according to her website. She was spent time plying her craft in both Toledo and Chicago, before accepting a position as a domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter. She got her first taste of Congress during his administration, helping to get 17 neighborhood revitalization bills passed through Congress.

In 1981, Kaptur was seeking a doctorate degree from MIT in urban planning. She was recruited by the Lucas County Democratic Party to run for a seat in Congress. She agreed. Thirty-five years later, she's still a representative for Northeast Ohioans.

Kaptur has fought for steel workers in Lorain, efforts to clean-up Lake Erie and on women's equality issues. She also helped establish the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., citing her family's patriotic, military background for her zeal for the monument.

Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for V-Day