Ambler Campus, Temple University

While her opponent, a 50-year incumbent, compared the likelihood of her winning as “a toothpick’s chance of toppling the Washington Monument” she succeeded in becoming the youngest woman ever elected to Congress in 1972 — more than 35 years later, it’s a record she still holds.

On Wednesday, March 19, Holtzman will share “A Candid Conversation About the Role of Women in Politics,” during a special Women’s History Month and Spring Cultural Affairs Series presentation. The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 7:30 p.m., in the Learning Center Auditorium.

“I had no idea I was the youngest woman who ran; I only learned that when I was elected. At the beginning, it was a tough road. Capitol police drew their guns on me and I had to prove I was a member of Congress by pulling out my ID,” said Holtzman, who won the U.S. Representative seat for New York’s 16th Congressional District at the age of 31, serving in that capacity until 1981. “I was the youngest woman elected to Congress in 1972 and here we are, more than 35 years later, and no one has broken that record. Even today, for women who want to run for public office, there is a lot of stereotyping and a lot of prejudice, including in the media.”

In addition to her own experiences, “I’d like to talk about the role of gender in the presidential race and the special problems women confront when seeking public office,” Holtzman said.

“I want to emphasize, however, that it can be done and it is worth doing. There are such great things that women can achieve in public office, not just for women, but for society in general,” she said. “I think many women who seek public office do so out of an interest in trying to make society a better place. It was a great privilege to serve and a real opportunity to serve the community and the country.”

Holtzman, author of Who Said it Would be Easy: One Woman's Life in the Political Arena and The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens, spent more than two decades in a variety of roles in public office before returning to private law practice.

“Liz Holtzman was closely watched and a much admired figure during her congressional tenure and continues be a regular contributor to the dialogue of American politics,” said Temple University Ambler Dean Dr. James W. Hilty, a noted political and presidential historian. “She is a wonderful exemplar for women aspiring to make a difference in the world of politics, public service, and law.”

Holtzman’s personal memoir “of the travails of a woman in politics serves both as a brave statement of the personal risks and ultimate costs of engaging in the rough and tumble world of New York politics and as a profound illustration of how gender differences manifest themselves in American politics and society at large,” Dr. Hilty said.

“It may seem a cliché to describe her as a pioneer in American politics, but one only needs to glance at today’s headlines to know that, without Liz Holtzman breaking new pathways more than three decades ago, those stories would have a different cast,” he said.

Beginning even before her first electoral victory, Holtzman’s extraordinary political career often linked her with the defining moments of the last several decades, from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, to the Watergate scandal – she was a member of the House Judiciary Committee that voted to impeach President Richard Nixon in 1974, to the fight for women’s rights, to the campaign for a government free of the undue influence of wealthy special interest groups.

“For me, being young and a woman, to be asked to serve on the House Judiciary Committee during this incredibly important historical moment, had a tremendous impact. Barbara Jordan and I were the first women to serve on the House Judiciary Committee,” Holtzman said. “I think it proved what women could and should do and that they could do an extremely good job even during the most serious Constitutional crisis.”

While this historical election year may see the first woman or African American elected to the presidency, there remains a marked disparity in the number of men and the number of women elected to public office, Holtzman said.

“More than half of the voting population is made up of women, yet so few women are elected to public office. I was recently honored with other women who have served in Congress,” she said. “In the history of this country 241 women have served in Congress; that’s compared to 12,000 men. We have to get those numbers up!”

The 2008 Presidential election is critical for the future of the country, Holtzman added.

“I think it is vital as we are facing a serious economic crisis, a crisis in foreign affairs, and we have to determine how to get out of Iraq in a way that is most prudent for us and the Iraqi people. It is going to take a lot of good will and good judgment, but I think these things can be dealt with properly and effectively,” she said. “No matter what, this election will break at least one barrier in that for the first time a woman or African American will be the presidential nominee of any major party. I think this is a message to all Americans that the barriers of prejudice can be broken!”

Ms. Holtzman’s lecture is sponsored by the Ambler Campus Dean’s Office and the Office of Development and Alumni Affairs. For more information Elizabeth Holtzman’s lecture, contact 267-468-8420 or jennifer.mull@temple.edu.

This lecture is also part of the Ambler Campus Spring 2008 Cultural Affairs Series. For more information on the Cultural Affairs Series, visit www.ambler.temple.edu/culturalseries.

CONTACT: James Duffy, 267-468-8108, duffyj@temple.edu, release available by e-mail

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