Kilpatrick, Carolyn Cheeks, 1945-

KILPATRICK, Carolyn Cheeks, a Representative from Michigan; born Carolyn Jean Cheeks in Detroit, Wayne County, Mich., June 25, 1945; graduated from the High School of Commerce, Detroit, Mich.; attended Ferris State University, Big Rapids, Mich., 1968-1970; B.S., Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich., 1972; M.S., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich., 1977; teacher; member of the Michigan state house of representatives, 1979-1996; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Fifth Congress and to the six succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1997-January 3, 2011); unsuccessful candidate for nomination for One Hundred Twelfth Congress in 2010.

<p>Carolyn Jean Cheeks Kilpatrick (born June 25, 1945) is a former American politician who was U.S. Representative for Michigan's 13th congressional district from 1997 to 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In August 2010 she lost the Democratic primary election to Hansen Clarke, who replaced her in January 2011 after winning the 2010 general election. Kilpatrick is also the mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.</p>

<p>Born Carolyn Jean Cheeks in Detroit, she graduated from Detroit High School of Commerce. She then attended Ferris State University in Big Rapids from 1968-70 and earned a B.S. from Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo) in 1972. She earned a M.S. from the University of Michigan in 1977. She worked as a high school teacher and was later a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1979-96.</p>

<p>In 1996, Kilpatrick challenged three-term incumbent Barbara-Rose Collins in the 1996 Democratic primary for what was then the 15th District. She defeated Collins by a shocking margin, taking 51.6 percent of the vote to Collins' 30.6 percent. This was tantamount to election in this heavily Democratic, black-majority district. She was reelected six times, never dropping below 80 percent of the vote. Her district was renumbered as the 13th District after the 2000 Census. She faced no major-party opposition in 2004 and was completely unopposed in 2006.</p>

<p>A 30-year veteran of Michigan politics, Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick won election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. Kilpatrick picked up a seat on the prestigious Appropriations Committee in only her second term, where she remained throughout her tenure, using the position to direct federal resources towards her Detroit district. An active member of the Congressional Black Caucus, Kilpatrick was unanimously elected its chair for the 110th Congress (2007–2009).</p>

<p>Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick was born Carolyn Jean Cheeks on June 25, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, to Marvell Jr. and Willa Mae (Henry) Cheeks. Raised in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, Kilpatrick later joined the Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan African Orthodox Christian Church, a politically active and powerful congregation in Detroit. She graduated from the High School of Commerce in Detroit as president of her class and attended Ferris State University. She earned a BS in education from Western Michigan University in 1972 and an MS in education from the University of Michigan. In 1968 she married Bernard Kilpatrick. They raised two children: Ayanna and Kwame.</p>

<p>Early in her career, Kilpatrick worked as a Detroit public school teacher. A protégé of longtime Detroit mayor Coleman A. Young, she left teaching in 1978 to pursue a political career and won election to nine consecutive terms in the Michigan house of representatives. Serving 18 years in the state house, Kilpatrick became the first African- American woman member of its appropriations committee. She chaired the corrections budget and the transportation budget subcommittees during 14 years on the committee. Kilpatrick was also a house Democratic whip and earned a reputation as a consensus-builder.</p>