Woolsey, Lynn, 1937-

<p>Lynn C. Woolsey (born November 3, 1937) is an American politician who served as the U.S. Representative for California's 6th congressional district from 1993 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, her district included all of Marin County and most of Sonoma County.</p>

<p>She was a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and was its co-chair from 2010 until her retirement in 2013. Woolsey, who described herself as "the first former welfare mother to serve in Congress," was one of two members of the House known to have previously been on welfare; the other is Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-WI).</p>

<p>On June 28, 2011, Woolsey announced that she would not run for re-election in the 2012 election. She was succeeded in her North Bay district by Jared Huffman.</p>

<p>As a working single mother, Lynn Woolsey spent several years receiving public assistance to help get by while she raised three small children. “I know what it means to have a safety net when you need help getting back on your feet,” Woolsey recalled. “I can go to Washington and say, ‘I’ve been there.’” Describing herself as the “first former welfare mom to serve in Congress,” Woolsey focused on issues facing children and families during her 20-year career in the House of Representatives.</p>

<p>Lynn Woolsey was born Lynn Carol Robinson in Seattle, Washington, on November 3, 1937, to John Linn and Virginia Elizabeth Robinson. Woolsey and her older sister Joan spent their adolescence in Seattle. A graduate of Seattle’s Lincoln High School, Woolsey attended the University of Washington from 1955 to 1957. She left school to marry Terry J. Critchett in 1958. His success as a stockbroker enabled the couple to settle in northern California’s Marin County. They had three children— Joseph, Ed, and Amy—before they divorced in 1967. Following her divorce, Woolsey found a secretarial job at a local technology company and applied for welfare assistance to help get by. She eventually became a human resources manager at the company and, in 1980, opened a personnel services firm. She married David C. Woolsey in 1971 and raised another child, Michael, but that marriage also ended in divorce. Woolsey returned to college and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of San Francisco in 1980.</p>

<p>Woolsey first entered politics in 1984 when she won a seat on the Petaluma city council Sonoma County. She served on the city council until 1992 and was vice mayor for the last year of her tenure.</p>