Barbara Boxer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Barbara Boxer
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Official portrait, 2013
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| United States Senator from California |
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| In office January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | Alan Cranston |
| Succeeded by | Kamala Harris |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Environment Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 3, 2017 |
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| Preceded by | David Vitter |
| Succeeded by | Tom Carper |
| Chair of the Senate Environment Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Inhofe |
| Succeeded by | Jim Inhofe |
| Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee | |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015 |
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| Preceded by | George Voinovich |
| Succeeded by | Johnny Isakson |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 6th district |
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| In office January 3, 1983 – January 3, 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Phillip Burton |
| Succeeded by | Lynn Woolsey |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Barbara Sue Levy
November 11, 1940 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Stewart Boxer
(m. 1962) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Brooklyn College (BA) |
Barbara Sue Boxer (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician. She served as a United States Senator for California from 1993 to 2017. Before that, she was a U.S. representative for California's 6th congressional district from 1983 to 1993. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
Born in Brooklyn, New York City, Barbara Boxer went to George W. Wingate High School and Brooklyn College. She worked in finance and as a journalist before moving to California. In the 1970s, she became an aide to a U.S. Representative. She also served on the Marin County Board of Supervisors, becoming its first female president. With the slogan "Barbara Boxer cares," she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982.
In 1992, Boxer won the election for the U.S. Senate. She was re-elected several times. In 2004, she received over 6 million votes, setting a record at the time for a U.S. Senate election. Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein were the first two women to represent any state as U.S. senators at the same time. Boxer was known for her liberal political views. She did not run for re-election in 2016 and was succeeded by Kamala Harris.
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Early Life and Education
Barbara Sue Levy was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on November 11, 1940. Her parents were Sophie and Ira Levy. She went to public schools and graduated from George W. Wingate High School in 1958.
In 1962, she married Stewart Boxer. She also graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in economics. Barbara and Stewart Boxer moved to California in 1965.
Beginning Her Career
In the early 1960s, Boxer worked as a stockbroker. After moving to California, she became involved in politics. In 1968, she worked on the presidential campaign for Eugene McCarthy, who was against the Vietnam War. In 1970, she helped start a group called the Marin Alliance, which also opposed the Vietnam War.
Boxer first ran for a political job in 1972 for the Marin County Board of Supervisors. She lost that election. From 1972 to 1974, she worked as a reporter and editor for a newspaper called the Pacific Sun.
Later, she managed the campaign for John Burton, who was running for Congress. After Burton won, Boxer became his staff aide. In 1976, Boxer was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors. She served for six years and was the first woman to be the board's president.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
In 1982, Barbara Boxer was elected to the United States House of Representatives. She took over from John Burton. Her campaign slogan was "Barbara Boxer cares." She represented California's 6th district for five terms. She won her first election by a small amount but easily won her later re-elections.
Boxer was part of the first United States House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families. This committee was created in 1983 to focus on issues affecting young people. She also served on the Armed Services committee during her time in the House.
In 1992, Boxer was involved in a situation called the House banking scandal. This meant that some members of Congress, including her, had written checks that caused their accounts to be overdrawn. Boxer said she should have paid more attention to her account. She paid a small fee for each overdrawn check.
Serving in the U.S. Senate
Senate Elections
In 1992, Senator Alan Cranston decided not to run again. Barbara Boxer chose to run for his Senate seat. This year was called the "Year of the Woman" because many women ran for office. Boxer won the Democratic primary election. In the main election, she defeated Republican Bruce Herschensohn.
Boxer won a second term in 1998, beating Matt Fong. In 2004, she won again, defeating Bill Jones. In 2010, she beat Carly Fiorina. Boxer decided not to run for re-election in 2016.
Senate Committees
As a Senator, Boxer served on several important committees:
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation: This committee deals with topics like airlines, consumer safety, oceans, and space.
- Committee on Environment and Public Works: She was the top-ranking Democrat on this committee, which focuses on environmental issues and public projects.
- Committee on Foreign Relations: This committee handles relationships with other countries.
- Select Committee on Ethics: She was the vice chair of this committee, which deals with rules for senators.
Boxer also served as the Democratic chief deputy whip. This role meant she helped gather votes for important laws.
Presidential Politics
2004 Election
In 2005, Boxer raised concerns about the 2004 U.S. presidential election results in Ohio. She wanted to highlight problems in the election system. The Senate and House voted against her objection. This was only the second time in U.S. history that a congressional objection was made to an entire state's electoral votes.
