Rivers, Lynn N. (Lynn Nancy), 1956-
Biographical notes:
Lynn Nancy Rivers (born December 19, 1956) is an American politician and lawyer from Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, she served four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003.
Born in Au Gres, Michigan, she and graduated from Au Gres-Sims High School, Arenac County, in 1975. The day after graduating, she married Joe Rivers, who soon found work as a member of the United Autoworkers Union; the Rivers later divorced. While working a series of low-paying jobs, Lynn Rivers put herself through college, graduating with a BA from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1987. In 1992 she earned her JD from Wayne State University in Detroit. While attending law school, Rivers served as a trustee of the Ann Arbor board of education, where she served from 1984 to 1992. In 1993 she was elected and served one term as a member of the Michigan state house of representatives.
Winning the Democratic primary to succeed 15-term Congressman William D. Ford, Rivers eked out a narrow win in 1994, one of just thirteen new Democrats in a freshman class of 73. During her time in Congress, Rivers made her mark as a committed environmentalist and fiercely defended women's reproductive health. Rivers also was a passionate protector of labor. She was firmly against accepting perks, gifts, and contributions from lobbyists and opposed automatic pay raises for Members of Congress. In time, she became a trusted adviser to House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt.
After Michigan lost a Congressional seat after the 2000 census, Rivers waged a primary battle against the Dean of Michigan's Congressional delegation, 23-term incumbent John Dingell, Jr., losing by a nearly twenty-point margin. Rivers returned to Ann Arbor where she took up teaching political science at the University of Michigan and Washtenaw Community College.
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Subjects:
- Advertising, political
- Television advertising
Occupations:
- Lawyers
- Lecturers
- Representatives, U.S. Congress
- State Representative
Places:
- MI, US
- MI, US
