Barbara Mikulski
United States Senator from Maryland
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1987 Serving with Ben Cardin
Preceded by	Charles Mathias, Jr.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations
Incumbent
Assumed office December 17, 2012
Preceded by	Daniel Inouye
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 3rd district
In office January 3, 1977 – January 3, 1987
Preceded by	Paul Sarbanes
Succeeded by	Ben Cardin
Member of the Baltimore City Council
In office 1971–1976
Personal details
Born	Barbara Ann Mikulski (1936-07-20) July 20, 1936 (age 76) Baltimore, Maryland
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	None
Residence	Baltimore, Maryland
Alma mater	Mount Saint Agnes College (B.A.) University of Maryland (M.S.W.)
Profession	Social Worker
Religion	Roman Catholic
Signature
Website	www.mikulski.senate.gov

Barbara Ann Mikulski (born July 20, 1936) is the senior United States Senator from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party, serving since 1987. Mikulski, a former United States Representative from 1977 to 1987, is the longest-serving woman in the history of the U.S. Congress.

Raised in the Highlandtown neighborhood of East Baltimore, Mikulski attended Mount Saint Agnes College and the University of Maryland School of Social Work. Originally a social worker and community organizer, she was elected to the Baltimore City Council in 1971 after delivering a highly publicized address on the "ethnic movement" in America. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1976, and in 1986 she became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate from Maryland.

Mikulski is chairwoman of the Health Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging and Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, and is a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence. Mikulski became chair of the Appropriations Committee following the death of Senator Daniel Inouye.^[1]

Early life, education and career [edit]

The great-granddaughter of Polish immigrants who owned a local bakery, Barbara Mikulski is the oldest of three daughters of Christine Eleanor (née Kutz) and William Mikulski.^[2][3] She was born and raised in the Highlandtown neighborhood of East Baltimore. During her high school years at the Institute of Notre Dame,^[4] she worked in her parents' grocery store, delivering groceries to seniors in her neighborhood who were unable to leave their homes.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Mount Saint Agnes College (now a part of Loyola University Maryland) in 1958,^[4] she obtained her master's degree in social work (MSW) from the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 1965.^[5] She worked as a social worker for Catholic charities and Baltimore's Department of Social Services, helping at-risk children and educating seniors about the Medicare program. Mikulski became an activist social worker when she heard about plans to build a 16-lane highway through Baltimore's Fells Point and Canton neighborhoods. She helped organize communities on both sides of the city and stopped the construction of the road, saving Fells Point and Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

At only 4 ft 11 in, Mikulski is believed to be the shortest person ever to serve in Congress.^{[citation needed]}

Early political career [edit]

Mikulski received her first national attention in 1970 as a result of her remarks at a conference at The Catholic University of America regarding “Ethnic Americans”, convened by Msgr. Geno Baroni. Her message became one of the major documents of the “ethnic movement”.

Mikulski's activism led to a seat on the Baltimore City Council in 1971. She was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1974, losing to the Republican incumbent, Charles Mathias, Jr.. It has thus far been the only election that Mikulski ever lost.

U.S. Senate career [edit]

Mikulski speaking to a patient at a military hospital, 1980.

Senator Mikulski joins Senator Kit Bond and actor David Hyde Pierce in promoting awareness of Alzheimer's disease.

Mikulski speaks at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

In September 2009, the "tell-all" book The Clinton Tapes revealed that during the 2000 presidential election, President Bill Clinton suggested Mikulski as a running mate for Al Gore, who instead chose her colleague Joe Lieberman.^[7] In 2007, Mikulski endorsed her colleague, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), for President of the United States, praising her as a leader and citing her desire to break the "glass ceiling" by electing the first woman president.

Committee assignments [edit]

Mikulski serves on the following Senate committees (standing committees in bold):

• Committee on Appropriations (Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Defense
  • Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies
  • Subcommittee on the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies
• Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
  • Subcommittee on Children and Families (Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging
• Select Committee on Intelligence

Political positions [edit]

Mikulski was one of 11 senators to vote against both the 1991 and 2002 resolutions authorizing the use of force in Iraq.^[8][9]

Mikulski has opposed predatory lending, and has had been an outspoken opponent of Fairbanks Capital (now Select Portfolio Servicing), alleged to have illegally foreclosed on over 100 homes in Maryland.^[10]

Mikulski voted in favor of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, which granted immunity to the telecom companies that cooperated with the NSA in warrantless wiretapping of U.S. citizens.^[11]

On October 1, 2008, Mikulski voted in favor of HR1424, the Senate version of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, which provided a $700 billion bailout to the United States financial market.

