Rep. Marcy Kaptur will become the longest-serving woman ever in the House of Representatives on Sunday. She took office in January 1983 and will have served for 35 years, 2 months and 15 days, or 12,858 days.
She's the fourth longest-serving member of Congress from Ohio, and the sixth longest-serving member of the House overall. In her tenure, Kaptur's seen six presidents and eight speakers of the House.
She's served alongside 236 other women in Congress, which is 72% of all women who have been in Congress, according to the House's Office of the Historian. Kaptur is also the longest-serving woman on the Appropriations Committee, which she has been a part of since 1990 and is currently the second-ranking Democrat.
Previously, the record for longest-serving woman in the House was held by Edith Nourse Rogers, R-Mass., who served for 35 years, 2 months and 14 days from 1925 to 1960.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will host a reception in Kaptur's honor Wednesday, as part of her annual tradition of honoring a different female trailblazer for Women’s History Month.
“It is a great privilege to honor Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur as she marks the milestone of becoming the longest-serving woman in the history of the House of Representatives,” Pelosi said in a statement. “Marcy is an icon and a trailblazer, and her relentless, principled leadership has encouraged countless young women to enter politics.”
Kaptur, who is 71, is from Toledo, Ohio. She was the first in her family to graduate from high school and college, with degrees from the University of Wisconsin and University of Michigan.
She won her seat in Ohio's 9th district against Republican Ed Weber in an upset victory in 1982. She also faced a strong Republican challenge in 1984, but kept her seat even as Ronald Reagan won her district. She went on to win every election up to 2002 with at least 74% of the vote.
Kaptur is opposed to taxpayer-funded abortions and has voted in favor of some abortion restriction proposals. But she has also said she supports Roe v. Wade. She's an opponent of free trade and big banks.
Kaptur also pushed for the World War II memorial to be built in D.C., introducing the World War II Memorial Act in the House in 1987 in response to a veteran constituent. The bill did not pass until 1993, and Kaptur spoke at the memorial's dedication ceremony when it was finally completed in 2004.
Alongside Pelosi, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif, and Betty Sutton, a former representative and current candidate for Ohio lieutenant governor, are set to speak at the event.