2008 Election
In the 2008 election, Boxer was a "superdelegate." She had said she would support the winner of the California primary, which was Hillary Clinton. However, she stayed neutral and only supported Barack Obama after he had enough votes to win the nomination.
2016 Election
In 2013, Senator Boxer was one of sixteen Democratic female senators who signed a letter supporting Hillary Clinton to be the Democratic candidate for the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
After the Senate
After leaving the U.S. Senate, Boxer gave speeches and hosted a weekly podcast with her daughter. She also worked as a consultant for various companies.
In 2017, she was a main speaker at an Earth Month event at the University of Southern California.
Key Political Views and Actions
Barbara Boxer was known as a "liberal lion" and a "progressive force" in the Senate.
Economy
In 2008, Boxer voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, which was a plan to help the economy during a financial crisis. In 2013, she said that the federal minimum wage should be raised to $10.00 an hour.
Education
Boxer created the Excellence in Education award. This award recognized teachers, parents, businesses, and groups that were making positive changes in education. She gave this award to 38 people starting in 1997.
Election System Changes
Boxer voted for the 2002 Help America Vote Act. This law required the use of voting machines across the country. In 2005, she introduced a bill to ensure that every vote cast on electronic machines would have a paper record. This bill did not pass.
In 2016, after the presidential election, Boxer introduced a bill to change the U.S. Constitution. This bill would have removed the Electoral College and allowed presidents to be chosen by a simple national vote.
Environment
Boxer worked hard to protect the environment. In 2003 and 2005, she successfully blocked oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She also introduced the National Oceans Protection Act in 2005.
Boxer supported the Clean Power Act, which aimed to reduce air pollution. She also sponsored the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act. This law protected a large area of federal land as wilderness and several miles of streams as wild and scenic rivers.
Foreign Policy
In 1997, the Senate passed a resolution by Boxer. It called for the United States not to recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan. This was because of their poor treatment of women.
Boxer voted against the first Gulf War in 1991 when she was in the House of Representatives. In 2012, she joined other senators to criticize Russia for helping the Syrian government during its civil war.
Iraq War
In 2002, Boxer voted against allowing the use of military force in Iraq. In 2005, she and Senator Russ Feingold proposed a plan for U.S. troops to leave Iraq.
Boxer also criticized Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's judgment about the war. She said Rice's loyalty to selling the war might have affected her respect for the truth. In 2007, Boxer questioned General David Petraeus's positive report on Iraq. She also made comments about who pays the price for war, saying that politicians like herself and Secretary Rice would not pay a "personal price" like military families do.
Gun Laws
Senator Boxer supported a federal ban on certain types of semi-automatic firearms. After the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting, she called for "common-sense gun safety laws" to protect communities.
Health Care
Boxer worked to increase medical research to find cures for diseases. In 2007, she helped write a law to fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis around the world. In 1997, she wrote a Patients' Bill of Rights. She also supported making health insurance tax-deductible and allowing Americans to buy into the same health insurance program as members of Congress. She wanted comprehensive prescription drug coverage through Medicare.
In 2002, Boxer asked the Bush administration to address the rise in autism cases in California. She also supported embryonic stem-cell research, believing it could help people with diseases like diabetes and Parkinson's disease.
LGBT Rights
In 1996, Boxer was one of only 14 senators to vote against the Defense of Marriage Act. She also voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2004 and 2006, which would have banned same-sex marriage. While she supported California's domestic partnership law, she initially believed marriage was between a man and a woman. However, she later strongly supported same-sex marriage during her 2010 campaign. She opposed Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California.
Reproductive Rights
Boxer supported a woman's right to choose. She wrote the Freedom of Choice Act of 2004 and helped pass the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.
Social Security
Boxer supported the existing Social Security system. She was against President George W. Bush's plan to partially privatize Social Security.
Surveillance
In 2008, Boxer spoke against and voted against the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. This bill would have changed a law about foreign intelligence surveillance.
Books Written by Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer wrote two novels. Her first novel, A Time to Run, was published in 2005. Her second novel, Blind Trust, came out in 2009.
Personal Life
Barbara and Stewart Boxer have two children, Doug and Nicole. In 1994, Nicole Boxer married Tony Rodham, who was the younger brother of Hillary Clinton. They had a son named Zachary in 1995 before they divorced.
In 2006, Barbara and Stewart Boxer sold their house in Greenbrae, California, and moved to Rancho Mirage.
In 2021, Boxer was robbed of her phone in Oakland, California. She was not seriously hurt.
See also
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
- Women in the United States Senate
