Barbara Vucanovich

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Barbara Vucanovich
Jim Gibbons
Personal details
Born
Barbara Farrell

(1921-06-22)June 22, 1921
Camp Dix, New Jersey, U.S.
DiedJune 10, 2013(2013-06-10) (aged 91)
Reno, Nevada, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Henry Bugden
(m. 1939; div. 1949)
Kenneth Dillon
(m. 1950; died 1964)
George Vucanovich
(m. 1965; died 1998)
Children5
EducationManhattanville College

Barbara Farrell Vucanovich (June 22, 1921 – June 10, 2013) was an American Republican politician who was the first Latina elected to the United States House of Representatives, in which she served representing Nevada from 1983 to 1997.

Background

Vucanovich was born in

New York State Department of Public Works, and during World War II rejoined the United States Army to become Deputy Commanding General of the Manhattan Project. Vucanovich's mother, Maria Ynez White, was of English and Mexican ancestry from southern California
, with her maternal great-grandmother having been a Mexican who became a U.S. citizen upon the transfer of California to the United States in 1848.

Vucanovich grew up in the capital city of

U.S. Senate.[1] George died of leukemia in 1998.[2]

Political career

Vucanovich's second husband, Ken Dillon, introduced her to Nevada Republican politics in the 1950s, when the party was slowly building after decades of minority status. Dillon introduced her to

Las Vegas
.

She won her first term with the slogan, "What Congress needs is a tough grandmother."

George Herbert Walker Bush, Vucanovich's choice. She won just 48% of the vote to 43% to Reno mayor Pete Sferrazza. Shortly after taking office in 1983, she was diagnosed and had surgery for breast cancer. Motivated in part by her own experience, Vucanovich supported funding for early screening, detection and treatment of breast cancer. She supported equal pay and equal treatment for women. She was a supporter of capital punishment.[3]

Vucanovich served for many years on the House Interior Committee, of which she eventually became the ranking Republican on the Mining and Minerals Subcommittee. She also served on the

American West and a measure to prevent more than one state from taxing pensions and retirement benefits. She campaigned for her seventh term by opposing Clinton administration tax increase proposals on casinos.[3]

She launched a campaign to become

Conservative Opportunity Society, a group led by subsequent Speaker Gingrich with the goal of achieving Republican control of the House, Vucanovich faced serious opposition in her leadership bid from Tim Hutchinson, a second-term member from Arkansas. She prevailed in a close contest for secretary after a rousing nomination speech by Henry Hyde (R-IL), a friend and ally in their shared opposition to abortion.[citation needed
]

Vucanovich positioned herself early in her House career as a conservative leader, having aligned herself with a group of members such as Newt Gingrich,

Retirement

After her retirement from elected office, Vucanovich continued to work in politics, mainly serving on external committees. Her daughter,

]

Death

Vucanovich died twelve days before her 92nd birthday on June 10, 2013.[4]

Governor Brian Sandoval paid tribute to Vucanovich, whom he likened to Margaret Thatcher, "the Iron Lady" of Great Britain:

Barbara Vucanovich was the matriarch of her political generation ... Nevada's "Silver Lady". ... First and foremost, however, Barbara was a wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her family was always her priority, even as she served the entire Nevada family in the United States Congress.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Patricia D. Cafferata (2005). Barbara F. Vucanovich. University of Nevada Press. pp. 1–26, 153–231.
  2. ^ Hoffa, John (April 2007). "A Guide to the George J. Vucanoich Papers" (PDF). Reno, NV: Nevada Historical Society. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Barbara Vucanovich". legacy.com. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  4. ^ Notice of death of Barbara Vucanovich, rgj.com; accessed April 28, 2014.

External links

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the
U.S. House of Representatives
from Nevada's 2nd congressional district

1983–1997
Succeeded by
Jim Gibbons
Party political offices
Preceded by
Secretary of the House Republican Conference

1995–1997
Succeeded by
Jennifer Dunn