DeGette, Diana, 1957-

Diana Louise DeGette (born July 29, 1957) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served as the U.S. Representative for Colorado's 1st congressional district since 1997. DeGette is the dean of Colorado's congressional delegation.

A fourth-generation Coloradan, DeGette was born in Tachikawa, Japan; at the time of her birth, her father was serving in the armed forces. DeGette is a graduate of Denver’s South High School. She earned her B.A, magna cum laude, from Colorado College in 1979; and a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1982. After earning her J.D., she returned to Denver and began a law practice focusing on civil rights and employment litigation. Active in Denver politics, DeGette was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives in 1992. She was reelected in 1994 and chosen as assistant minority leader. She authored a law that guarantees Colorado women unobstructed access to abortion clinics and other medical care facilities, also known as the Bubble Bill. She married Lino Lipinsky in 1985.

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