Woolsey, Lynn, 1937-

Lynn C. Woolsey (born November 3, 1937) is an American businesswoman, educator, and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she served in the U.S. Representative for California's 6th congressional district from 1993 to 2013.

Born Lynn Carol Robinson in Seattle, Washington, she graduated from Lincoln High School there in 1955 before attending the University of Washington from 1955 to 1957. Robinson left school to marry Terry Critchett in 1958; the two divorced in 1968. 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. 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.

In 1992, Woolsey entered a nine-way Democratic primary to succeed Barbara Boxer, who was giving up her U.S. House seat to run for the U.S. Senate, prevailing with 26 percent of the vote. Running on a platform that emphasized her experiences as a single mother, businesswoman, and local council member, Woolsey easily won the general election in November. Once in Congress, Woolsey quickly made her presence known, drawing upon her experience in vocal opposition to the major welfare reform initiative negotiated by House Speaker Newt Gingrich and President Bill Clinton in the mid-1990s. She later led efforts to restore programmatic funding for services such as child care, nutrition, and paid parental leave. She also worked to support students interested in the STEM fields and was a prominent member of the Congressional Progressive and Out of Iraq Caucuses. Throughout her congressional career, Woolsey tended to her northern California district. She delivered hundreds of millions of dollars back home for a variety of capital intensive projects.

After 20 years of service, Woolsey announced her retirement from the House at the end of the 112th Congress.