Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky

Marjorie Margolies, born on June 21, 1942, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an American politician and former journalist. She holds the position of fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government and serves as an adjunct faculty member there. Margolies is affiliated with the Democratic Party and previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district from 1993 to 1995.

Educational Background:

Margolies graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1963.

Journalism Career:

She worked as a broadcast journalist for over twenty-four years, earning five Emmy Awards for her work. Her journalism career included positions at WCAU-TV from 1967 to 1969, where she worked as a television journalist, and later at WRC-TV from 1975 until 1990. She also participated as a correspondent for the "Today Show" and was a CBS News Foundation Fellow at Columbia University from 1969 to 1970.

Political Career:

In 1992, Margolies ran for an open seat in Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district, a predominantly suburban area outside Philadelphia that had been held by Republicans since 1916. She won the Democratic primary with 79% of the vote, defeating Bernard Tomkin, and narrowly defeated Republican State Representative Jon D. Fox in the general election by 1,373 votes, a margin of 0.5%. She served one term in Congress in the 103rd Congress.

During her tenure, Margolies served on the bipartisan Deficit Reduction Task Force. She was also a participant in the class of 1992 that authored the book "A Woman's Place." Notably, she cast the decisive vote in favor of President Bill Clinton’s 1993 budget proposal, a bill she initially opposed until she received a call from President Clinton. Her vote was pivotal in passing the budget, which resulted in significant political repercussions, including her defeat in the 1994 re-election bid to Fox, as part of the Republican Revolution that saw many Democratic incumbents lose their seats.

Post-Congressional Activities:

Following her term in Congress, Margolies served as the chair of the National Women's Business Council and was a member of the United States delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. She is the founder and chair of Women's Campaign International (WCI), an organization dedicated to advocacy training for women worldwide.

She holds an adjunct position at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government and is a member of the board of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Political Campaigns:

In 1998, Margolies ran for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, winning the Democratic primary but losing the general election to the Republican incumbents Tom Ridge and Mark Schweiker. In 2000, she considered running for the U.S. Senate against Rick Santorum but withdrew due to financial difficulties and personal issues, including her mother’s illness and her husband's legal troubles, which led to her filing for bankruptcy. She was unable to obtain a discharge for her debts, as the court found she failed to adequately explain a significant loss of assets.

In 2014, Margolies entered the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania’s 13th congressional district to succeed Rep. Allyson Schwartz, who was running for governor. She lost the primary to Brendan Boyle. During her campaign, Hillary Clinton held a fundraiser for her candidacy.

Personal Life:

Margolies married Edward Mezvinsky in 1975; they divorced in 2007. They had 11 children together, including four from his previous marriage, two adopted by Margolies on her own, two biological sons, and three children adopted jointly. In 1970, she adopted a daughter from Korea, reportedly the first time an unmarried American woman adopted a foreign child. Her son Marc Mezvinsky married Chelsea Clinton in 2010. As of 2014, the family had 18 grandchildren.

Published Works:

Margolies has authored several books, including "They Came to Stay" (1976), "Finding Someone to Love" (1980), "The Girls in the Newsroom" (1983), "A Woman's Place" (1994), and "And How Are the Children? Timeless Lessons from the Frontlines of Motherhood" (2021).