Marge Roukema facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marge Roukema
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey |
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| In office January 3, 1981 – January 3, 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Andrew Maguire |
| Succeeded by | Scott Garrett |
| Constituency | 7th district (1981–1983) 5th district (1983–2003) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Margaret Scafati
September 19, 1929 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | November 12, 2014 (aged 85) Wyckoff, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Richard Roukema |
| Education | Montclair State University (BA) |
Margaret "Marge" Roukema was an important American politician. She represented New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives for 22 years. She was a member of the Republican Party from 1981 to 2003. Marge Roukema was born on September 19, 1929, and passed away on November 12, 2014.
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Early Life and Education
Marge Roukema was born in Newark, New Jersey. She went to Montclair State College. There, she earned a degree in history and political science. She also took advanced history classes at Rutgers University–Newark.
Political Career
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Before becoming a politician, Marge Roukema was a high school history teacher. She taught in the Ridgewood Public Schools in New Jersey. She also served on her local school board in Ridgewood. In 1970, she became the Vice President of the school board.
Serving in Congress
In 1980, Marge Roukema decided to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She ran against Andrew Maguire, who was a Democratic Congressman. She won the election for New Jersey's 7th District. Many Republicans won elections that year because of Ronald Reagan becoming president. This was sometimes called riding on "Reagan's coattails."
After 1980, the election districts were redrawn. Roukema's district became the 5th District. This new district was more likely to vote Republican. She was easily re-elected in 1982. She won nine more elections after that with very little competition.
Political Views
Marge Roukema was known as a "moderate Republican." This means she held views that were often in the middle, not too extreme. Many Republicans from the Northeast part of the U.S. had similar moderate views.
Sometimes, she faced challenges from more "conservative" Republicans. These are people who often want less government involvement and lower taxes. In 1992, she won against Ira M. Marlowe and Louis Sette. In 1998, a conservative politician named Scott Garrett challenged her. Roukema won against him, and again in 2000.
Retirement from Politics
In 2002, Marge Roukema decided not to run for re-election. She had served 11 terms in Congress. She was facing another challenge from Scott Garrett. Also, she was going to lose her leadership roles in Congress because of term limits.
After she retired, Scott Garrett won the election for her seat. Marge Roukema did not support Garrett in that election. She supported another candidate, Gerald Cardinale, who came in third place.
Marge Roukema was also an honorary board member of the National Organization of Italian American Women.
Later Life and Passing
Marge Roukema passed away on November 12, 2014. She was 85 years old. She died at a health care center in Wyckoff, New Jersey. She had been living with Alzheimer's disease.
See also
- Women in the United States House of Representatives
