Mary Rose Oakar, the first Democratic woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio, who served in Congress for 16 years, died Saturday. She was 85.
U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur later represented parts of Cleveland that were once part of Oakar's district. Kaptur, in a statement released by her office, called Oakar an "indefatigable, extraordinary woman of deep faith" who exhibited "raw courage" and "perseverance" and had a "hearty laugh that elevated spirits."
“She not only stood her ground but made her own ground — to serve senior citizens, housing, pay equity, and better health care for women, moving into the ranks of Democratic House leaders where she firmly stood as Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus," Kaptur shared in her statement.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, in a post on X, cited Oakar's courage and compassion.
"As our city’s own trailblazer — first Democratic woman from Ohio in the U.S. House, advocate for women’s health, seniors, and our waterfront — her legacy lifts us up."
Oakar was born in Cleveland on March 5, 1940. She was the youngest of five children. Her parents were of Lebanese and Syrian ancestry.
Oakar earned a B.A. from Ursuline College, attended Columbia and received her M.A. from John Carroll University. She was a member of the faculty at Cuyahoga Community College before getting elected to Cleveland City Council in 1973. She served four years on council before first getting elected to Congress in 1976.
Her biography on the U.S. House of Representatives History Art and Archives website says Oakar was dedicated to improving the economic welfare of women and leading the charge in Congress for women’s rights. But she also ran into opposition from women’s groups for her anti-abortion views.
Kaptur, in her statement, also cited Oakar's ancestry with regards to the perspective she brought to foreign policy in the Middle East.
“As the first Arab American woman, and first Syrian-American and first Lebanese-American to serve in Congress, she dedicated endless hours and years to build new bridges toward peace in the Middle East, and understanding of its complexity for communities here at home.
Oakar was an influential figure in the Democratic Party rising in leadership by mastering House procedures. But she was caught up in the House check-writing scandal of the early 1990s, which involved dozens of representatives having written thousands of overdrafts over a three-year period. Oakar wrote 213 overdrafts.
While she survived her first significant primary challenge in 1992, she ultimately lost her seat to her Republican challenger in the district, which had been redrawn for that year's elections.
After leaving Congress, Oakar was indicted for taking illegal campaign contributions, pleaded guilty and was given two years probation.
Oakar continued her work advocating for the elderly and was appointed in 1995 to the White House Conference on Aging by President Bill Clinton.
Oakar served one term in the Ohio House of Representatives and was later named president of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
