Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur represents Ohio’s Ninth Congressional District and is currently serving her seventeenth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. She holds the distinction of being the longest-serving woman in U.S. House history and ranks among the most senior members of the 115th Congress.
Background
A native of Toledo, Congresswoman Kaptur still resides in the same modest home where she was raised. Of Polish-American heritage, she comes from a working-class family that operated a small grocery store. Her mother was part of the original organizing committee for a trade union at the Champion Spark Plug factory in Toledo.
Kaptur graduated from St. Ursula Academy and became the first in her family to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Wisconsin in 1968 and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Michigan.
She worked for 15 years as a city and regional planner in Toledo and Chicago before serving as a domestic policy advisor to President Jimmy Carter, helping to pass 17 housing and neighborhood revitalization bills through Congress.
In Congress
In 1981, while pursuing a doctorate in urban planning and development finance at MIT, Kaptur was recruited by the Lucas County Democratic Party to run for Congress. Despite being outspent 3-to-1, she secured a nationally recognized upset victory in 1982, driven by a strong economic message during the recession.
In Washington, Kaptur earned a seat on the House Appropriations Committee. She is now the ranking member on the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, reflecting her district’s Lake Erie coastline.
She was the first Democratic woman to serve on the Defense Subcommittee, advocating for national security, energy independence, and robust support for the armed forces. Kaptur also serves on the Interior Subcommittee, where she fights for clean water initiatives to protect the Great Lakes.
Federal Investments in Northern Ohio
Congresswoman Kaptur has helped secure federal funding for vital transportation and infrastructure projects in Northern Ohio, including:
- The I-280 Veterans’ Glass City Skyway — Ohio’s largest bridge project
- The Toledo Farmers’ Market — expanded with federal assistance
- The Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge visitors center
- Cranes and heavy equipment for the Port of Toledo
- A solar power array at the 180th Fighter Wing
- The Center for Innovative Food Technology
- Solar energy research at the University of Toledo
- The Lake Erie Center
National World War II Memorial
Kaptur is known for her relentless 17-year effort to establish the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Inspired by her constituent, WWII veteran Roger Durbin, she fought legislative battles to make his dream a reality. The memorial was finally dedicated on May 29, 2004, before a crowd of 150,000, including three U.S. presidents.
President George W. Bush accepted the memorial on behalf of the American people, calling it “a fitting tribute, open and expansive, like America: grand and enduring, like the achievements we honor.”
Defense and National Security
Kaptur’s advocacy for veterans earned her the VFW Americanism Award and the Prisoner of War “Barbed Wire” Award. She sponsored legislation supporting workers exposed to beryllium, funded research on post-traumatic stress disorder among service members, and played a crucial role in saving the 180th Fighter Wing in Toledo from base closure.
International Affairs
A champion of global democratic values, Kaptur serves on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and co-chairs both the Congressional Hungarian Caucus and the Ukraine Caucus.
She has directed U.S. surplus farm commodities to support peace efforts in Lebanon, Israel, and the Palestinian Authority and has led charitable initiatives for Ukraine and Vietnam. Kaptur remains a strong advocate for fair trade and human rights, famously opposing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Awards
Congresswoman Kaptur’s work has earned her numerous honors, including:
- Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Toledo (1993)
- Alumna of the Year by St. Ursula Academy (1995)
- Distinguished Alumna Award from the University of Michigan’s Taubman College — the first woman to receive this honor
- Director’s Award from Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service
- National Mental Health Association’s “Legislator of the Year”
- Ellis Island Medal of Honor (2002)
She is also the author of Women in Congress: A Twentieth Century Odyssey, published by Congressional Quarterly in 1996.
True to her principles of fiscal responsibility, Congresswoman Kaptur has consistently returned money to the federal Treasury, refused congressional pay raises, and donated those funds to reduce the national deficit and support charitable causes in her community.
Learn more: https://kaptur.house.gov/