One of the longest serving Democratic members of the U.S. House, Louise Slaughter, has passed away at age 88. She had been hospitalized at George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C after falling at her home last week in D.C. and sustaining a concussion, and she died while surrounded by family. Her chief of staff, Liam FItzsimmons, made the sad announcement on Friday morning. In doing so, he hailed her as “a force of nature” and a “relentless advocate” for the area of Western New York, including Rochester, which she served from 1987 to 2018.
Slaughter began her political career by serving in New York’s State Assembly for two terms. Throughout her tenure in Congress, Slaughter was best known as one of the original authors of 1994’s Violence Against Women Act. Two decades later in 2014, Slaughter declared that this was “one of the most important” accomplishments of her career, but she lamented that millions of Americans per year still experienced physical or sexual assault from their partner. And she vowed, “I won’t stop fighting until that number is zero.”
As the first woman to chair the House Rules Committee, Slaughter earned the respect of her colleagues on both sides of the aisle. As a testament to that fact, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) professed his heartbroken reaction upon hearing the news. He continued with a statement:
“[S]he was a force to be reckoned with who always brought her spunk, fire, and dynamic leadership to every meeting. Louise was a fearless leader, deeply committed to her constituents, and a dear friend. I have had the immense privilege of working side by side with her for the past 20 years.”
Likewise, many of Slaughter’s other colleagues — including House Speaker Paul Ryan, who described the Democratic congresswoman as “tough” and “unfailingly gracious” — paid tribute to her on Twitter.
.@LouiseSlaughter was tough, unfailingly gracious, and unrelenting in fighting for her ideas. She was simply great. In her memory, I have ordered that the flags above the Capitol be lowered to half-staff.
— Paul Ryan (@SpeakerRyan) March 16, 2018
Heartbroken to lose a friend and colleague today. Louise Slaughter brought so much joy and hope to Congress and our country. My thoughts are with her family.
— Joe Kennedy III (@joekennedy) March 16, 2018
It was my great privilege to serve with Rep. @LouiseSlaughter and to benefit from her friendship and wise counsel for 30 years. Her loss will be deeply felt. May it be a comfort to her family to know that so many around the country mourn with them. https://t.co/sUHsrpPaLA pic.twitter.com/jb0xSl9FNm
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) March 16, 2018
Mourning the loss of Congresswoman Louise Slaughter today. Louise was a trailblazer who paved the way for so many other women in Congress. As the first woman to chair the House Rules Committee, she was a force in our fight for women and working families. She will be missed.
— Rep. Terri A. Sewell (@RepTerriSewell) March 16, 2018
I'm so sorry to learn of the passing of Rep. @LouiseSlaughter. She entered public service at a time when there were few women in the arena and blazed a trial for countless others. You couldn't find a better advocate for women in Congress. My thoughts are with her family.
— Senator Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) March 16, 2018
Heartbroken to hear of the passing of my friend and mentor @LouiseSlaughter, who I loved dearly. Louise was a trailblazer, a fighter, a champion in every sense of the word. This is a monumental loss. My prayers are with Louise's family, staff and the people of NY-25. pic.twitter.com/CvBVeAhtaV
— Rep. Barbara Lee (@RepBarbaraLee) March 16, 2018
I am devastated by the loss of my dear friend @louiseslaughter and extend my deepest condolences to her beautiful family. No one was a better public servant or fighter for her constituents than Louise. pic.twitter.com/OrjHBMsxxx
— Carolyn B. Maloney (@RepMaloney) March 16, 2018
(Via USA Today, NBC News & Louise.House.Gov)