- Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky
-
Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky 
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 13th districtIn office
January 3, 1993 – January 3, 1995Preceded by Lawrence Coughlin Succeeded by Jon Fox Personal details Born June 21, 1942
Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPolitical party Democratic Spouse(s) Edward Mezvinsky (1975–2007, divorced)[1] Children 11,
including Marc MezvinskyAlma mater University of Pennsylvania Religion Judaism[2] Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (pronounced /ˈmɑrdʒəri mɑrˈɡoʊliːz mɛzˈvɪnski/;[3] born June 21, 1942) is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and a women's right activist. She is a former journalist and a former politician for the Democratic Party. From 1993 to 1995 she was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania.
Contents
Life and career
Margolies was born in Philadelphia. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963. She was a broadcast journalist for over twenty-four years, winning five Emmy Awards for her work. She worked as a television journalist at WCAU-TV from 1967 to 1969, was a CBS News Foundation Fellow, Columbia University from 1969 to 1970, and then for WRC-TV from 1975 until 1990. She was correspondent for the "Today Show."[4][5]
In 1970, Margolies adopted a daughter from Korea, reportedly the first time a single American woman had adopted a foreign child.[6]
Congress
In 1992 she ran for an open seat in Congress for Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district, a largely suburban district outside Philadelphia which Republicans had held since 1916. After defeating Republican Jon D. Fox by 1,373 votes, she became a member of the 103rd Congress.
She was on the bipartisan Deficit Reduction Task Force.[7] But, her reelection defeat was blamed on her vote for President Bill Clinton's controversial 1993 budget, for which she was the deciding vote. She had opposed the bill, until the president called her. House Democrats cheered as the House Republicans jeered, "Goodbye Marjorie."[8][9] Losing in 1994 to her 1992 opponent, she was one of 34 Democratic incumbents who were defeated in the Republican Revolution.
She had earned an honored place in history, with a vote she shouldn't have had to cast.[10]
In a 2009 interview with The Daily Beast, she recalled Rep. Robert Walker (R-Pennsylvania) in particular joining in the Republican jeers. She also recalled the ire of her constituents resulting from her vote, saying:
when I went to town-hall meetings, I had to be escorted by the police....I was just surprised at the level of divisiveness and immaturity.[11]
That same year, she completed A Woman's Place, a book with the other women in the class of 1992.
After Congress
After her term in Congress, she was the Chair of the National Women’s Business Council, and the Director and Deputy Chair of the United States delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995.[12]
In 1998, she ran for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania. She won the primary election, becoming the running mate of State Representative Ivan Itkin, but the ticket lost to Republicans Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker.
In 2000, she withdrew from the Democratic Senate primary with five other candidates, for the seat of Rick Santorum, after disappointing fundraising, mother's illness, and legal trouble of Edward Mezvinsky, which ended in a conviction for fraud. Shortly thereafter, she filed for bankruptcy,[13] but failed to receive a discharge from her debts, based on 11 U.S.C. §727(a)(5). The court found Mezvinsky had failed to satisfactorily explain a significant loss of assets in the four years prior to her bankruptcy filing. The bankruptcy judge stated, in her published opinion, "I find that the Debtor has failed to satisfactorily explain the loss of approximately $ 775,000 worth of assets (the difference between the $ 810,000 represented in May 1996 and the $ 35,000 now claimed in her Amended Schedule B)." Sonders v. Mezvinsky (in re Mezvinsky), 265 B.R. 681, 694 (Bankr. E.D. Pa. 2001).
She currently serves as the founder and chair of Women’s Campaign International (WCI), a group that provides advocacy training for women throughout the world. She is also a professor at the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.[14]
Health Care Act
After the U.S. House passed the health care reform bill in November 2009, the conservative Americans for Tax Reform, (a 527 organization) featured her 1994 defeat as an example of what can occur in next year's elections, to those Democrats in swing districts who voted in favor of that bill.[15][16] Margolies-Mezvinsky, however, wrote in the Washington Post that she was glad that she had cast her vote as she had, and urged vulnerable Democrats in Congress to vote for the healthcare bill in March 2010.[17]
Family
She was married to former Iowa Congressman Edward Mezvinsky in 1975;[5] they divorced in 2007 after many years of marriage.[1][18] They raised eleven children together: four from his first marriage, two she had adopted on her own, two sons they had together, and three adopted children.
Their son, Marc Mezvinsky, married Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, on July 31, 2010, in Rhinebeck, NY.[6][19] He was a Goldman Sachs investment banker, and is an investment banker at 3G Capital Management.[20][21]
Works
- They Came to Stay, Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1976
- Finding someone to love, Playboy Press Paperbacks, 1980, ISBN 9780872166509
- The Girls in the Newsroom, Charter Communications, Inc., 1983, ISBN 9780441289295
- A woman's place: the freshman women who changed the face of Congress, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, Barbara Feinman, Crown Publishers, 1994, ISBN 9780517597132
References
- ^ a b Medina, Regina (30 July 2010). "Pop the questions on Chelsea's wedding". Philadelphia Daily News. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20100730_Woke_up__it_was_Chelsea_wedding.html. Retrieved 1 September 2010.
- ^ DEBBIE COHEN (April 12, 1996). "Ex-congresswoman laments women's losses since 1992". J Weekly. http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/3381/edition_id/60/format/html/displaystory.html. Retrieved 8-266-2010.
