Elizabeth Holtzman

Elizabeth Holtzman (born August 11, 1941) is an American Democratic politician. As of 2005, she was the youngest woman ever to serve in Congress, elected at the age of 31. In 1972, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for New York's 16th Congressional District, defeating—in the Democratic primary—Judiciary Committee chairman Emanuel Celler, a fifty-year incumbent and the House's second-longest serving member at that time. Later victorious in the November general election, she served from January of 1973 until January of 1981. During her tenure, Holtzman was considered a staunch liberal. She served on the House's Judiciary Committee as that panel held impeachment hearings on the activities of President Richard Nixon in the summer of 1974. In 1978, her House Joint Resolution No. 638 was approved by the 95th Congress, which purported to extend the originally agreed-upon deadline for the state legislatures to ratify the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution.

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August 11 - 1941 - American - Democratic - Politician - 2005 - Woman - Congress - 1972 - U.S. House of Representatives - New York - Congressional District - Primary - Judiciary Committee - Chairman - Emanuel Celler - Incumbent - November - January - 1973 - 1981 - Liberal - Impeachment - President - Richard Nixon - 1974 - 1978 - 95th Congress - State legislatures - Equal Rights Amendment - United States Constitution

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Holtzman was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in 1980, having defeated such luminaries as Bess Myerson and John Lindsay in the Democratic primary. She ran against Republican challenger Al D'Amato and incumbent Senator Jacob Javits on the Liberal Party ticket. Holtzman was narrowly defeated by D'Amato, a loss many observers attributed to Javits' splitting with her the liberal and Jewish votes. In 1981, Holtzman made a comeback, winning election as District Attorney in Kings County (Brooklyn). She won citywide office when she was elected New York City Comptroller in 1989. In 1992, Holtzman sought the Democratic nomination to again challenge D'Amato; she lost the primary to New York Attorney General Bob Abrams, who was himself defeated by the Republican incumbent in the November general election. This was a bitter primary in which Holtzman faced not only Abrams, but former Representative and 1984 vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro. Accusations were raised about Holtzman's association with Fleet Bank, charges which came back to haunt her in 1993 when she was defeated in an attempt to retain her office as Comptroller.

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U.S. Senate - 1980 - Bess Myerson - John Lindsay - Republican - Al D'Amato - Jacob Javits - Liberal Party - Jewish - 1981 - District Attorney - Brooklyn - New York City - Comptroller - 1989 - 1992 - Primary - Attorney General - Republican - 1984 - Vice presidential candidate - Geraldine Ferraro - 1993

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Holtzman now practices law in New York City. She has written a memoir (ISBN 1559703024) called Who Said it Would be Easy: One Woman's Life in the Political Arena and is currently serving on a commission investigating the connections of the OSS and CIA with Nazis in the post-World War II period.

Related Topics:
Law - Memoir - Commission - OSS - CIA - Nazis - World War II

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