“Rep. Louis Slaughter, an institution of New York politics and a groundbreaking Democrat on Capitol Hill, died early Friday morning after sustaining a head injury in a fall at her Washington residence last week,” write Mike Lillis and Rebecca Savransky in Friday’s (3/16) The Hill (Washington, D.C.). “The 88-year-old Slaughter made history in 2007, becoming the first woman to take the gavel of the powerful House Rules Committee … Slaughter’s office announced her passing in a statement Friday morning.” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stated, “In her lifetime of public service and unwavering commitment to working families, Congresswoman Slaughter embodied the very best of the American spirit and ideals.” “Born in Kentucky and educated in microbiology, Slaughter moved to New York after graduate school, cutting her teeth in local and state politics before first arriving on Capitol Hill in 1987…. As a legislator, Slaughter led a years-long charge against lawmaker insider trading, authoring bills designed to prevent lawmakers and staffers from profiting on non-public information…. Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Friday ordered the flags at the Capitol lowered to half-mast.”
Congresswoman Slaughter was a determined advocate for the arts, and in 2005 Slaughter and Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) received the League of American Orchestras’ Gold Baton award on behalf of the Congressional Arts Caucus. “I’m honored that the League chose to recognize my work for the arts,” Slaughter said at the time. “There will always be a need to spread awareness on the national level for the importance of the arts and I am committed to being out front in that fight.”
Posted March 19, 2018
