Louise McIntosh Slaughter

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Louise Slaughter

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 28th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 6, 1987–
Preceded by	Matthew McHugh
Succeeded by	Incumbent

Born	August 14, 1929 (age 77) Lynch, Kentucky
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Robert Slaughter
Religion	Episcopalian

Louise McIntosh Slaughter (born August 14, 1929) is an American Democratic Party politician, currently representing New York's 28th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. The 28th district is based in Rochester and Buffalo and includes parts of Erie, Monroe, Niagara and Orleans Counties.

1 Personal Background
2 Early Political Career
3 Congressional career
4 Election results
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Personal Background

Slaughter was born Louise McIntosh to Oscar Lewis (Mack), a coal miner, and Daisy Grace McIntosh on August 14, 1929, in Lynch, Kentucky, a coal-mining town built by a subsidiary of U.S. Steel. Louise had two brothers, Phillip and David as well as two sisters, Marjorie and Virginia. Her sister Virginia died of pneumonia while she was a child; Louise would later cite this as her reason for earning degrees in microbiology and public health.

The family moved to Monticello, where Louise attended high school. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where she studied microbiology. After graduating with a bachelor's degree , she went on to earn a master's degree in public health, also from the University of Kentucky.

After graduate school, she went to work for a major chemicals manufacturer doing market research. While traveling for work, she met Bob Slaughter, in San Antonio, Texas, and later married him. After marrying, the couple moved to Fairport, New York, a suburb of Rochester, where Bob had been offered a job. However, to this day, Slaughter still speaks with a pronounced Kentucky accent. They have three daughters.

[edit] Early Political Career

Already involved in community groups like the Girl Scouts and the League of Women Voters, Slaughter became increasingly concerned with local political and community issues. Slaughter decided to run for the Monroe County Legislature, finally winning on her third try. One and a half terms into her service on the County Legislature, she accepted an offer from then-New York Secretary of State Mario Cuomo to serve as his regional coordinator in the Rochester area. When Cuomo was elected lieutenant governor, Slaughter stayed on as his Rochester regional coordinator.

In 1982 local Democrats approached Louise with a desire to see her run for the State Assembly against the Republican incumbent, whom she eventually defeated by a narrow margin. She was reelected by 10 points in 1984. Criminal justice, women’s health and environmental legislation dominated her work in the State Legislature.

[edit] Congressional career

After four years in the state assembly, Slaughter decided to run for the Democratic nomination in New York's 30th congressional district. At the time, the district included downtown and eastern Rochester. Moderate Republican Barber Conable had represented the district for 20 years before giving way in 1985 to a more conservative Republican, Fred J. Eckert. Slaughter managed a one-point victory in the 1986 midterm election, but has been reelected 11 more times without much difficulty. Slaughter was the first Democrat to represent the 30th District since 1910, as well as the first Democrat ever elected to a full term from the 30th since its creation in 1893 (it had been renumbered several times in the previous century) and the first woman elected to Congress from Western New York.

Redistricting after the 1990 census added the rest of Rochester to her district, now renumbered the 28th District, and made it much more Democratic. After the 2000 census, much of her district was merged with the Buffalo-based 29th District of fellow Democrat John LaFalce. The district contained more of LaFalce's former territory, with only a narrow tendril extending from Rochester to Buffalo. However, LaFalce did not seek a 15th term, and Slaughter was reelected in 2002. In her last two campaigns, she has been reelected with more than 70 percent of the vote.

Slaughter serves on the Democratic Steering & Policy Committee. She is the Democratic Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus and the Bipartisan Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus. Louise also serves as Co-Chair of the Future of American Media Caucus and is former Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues. After Martin Frost, the ranking member on the House Rules Committee, was defeated for reelection, Slaughter was appointed to this position, the first female member of Congress to serve in this post. After the 2006 elections, she became the first woman to chair this committee.

Despite representing a historically Republican area, Slaughter is one of the most liberal members of the New York congressional delegation from upstate New York. Indeed, among Congressmen from upstate, only fellow Democrat Maurice Hinchey has a lower lifetime rating from the American Conservative Union. She is one of several Democratic congressmen and senators who post at Daily Kos, a Democratic-oriented blog.

In early 2005, she authored the Fairness and Accountability in Broadcasting Act, or FAB Act, which would reinstate the Fairness Doctrine in an attempt to restore balance to the media. Drawing on her experience as a microbiologist with a master’s degree in public health, Slaughter has authored legislation to protect Americans from discrimination by health insurance providers and employers based on genetic makeup. Slaughter co-authored the Violence Against Women Act in 1994 and wrote legislation to make permanent the Department of Justice’s Violence Against Women Office.

