Nydia Velázquez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nydia Velázquez | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Stephen J. Solarz |
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| Born | March 28, 1953 Yabucoa, Puerto Rico |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Paul Bader |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Nydia Margarita Velázquez (born March 28, 1953) is a Puerto Rican politician who has represented New York's 12th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives since 1993. She was the first Puerto Rican woman to be elected to Congress.
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[edit] Early years
Velázquez, whose father worked the sugar cane fields, was one of nine siblings born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico. She was raised with the influence of political dinner table conversations. Her father was a local political activist and, from a young age, she would accompany her father to political rallies. Her father would focus on the rights of sugar cane workers and denounce the abuse perpetrated by wealthy farmers.
After skipping grades, she entered high school when she was 13. In high school she organized her classmates on a protest and the school was closed down. Their protest against the dangerous and unsanitary conditions of the school caused the necessary renovations to be made.
In 1969, when she was 16, she enrolled in the University of Puerto Rico (Universidad de Puerto Rico). In 1974 she graduated magna cum laude and became the first one in her family to receive a college diploma. She then went to New York City, where she attended and studied political science, on a scholarship, at New York University. In 1976 she received her Master's degree.
Velázquez was a university professor for many years, first in the University of Puerto Rico's Humacao branch (1976–81) and then at New York's Hunter College (1981–83).
[edit] New York City Council
In 1983, she was appointed Special Assistant to Representative Edolphus Towns (D-Brooklyn). In 1984, she became the first Latina appointed to serve as a member of the New York City Council.
In 1986, she served as the Director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs of the U.S. During that time, she initiated a successful Latino empowerment program called "Muevete" (Move on).
[edit] In Congress
In 1992, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York's 12th District (map), and became the first female Puerto Rican member of Congress. The sprawling 12th district encompasses parts of Brooklyn, Queens and Lower Manhattan. It includes such neighborhoods as Ridgewood, Maspeth, and Woodside in Queens, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Red Hook, and Sunset Park in Brooklyn and part of Manhattan's Lower East Side. She also became the first Hispanic woman to serve as Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee. She oversees federal programs and contracts totaling $200 billion dollars annually. She also serves on the House Financial Services Committee.
During her campaign for the House seat, her medical records, including documented clinical depression and an attempted suicide, were leaked to the press. She quickly held a press conference and said that she had been undergoing counseling for years and was emotionally and psychologically healthy.[1]
Her district is the only one in New York City that covers residential areas of three boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan). Charles Rangel's district, the Manhattan-based 15th Congressional District, also includes parts of the Queens and The Bronx, but the district's only territory in The Bronx is the Riker's Island jail.
[edit] Velázquez "firsts"
On April 3, 2003, Velázquez was named "Hispanic Business Woman of the Year" by Hispanic Business magazine, becoming the first woman to be named as such, in recognition of her national influence in both the political and business sectors.
Among her "firsts" are: the first Hispanic woman to serve on the New York City Council; the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in Congress; the first woman Ranking Democratic Member of the House Small Business Committee. Velázquez became first woman to chair the United States House Committee on Small Business in January 2007.
[edit] Committee assignments
- Financial Services Committee
- Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises
- Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity
- Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
- Small Business Committee (Chair)
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] External links
- U.S. Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, U.S. House site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Nydia Velázquez profile
| Preceded by Luis Olmedo |
New York City Council, 27th District 1984 |
Succeeded by Victor Robles |
| Preceded by Major R. Owens |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New York's 12th congressional district 1993 – present |
Incumbent |
