Brown-Waite, Ginny, 1943-

<p>Ginny Brown-Waite, a longtime political veteran, focused her congressional career on protecting the interests of seniors and veterans in her Gulf Coast district. During her four terms in the United States House of Representatives, she charted an independent course by working with Members from both parties to strengthen entitlements, veterans’ care, and protections for women. “The bottom line is that the voters … like their elected officials to have the backbone of steel that Ginny Brown-Waite has,” said Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz.</p>

<p>Ginny Brown-Waite was born Virginia Kniffen in Albany, New York, on October 5, 1943. She was raised by her mother, Charlotte Kniffen, a file clerk, who expelled her abusive husband from their household. Brown-Waite graduated from Albany’s Vincentian High School in 1961. That same year, she was married; that union later ended in divorce. While working for 17 years as an aide in the New York state senate in the 1970s and 1980s, Brown-Waite graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of New York at Albany in 1976. Brown continued her education at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York, where she earned an MS in public administration in 1984. Brown later married Harvey Waite, a New York state trooper. The couple raised three daughters: Danene, Lorie, and Jeannine.</p>

<p>Brown-Waite’s career in electoral politics commenced after she moved to Florida in 1987. She won election to the Hernando County board of commissioners in 1990 and to the Florida state senate in 1992. As a state senator, she served three terms and chaired several committees. Brown-Waite focused on legislation dealing with welfare reform, health care reform, and veterans’ issues. She climbed the GOP ranks in the Florida senate, serving as majority whip in 1999 and president pro tempore from 2001 to 2002.</p>

<p>Virginia Brown-Waite (born Virginia Frances Kniffen; October 5, 1943) is the former U.S. Representative for Florida's 5th congressional district, serving from 2003 until 2011. She is a member of the Republican Party and a founder of Maggie's List.</p>

<p>Virginia Frances Kniffen was born in Albany, New York, on October 5, 1943. She attended Albany’s Vincentian High School. In 1976, she graduated from Empire State College, State University of New York (Northeast Center) with a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies. She was the first member of her family to earn a college degree. She later earned a master's degree in public administration from Russell Sage College.</p>

<p>She served as a staffer in the New York State Senate, working there for 17 years and eventually rising to the role of legislative director. During this time, she divorced her first husband and married Harvey Waite, a New York state trooper. After Harvey Waite’s retirement in the mid-1980s, they moved to Brooksville, Florida.</p>