Velázquez, Nydia, 1953-

Nydia Margarita Velázquez Serrano (born March 28, 1953) is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1993. Her district was numbered the 12th district from 1993 to 2013; it has been numbered the 7th district since 2013. Velázquez is the first Puerto Rican woman to serve in the United States Congress.

Born in the town of Limones in the municipality of Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, she became the first in her family to graduate from high school. She became a student at University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras at age 16. In 1974, she received a B.A. degree in political science, magna cum laude, and became a teacher. In 1976, Velázquez received an M.A. degree in political science from New York University. She served as an instructor of political science at the University of Puerto Rico at Humacao from 1976 to 1981. After returning to New York City, Velázquez was an adjunct professor of Puerto Rican studies at Hunter College from 1981 to 1983. In 1983, Velázquez was appointed Special Assistant to Congressman Edolphus Towns. One year later, she became the first Latina appointed to serve on the New York City Council. By 1986, Velázquez served as the Director of the Department of Puerto Rican Community Affairs in the United States. Velázquez ran for Congress in the 1992 election, seeking a seat in the New York's newly drawn 12th congressional district, which was drawn as a majority-Hispanic district.

As a fighter for equal rights of the underrepresented and a proponent of economic opportunity for the working class and poor, Congresswoman Velázquez combines sensibility and compassion, as she works to encourage economic development, protect community health and the environment, combat crime and worker abuses, and secure access to affordable housing, quality education and health care for all New York City families. As the top Democrat on the House Small Business Committee, which oversees federal programs and contracts totaling $200 billion annually, Congresswoman Velázquez has been a vocal advocate of American small business and entrepreneurship. She has established numerous small business legislative priorities, encompassing the areas of tax, regulations, access to capital, federal contracting opportunities, trade, technology, health care and pension reform, among others. Congresswoman Velázquez was named as the inaugural "Woman of the Year" by Hispanic Business Magazine in recognition of her national influence in both the political and business sectors and for her longtime support of minority enterprise. She married Brooklyn-based printer Paul Bader in 2000.