- ^ "NLS/BPH: Other Writings, Say How? A Pronunciation Guide to Names of Public Figures". Loc.gov. http://www.loc.gov/nls/other/sayhow.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ Dale Russakoff (Oct 28, 1992). "The Mother of All Candidates: Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky, Practicing the Soft Sell". The Washington Post. http://stuff.mit.edu:8001/afs/net.mit.edu/user/tytso/usenet/americast/wpost/212. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ a b "Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky". Women in Congress. http://womenincongress.house.gov/member-profiles/profile.html?intID=153. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ a b DEBORAH SOLOMON (August 20, 2010). "QUESTIONS FOR MARJORIE MARGOLIES: The In-Law". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/22/magazine/22fob-q4-t.html?_r=1. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Timothy J. Penny, Steven E. Schier (1996). Payment due: a nation in debt, a generation in trouble. Westview Press. ISBN 9780813325996. http://books.google.com/books?id=0i5b4yF52a4C&pg=PA75&dq=Marjorie+Margolies+finding&hl=en&ei=jEJ5TKXyFMT6lwfJ0YzsCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDQQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q=margolies&f=false.
- ^ Karen Foerstel, Herbert N. Foerstel (1996). Climbing the Hill: gender conflict in Congress. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780275949143. http://books.google.com/books?id=VDXwiJTYUucC&pg=PA53&dq=marjorie+margolies&hl=en&ei=6kR1TK7zC8G78gaInMyeBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFwQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=marjorie%20margolies&f=false.
- ^ Krauss, Clifford (1993-08-07). "THE BUDGET STRUGGLE - The House - Whips Use Soft Touch To Succeed". United States: NYTimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/07/us/the-budget-struggle-the-house-whips-use-soft-touch-to-succeed.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ Bill Clinton (2005). My Life: The Presidential Years. Random House, Inc.. ISBN 9781400096732. http://books.google.com/books?id=PVmJqiW4mpMC&pg=PA93&dq=She+earned+an+honored+place+in+history,+with+a+vote+she+shouldn't+have+had+to+cast&hl=en&ei=8mF6TMitBcX7lwe768jsCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ "Freshman Terror". The Daily Beast. 2009-08-03. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-03/freshman-terror. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ Jeffrey D. Schultz, Laura A. Van Assendelft (1999). Encyclopedia of women in American politics. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9781573561310. http://books.google.com/books?id=8kETsH4flCMC&pg=PA136&dq=marjorie+margolies&hl=en&ei=6kR1TK7zC8G78gaInMyeBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=marjorie%20margolies&f=false.
- ^ Eleanor Clift, Tom Brazaitis (2000). Madam President: shattering the last glass ceiling. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9780684856193. http://books.google.com/books?id=rjbW4L0y1aIC&pg=PA115&dq=Marjorie+Margolies-Mezvinsky+2000+senate&hl=en&ei=blh6TM-0GoL6lwfLxenrCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Marjorie%20Margolies-Mezvinsky%202000%20senate&f=false.
- ^ "Fels Faculty Member Marjorie Margolies: Bringing More Women to the Table". University of Pennsylvania. 2010-07-26. http://www.fels.upenn.edu/news/faculty-profile-marjorie-margolies-putting-more-women-table. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ Pacini, Benjamin. "Advice to Departing Dems: What to do After You Lose Your Seat." Americans for Tax Reform. Tuesday, November 17, 2009. Retrieved December 15, 2009.
- ^ "Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky haunts Democrats as Obama stumps to push healthcare over finish line". The Los Angeles Times. March 15, 2010. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2010/03/marjorie-margoliesmezvinsky-haunts-democrats-as-obama-stumps-to-push-health-care-over-finish-line.html. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
- ^ "Marjorie Margolies - Democrats: Vote your conscience on health care". washingtonpost.com. 2010-03-18. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/17/AR2010031701496.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ Curtis, Mary C.. "Meet Marc Mezvinsky, Chelsea Clinton's Fiancé". Politicsdaily.com. http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/12/02/meet-marc-mezvinsky-chelsea-clintons-fiance/. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Shapiro, Howard. "Seeing the "for worse" hasn't scared Chelsea from the altar | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/29/2010". Philly.com. http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/20100729_Seeing_the__quot_for_worse_quot__hasn_t_scared_Chelsea_from_the_altar.html. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
- ^ Boccella, Kathy (2010-07-30). "The quiet Main Liner who's marrying Chelsea Clinton | Philadelphia Inquirer | 07/30/2010". Philly.com. http://www.philly.com/philly/news/nation_world/99607999.html. Retrieved 2010-08-25.
- ^ Baker, Peter (November 30, 2009). "Chelsea Clinton Announces Engagement". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/us/01chelsea.html?ref=chelsea_clinton. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
External links
- Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- "Women Who Lead: Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky". University Chic. April 10, 2007. http://www.universitychic.com/article/women-who-lead-marjorie-margolies-mezvinsky. Retrieved 2010-08-26.
United States House of Representatives Preceded by
Lawrence CoughlinMember of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district
1993–1995Succeeded by
Jon FoxParty political offices Preceded by
Tom FoleyDemocratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
1998 (lost)Succeeded by
Catherine Baker KnollCategories:- 1942 births
- Living people
- American television reporters and correspondents
- Emmy Award winners
- Columbia University fellows
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
- Candidates in United States elections, 1998
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
- People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Spouses of members of the United States House of Representatives
- University of Pennsylvania alumni
- University of Pennsylvania faculty
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