Patricia Schroeder Former American politician Date of Birth: 30.07.1940 Country: USA

Biography of Patricia Schroeder

Patricia Schroeder, a former American politician, represented Colorado in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997. As a member of the Democratic Party, Schroeder became the first woman elected to Congress from the state of Colorado. She was born on July 30, 1940, in Portland, Oregon, but moved with her family to Des Moines, Iowa, as a child. After graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1958, she attended the University of Minnesota, where she specialized in history. Schroeder completed her bachelor's degree in 1961 and later obtained a law degree from Harvard Law School.

After moving to Denver, Colorado, Schroeder worked at the National Labor Relations Board from 1964 to 1966. She then taught in Denver public schools and worked for the organization Planned Parenthood. Schroeder is a member of the Chi Omega women's society. In 1972, she won the congressional election against Republican newcomer James McKevitt, a former district attorney, and at the age of 31, became the second youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Schroeder was re-elected 11 times and served in Congress for 24 years until January 3, 1997.

Years later, Patricia learned that the FBI had conducted surveillance on her and her staff during her first election campaign. The bureau paid a burglar who searched her home, and someone tampered with her car. Schroeder expressed her anger as a taxpayer that the FBI couldn't find a simpler way to gather information about her. During her time in Congress, she became the first woman to serve on the Armed Services Committee. Additionally, she initially juggled her congressional work with motherhood and soon became known for advocating issues related to family and motherhood. Schroeder also participated in the reform of Congress.

In 1987, she managed Gary Hart's presidential campaign until he withdrew following allegations of marital infidelity. She herself became a potential candidate for the presidency but announced that she was withdrawing her candidacy at a highly emotional press conference on September 28, 1987. This episode served as a source of jokes for American comedians for a long time. According to Schroeder, even twenty years later, she received angry letters for daring to show tears. She did not run for a 13th term in Congress, and her successor was Democrat Diana DeGette.

In 1997, Schroeder became the President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers, where she served for 11 years. She was an advocate for strengthening copyright laws and opposed Google's intentions to digitize books and provide limited content online. She publicly criticized libraries for distributing electronic content without compensation to publishers and writers. However, Schroeder also sought to make the publishing business more socially responsible by collaborating with organizations for the blind and other reading difficulties, making materials more accessible to them.

After her tenure in this position, Patricia and her husband moved to Celebration, Florida. Schroeder was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. She also became known for her witty remarks. For instance, during a meeting of the Armed Services Committee, she told representatives from the Pentagon that if they were women, they would always be pregnant because they never say "no."