Collins, Cardiss, 1931-2013
Name Entries
person
Collins, Cardiss, 1931-2013
Name Components
Surname :
Collins
Forename :
Cardiss
Date :
1931-2013
eng
Latn
authorizedForm
rda
Robertson, Cardiss Hortense, 1931-2013
Name Components
Surname :
Robertson
Forename :
Cardiss Hortense
Date :
1931-2013
eng
Latn
authorizedForm
rda
Genders
Female
Exist Dates
Biographical History
Cardiss Hortense Collins (née Robertson; September 24, 1931 – February 3, 2013) was an American politician from Illinois who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1997. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the fourth African-American woman in Congress and the first to represent the Midwest. Collins was elected to Congress in the June 5, 1973 special election to replace her husband, George, who had died in the December 8, 1972 United Airlines Flight 553 plane crash a month after being elected to a second term. The seat had been renumbered and combined from the 6th district to the 7th, and had been redrawn to include the Loop. She had previously worked as an accountant in various state government positions.
Throughout her political career, she was a champion for women's health and welfare issues. In 1975, she was instrumental in prompting the Social Security Administration to revise Medicare regulations to cover the cost of post-mastectomy breast prosthesis, which before then had been considered cosmetic. In 1979, she was elected as president of the Congressional Black Caucus, a position she used to become an occasional critic of President Jimmy Carter. She later became the caucus vice chairman. In the 1980s, Collins warded off two primary challenges from Alderman Danny K. Davis, who would finally be elected to replace her in 1996. In 1990, Collins, along with 15 other African-American women and men, formed the African-American Women for Reproductive Freedom.
Collins did not seek re-election in 1996, citing her age and the Republican majority in the House. In 2004, she was selected by Nielsen Media Research to head a task force examining the representation of African Americans in TV rating samples. Collins lived in Alexandria, Virginia at the time of her death on February 3, 2013, at the age of 81.
eng
Latn
External Related CPF
https://viaf.org/viaf/63395821
https://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n20-04022973
https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n2004022973
https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3511738
https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/A2010.059
Other Entity IDs (Same As)
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Internal CPF Relations
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Languages Used
eng
Latn
Subjects
Advertising, political
Radio advertising
Nationalities
Americans
Activities
Occupations
Accountants
Auditors
Representatives, U.S. Congress
Stenographers
Legal Statuses
Places
Detroit
AssociatedPlace
Residence
Chicago
AssociatedPlace
Residence
St. Louis
AssociatedPlace
Birth
Alexandria
AssociatedPlace
Death
Convention Declarations
<conventionDeclaration><citation>VIAF</citation></conventionDeclaration>