Political campaigns [edit]

In 1976, she was elected to represent Maryland's 3rd congressional district from 1977 to 1987, never facing substantive opposition in the heavily Democratic district.

Mathias announced his retirement before the 1986 elections. At the time of this announcement, it was expected that then-Governor Harry Hughes would be the favorite to succeed Mathias. However, Hughes became caught up in the aftermath of the Maryland savings and loan crisis. He lost popularity with voters, opening the door for Mikulski's bid for the Senate. During the campaign, her Republican opponent, Linda Chavez, made comments that Mikulski's supporters interpreted as an attempt to draw attention to the issue of Mikulski's sexual orientation.^[12] Mikulski never directly responded to the issue and eventually won the race with 61 percent of the vote.^{[citation needed]} She was the first female Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate in her own right (not appointed or filling a seat of a deceased husband).

Mikulski, popularly known as "Senator Barb," was reelected with large majorities in 1992, 1998, 2004, and 2010. Having won reelection in 2010, she has surpassed Margaret Chase Smith as the longest-serving female senator.^[13] ABC News named Mikulski its Person of the Week for that milestone.^[14] On March 17, 2012, she became the longest-serving female member of Congress in the history of the United States, surpassing the previous record-holder, Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers of Massachusetts, who served from 1925 to 1960.^[15]

Electoral history [edit]

References [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikisource has original works written by or about: Barbara Mikulski

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Barbara Mikulski

• Senator Barbara Mikulski official U.S. Senate website
• Barbara Mikulski for U.S. Senate official campaign website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Profile at Ballotpedia
• Congressional profile at GovTrack
• Congressional profile at OpenCongress
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Financial information (federal office) at OpenSecrets.org
• Staff salaries, trips and personal finance (federal office) at LegiStorm.com
• Issue positions and quotes at On the Issues
• Voting record at The Washington Post
• Appearances on C-SPAN programs
• Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
• Collected news and commentary at The Washington Post

v t e United States Senators from Maryland Class 1 Carroll Potts Howard S. Smith Harper Hanson Pinkney S. Smith Kent Merrick Johnson Stewart Pratt Kennedy Johnson Whyte Hamilton Whyte Gorman McComas Rayner Jackson Lee France Bruce P. Goldsborough Radcliffe O'Conor Beall, Sr. J. Tydings Beall, Jr. Sarbanes Cardin Class 3 Henry J. Lloyd Hindman Wright Reed R. Goldsborough E. Lloyd Chambers R. Goldsborough Spence Kerr Pearce Hicks Creswell Vickers Dennis Groome Wilson Gibson Wellington Gorman Whyte J. Smith Weller M. Tydings Butler Brewster Mathias Mikulski

v t e Chairmen of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations Morrill Fessenden Morrill Cole Morrill Windom Davis Allison Cockrell Allison E. Hale Warren Martin Warren Jones F. Hale Glass McKellar Bridges McKellar Bridges Hayden Russell Ellender McClellan Magnuson Hatfield Stennis Byrd Hatfield Stevens Byrd Stevens Byrd Stevens Cochran Byrd Inouye Mikulski

v t e Current statewide political officials of the State of Maryland in the United States U.S. Senators Barbara Mikulski Ben Cardin State government Martin O'Malley, Governor Anthony G. Brown, Lieutenant Governor Doug Gansler, Attorney General John P. McDonough, Secretary of State Peter Franchot, Comptroller Nancy K. Kopp, Treasurer State Senate Thomas V. Miller, Jr., President Robert J. Garagiola, Majority Leader Allan H. Kittleman, Minority Leader House of Delegates Michael E. Busch, Speaker Kumar P. Barve, Majority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell, Minority Leader Court of Appeals Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge Glenn T. Harrell, Jr. Lynne A. Battaglia Clayton Greene, Jr. Sally D. Adkins Mary Ellen Barbera Robert N. McDonald AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY