Democratic Senator from Washington State
Maria Cantwell was sworn in for her first term on January 3, 2001. She was born in 1958, the second of five children and raised in a working class Irish neighborhood of Indianapolis. Both her parents were committed to public service. She received a B.A. in public policy from Miami University of Ohio in 1980.
She moved to Mountlake Terrace in Washington after college, where she organized a coalition to build a new library. At age 28 she successfully ran for state office. In 1992 she was elected to the U.S. Congress in the First District north of Seattle. While in the house she helped pass the Family and Medical Leave Act and measure to reduce the deficit. She was a strong advocate for women’s rights and the environment. In 1995 she joined a software start-up which has grown to provide 1,000 jobs in Washington State.
She is a member of the Committee on Indian Affairs, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Committee on the Judiciary, and Committee on Small Business. While on the Judiciary Committee she opposed the appointment of Senator John Ashcroft to be Attorney General of the United States, expressing doubts over his willingness to enforce laws protecting a woman’s right to chose, as well as environment regulations.
Her website and contact info:
Website/email: http://www.senate.gov/~cantwell
Phone: 1-888-648-7328
717 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510