WASHINGTON – The oldest sitting member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Louise Slaughter, has died at 88 following injuries sustained from a fall at her Washington, D.C. residence, her office announced Friday.
The longtime New York Democrat was the first female chairman of the House Committee on Rules and a champion of women’s reproductive rights.
“To have met Louise Slaughter is to have known a force of nature,” Liam Fitzsimmons, Slaughter’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “She was a relentless advocate for Western New York whose visionary leadership brought infrastructure upgrades, technology and research investments, and two federal manufacturing institutes to Rochester that will transform the local economy for generations to come.”
Slaughter was born in Harlan County, Kentucky, and went on to receive a degree in microbiology and a Master of Science degree in public health from the University of Kentucky. Slaughter prided herself on being “the only microbiologist in Congress.”
Slaughter moved to upstate New York after her husband Bob took a job in the area. The two were married for 57 years until his death in 2014.
First elected to Congress in 1986, Slaughter represented the Rochester area for all of her 31 years in Congress.
Slaughter broke down many barriers for women throughout her time in Congress.
In 2007, after the Democrats had regained control of the House and Senate from the Republicans, she became the first woman to chair the House Rules Committee since its inception in 1789.
She was also the first woman to represent Western New York in Congress.
As a co-founder of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus, Slaughter served as co-chair of the caucus until her death.
Slaughter also co-authored the Violence Against Women’s Act in 1994, which was the nation’s most wide-ranging law to address domestic violence and sexual assault.
House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a long-time friend and ally, mourned Slaughter’s loss in a statement.
“She used her leadership position to fight for women and working families in New York and across the country,” she said. “Her strong example inspired countless young women.”
Slaughter also used her time in Congress to take on corruption.
A co-sponsor of the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act, the 2012 legislation signed by President Barack Obama prohibited insider trading by members of Congress, and prohibited them from using non-public information for profit.
She began her career in public service working for then-New York Secretary of State Mario Cuomo as a regional coordinator. During her time working for him, Slaughter was colleagues with Cuomo’s son Andrew, who is currently the governor of New York.
“Louise Slaughter was a champion for New York who had a larger than life presence in Rochester area politics,” Cuomo said. “She was trailblazer, a partner and friend ever since we worked together for my father more than four decades ago. She will be missed greatly by all who knew her, but she will not be forgotten anytime soon by all those she served.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., has ordered flags at the Capitol to be lowered to half-stafft to honor Slaughter.
She is survived by her three daughters, Megan, Amy, and Emily, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandson.