Former US Rep. Nita Lowey of New York dies at 87
NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 19: Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY) speaks onstage during Global Citizen: Movement Makers at NYU Skirball Center on September 19, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen)
NEW YORK - Former long-serving U.S. Representative Nita Lowey of New York passed away at the age of 87.
She was the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee, among many other achievements.
Lowey’s family, in a statement shared by the Westchester County Democratic Committee, said she died Saturday after battling metastatic breast cancer with the "same tenacity and strength that she fought throughout her 32-year career in Congress for women, children and families."
What we know:
Representative Nita Lowey, a Democrat from New York, questions General John Kelly, U.S. secretary of Homeland Security, not pictured, during a hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump's fiscal 2018 budget proposal in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesda
According to Lower's family, she passed away peacefully in her home in Harrison, New York surrounded by her husband and grandchildren.
Local perspective:
New York Governor Kathy Hochul who once served alongside Lowey in Congress, ordered flags flown at half-staff Sunday through Monday in honor of her legacy.
"She was an indefatigable fighter and worked across the aisle to deliver results for her constituents and all Americans," her family wrote.
The backstory:
As a Democrat, Lowey represented suburban communities north of New York City, including parts of Westchester County and the Hudson River Valley.
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 07: Rep. Nita Lowey, D-NY; Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, urged the President and Congress to prevent the plan to withdraw $125 million in aid money to help workers with 9/11-related injuries. (Pho
She served in Congress from 1988 until she retired in 2020.
Lowey was known as a staunch advocate for AIDS and sending economic aid to developing nations. She also fought for women’s health care and education and led a successful fight to provide contraception coverage to federal workers via their federal health insurance plans in the late 1990s under the Republican-controlled House.
Lowey’s family said a private funeral and burial will be followed by a memorial service at a later date.
"We will miss her more than words can say and take great comfort in knowing that she lived a full and purposeful life," the statement said.