Barbara Boxer

Barbara Sue Boxer (née Levy) was born on November 11, 1940, in Brooklyn, New York City, to Sophie (née Silvershein) and Ira Levy, who were Jewish. She attended public schools in Brooklyn and graduated from George W. Wingate High School in 1958. She earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Brooklyn College in 1962. In 1962, she married Stewart Boxer. The couple moved to California in 1965.

In her early career, Boxer worked as a stockbroker during the early 1960s while her husband was in law school. After relocating to California, she participated in Eugene McCarthy’s 1968 presidential primary campaign, which was an antiwar effort. In 1970, she co-founded the Marin Alliance, an organization opposing the Vietnam War.

Boxer first sought political office in 1972, challenging incumbent Republican Peter Arrigoni for a seat on the Marin County Board of Supervisors; she lost by a narrow margin. From 1972 to 1974, she worked as a reporter and editor for the Pacific Sun, a local publication. She then managed the Marin campaign for John Burton, brother of Congressman Phillip Burton, who was representing California's southern San Francisco area.

In 1974, John Burton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Boxer became his staff aide. In 1976, she was elected to the Marin County Board of Supervisors, serving six years and becoming the board’s first female president.

Boxer was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, representing California’s 6th congressional district, succeeding John Burton. Her campaign slogan was "Barbara Boxer Gives a Damn." She served five terms in the House from 1983 to 1993. During her tenure, she was a member of the Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families and served on the Armed Services Committee. In 1992, she was involved in the House banking scandal, which revealed that over 450 members and aides overdrafted their accounts at the House Bank. Boxer admitted to overdrafts and paid a fine.

In 1992, Boxer ran for the U.S. Senate, choosing not to seek re-election to the House. She won the Democratic primary with 44% of the vote, and in the general election, defeated Republican Bruce Herschensohn by 4.9%. She was re-elected to the Senate in 1998, defeating Matt Fong, and in 2004, defeating Bill Jones. In 2010, she defeated Republican candidate Carly Fiorina.

Boxer served in the Senate from January 3, 1993, until January 3, 2017. She was the ranking member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics, and supported various caucuses including the Senate Oceans Caucus and the Senate Ukraine Caucus.

Throughout her Senate career, Boxer was known for her liberal positions. During her tenure, she was actively involved in legislative and advocacy work, notably objecting to Ohio's electoral votes in the 2004 presidential election along with other Democrats, and initially supporting Hillary Clinton as a presidential candidate in 2008 before remaining neutral during the primaries.

Boxer did not seek re-election in 2016. She was succeeded by Kamala Harris, who was then serving as California's attorney general.

After leaving the Senate, Boxer engaged in various activities, including giving paid speeches, raising funds for a political action committee, hosting a weekly podcast with her daughter Nicole Boxer, and working as a lobbyist. In January 2020, she joined Mercury Public Affairs as co-chairwoman. Reports in 2021 indicated she was working as a registered foreign agent for Hikvision, a Chinese surveillance company, but she later deregistered. In October 2021, Boxer and others departed Mercury's California office to start their own consulting firm.

Boxer was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, and has one daughter. Her career spans journalism, local government, and federal legislative service as a member of the Democratic Party.