Slaughter has won increases in funding for women’s health. As a member of the House Budget Committee in the early 1990s, she secured the first $500 million earmarked by Congress for breast cancer research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). She fought for legislation guaranteeing that women and minorities are included in all federal health trials and establishing an Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at NIH.

Slaughter’s efforts to secure funding for local projects was recognized by the Rochester Institute of Technology, when it named its Center for Integrated Manufacturing Studies facility "The Louise M. Slaughter Building."

Rep. Slaughter became Chairwoman of the House Rules Committee during the 110th Congress, after the 2006 mid-term takeover of the House by the Democratic party.

Along with John Conyers, in April 2006 Slaughter brought an action against George W. Bush and others alleging violations of the Constitution in the passing of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005^[1]. The case (Conyers v. Bush) was ultimately dismissed^[2].

[edit] Election results

[edit] Congressional

Year	Democratic	Result	Republican	Result	Other	Result
2006	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	111,386 (73.17%)	John E. Donnelly	40,844 (26.83%)	Other	0 (0%)
2004	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	159,655 (72.61%)	Michael D. Laba	54,543 (24.81%)	Other	5,678 (2.58%)
2002	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	99,057 (62.45%)	Henry F. Wojtaszek	59,547 (37.54%)
2000	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	151,688 (65.70%)	Mark C. Johns	83,445 (36.14%)	Other	3,820 (1.65%)
1998	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	118,856 (64.78%)	Richard A. Kaplan	56,443 (30.76%)	Other	8,159 (4.47%)
1996	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	133,084 (57.25%)	Geoff H. Rosenberger	99,366 (42.74%)
1994	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	110,987 (56.63%)	Renee Forgensi Davison	78,516 (40.06%)	Other	6,464 (3.29%)
1992	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	140,908 (56.34%)	William P. Polito	112,273 (44.89%)	Other	7,897 (.75%)
1990	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	97,280 (59.02%)	John M. Regan, Jr.	67,534 (40.97%)
1988	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	128,364 (56.87%)	John D. Bouchard	89,126 (39.48%)	Other	8,222 (3.64%)
1986	Louise M. Slaughter	86,777 (50.99%)	Fred J. Eckert (i)	83,402 (49.00%)

Key: (i) = Incumbent
Source: New York State Board of Elections

[edit] State Assembly

Year	Democratic	Result	Republican	Result	Other	Result
1984	Louise M. Slaughter (i)	30,556 (54.79%)	Donald S. Milcon	24,703 (44.29%)	Other	506 (.90%)
1982	Louise M. Slaughter	23,236 (52.18%)	Thomas A. Hanna (i)	21,289 (47.81%)

Key: (i) = Incumbent
Source: New York State Board of Elections

[edit] Monroe County Legislature

Year	Democratic	Result	Republican	Result	Other	Result
1975	Louise M. Slaughter	4,698 (51.45%)	Walter G.A. Muench (i)	4,433 (48.54%)
1973	Louise M. Slaughter	4,082 (49.31%)	Walter G.A. Muench (i)	4,195 (50.68%)
1971	Louise M. Slaughter	3,507 (43.34%)	Walter G.A. Muench (i)	3,998 (49.41%)	Other	585 (7.23%)

Key: (i) = Incumbent
Source: Monroe County Board of Elections

[edit] References

^ Associated Press. "11 House Members to Sue Over Budget Bill", ABC News, 2006-04-27. Retrieved on February 20, 2007.
^ Associated Press. "Judge Dismisses Budget Bill Lawsuit", ABC News, 2006-11-06. Retrieved on November 28, 2006.

[edit] External links

U.S. Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter official House site
Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
Federal Election Commission - Louise M Slaughter campaign finance reports and data
On the Issues - Louise Slaughter issue positions and quotes
OpenSecrets.org - Louise M. Slaughter campaign contributions
Project Vote Smart - Representative Louise McIntosh Slaughter (NY) profile
SourceWatch Congresspedia - Louise Slaughter profile
Washington Post - Congress Votes Database: Louise Slaughter voting record
Louise Slaughter for Congress official campaign site

Preceded by Fred J. Eckert	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 30th congressional district 1987–1993	Succeeded by Jack Quinn
Preceded by Matthew F. McHugh	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 28th congressional district 1993 – present	Incumbent
Preceded by David Dreier	Chairwoman of the United States House Committee on Rules 2007–	Succeeded by Incumbent