From campaigning, to office work, to attending district events, family members have contributed to the careers of many Representatives. Interviews with family provide a unique and personal perspective of the experience of women Members of Congress.
Liz Abzug is the daughter of the late Congresswoman Bella Abzug of New York, who served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1971 to 1977.
Jane Andrews Hinds, daughter of Representatives George and Elizabeth Andrews, supported her mother’s decision to run for her father’s seat after he unexpectedly passed away in 1971. Elizabeth Andrews became the first woman to represent Alabama in the House.
The son of former Member Carrie P. Meek of Florida, Kendrick B. Meek became the first African American to succeed his mother in Congress. Carrie Meek, elected as one of the first Black Members to represent Florida since Reconstruction, served on the influential Appropriations Committee during her decade-long career in the U.S. House and became a political mentor to her son.
The daughter of the late Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink of Hawaii, Gwendolyn Mink was immersed in politics while growing up in Washington, D.C., in the late 1960s.
The daughter of two former Members, Representatives Hale and Lindy Boggs of Louisiana, Cokie Roberts witnessed the increasing presence and growing influence of women in Congress through her mother’s illustrious House career and her own work as a congressional correspondent.
