Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Year : 2, Issue: 29
WABC: Nita Lowey, former longtime New York representative and the first woman to lead the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, has died at the age of 87.
Lowey died on Saturday surrounded by her husband, children and grandchildren in her home in Harrison, New York.
Lowey’s political career began after she narrowly beat then Republican incumbent Joe DioGuardi in the 1988 election. She started her tenure as congresswoman for the people of Westchester and Rockland County the following year, and would continue to serve in Congress until her retirement in 2021.
That year, Lowey was only 1 of 2 women elected to Congress, and only 1 of 25 women serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During her time in office, Lowey sponsored life-changing legislation on education, medical research and international relations.
Most notably, she served on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee for 28 years. Her colleagues eventually selected her to serve as the first woman to chair the committee. Meanwhile, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff through sunset on Monday in light of Lowey’s death.
Lowey was married to her husband Stephen for 64 years.
