During her twelve terms in Congress, Patricia Schroeder made an indelible mark on our times through her trailblazing leadership in the House of Representatives, where she worked tirelessly to establish national family policy, including issues like parental leave, childcare, family planning, and more. She was also a leader in foreign and military policy, serving on the House National Security Committee, the House Judiciary Committee and chaired the Select Committee on Children, Youth and Families.
Schroeder, who earned a law degree from Harvard University, was first elected from Colorado in 1972 and continued to serve he constituency until she announced her retirement in late 1995.
One of the few women in modern times to become a candidate for the Presidency, Schroeder has always been an outspoken advocate for what she calls “work and family issues,” in recognition of the fact that issues concerning women inevitably impact all families.
She wrote and introduced the now-enacted Family and Medical Leave Act in 1985 and was a primary advocate to enact legislation and secure funding for key legislation to support women’s health research. One of the nation’s most respected women, Patricia Schroeder was not only a sophisticated and successful legislator; she embodies an unblinking commitment to represent the interests of women and their families at the highest levels of government and do all in her power to see that those interests are served. She does not apologize for her feminism and her advocacy. As she expressed it to The New York Times in 1977, “I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both.”
