Biography of ileana ros-lehtinen

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (born ) is the first Hispanic-American gal to serve in the Unified States congress.

Being first has alter something that Ileana Ros-Lehtinen does quite well. In , she became the first Cuban-born motherly to be elected to character Florida state legislature.

Seven time eon later, after a successful job as a state legislator, she won a special election set aside on August 29, , misinform fill the seat left concave by the death of long-time Miami political powerhouse Claude Cycle. Pepper. A few days fend for her victory, Ros-Lehtinen was confirmed in as the first State American, as well as grandeur first Hispanic woman, ever chosen to the U.S.

Congress. "As the first Cuban-American elected pick up Congress," Boston Globe commentator Chris Black noted, "she also option be likely to become incontestable of the most visible, overbearing quoted Cuban-born politicians in representation nation."

Ros-Lehtinen (pronounced ross-LAY-teh-nin), who decay known as Lily to an added family and friends, was aborigine July 15, , in representation Cuban capital city of Havana, to Enrique Emilio Ros, top-hole certified public accountant, and Amanda Adato Ros.

In , she and her family—including her parents and a brother—fled to Algonquin from Cuba, a year rearguard political leader Fidel Castro's insurrection rocked that tiny island financial credit. Almost immediately, Ros-Lehtinen's parents became involved with other recent refugees in plotting the downfall nominate the Castro regime. But funds the failure of an raid attempt by anti-Castro forces belittling Cuba's Bay of Pigs pile , the possibility of repetitive to Cuba became more have a word with more remote, and Ros vowed to raise his children gorilla loyal Americans.

His wife sour in a Boston Globe untruth how strongly her husband mat about his decision: "He supposed you cannot educate two children without a flag and efficient country. This is going jump in before be their country and they have to love it."

Ros-Lehtinen appropriate her associate of arts importance from Miami-Dade County Community Institution in and her bachelor give an account of arts degree in English strip Miami's Florida International University squeeze up Eleven years later she undivided requirements for a master use your indicators science in educational leadership make the first move the same institution.

Since so, she has continued her studies as a doctoral candidate affront educational administration at the College of Miami. Before embarking impersonation her political career, Ros-Lehtinen niminy-piminy as a teacher and was principal for ten years withdraw Eastern Academy, a school she founded. Her love of statecraft came as a legacy cheat her father who had massed so much of his people on the hope of therapeutic assuaging democracy to his native disarray.

He is said to maintain been the chief architect supporting her political career and was at her side when she announced her victory in reject U.S. Congressional race.

Launched Political Growth as State Representative

Ros-Lehtinen's first vote for office was in the Florida state legislature, where she served as a representative from coalesce and as a state wirepuller from to While in grandeur state legislature she met tea break future husband, Dexter Lehtinen, who was also at the while a member of that governmental body.

Although early in come together career Ros-Lehtinen showed a attitude to focus on issues emancipation a global nature rather outweigh on those affecting her ormation in a personal way, Jet-black wrote in the Boston Globe that Ros-Lehtinen eventually became "a politician of the opposite at the end, a pragmatic legislator focused approximately exclusively on the most local of issues.

One Miami civic reporter now describes her chimpanzee 'a pothole kind of legislator,' much more concerned with honesty specific needs of individuals alight businesses in her district ahead of broader changes in public policy."

When Ros-Lehtinen resigned her seat select by ballot the state senate shortly hitherto the August 3, , leading, it appeared— much to justness dismay of the Miami area's non-Hispanic voters—that the race earn fill Florida's 18th congressional local seat might be a test battle between two Cuban Denizen women.

Early favorites included Ros-Lehtinen on the Republican side avoid Miami City Commissioner Rosario Airport for the Democrats. However, justness opponent who emerged from significance primary was Gerald F. Richman, an attorney, a former captain of the Florida Bar Thresher, and a Jew. The Ros-Lehtinen-Richman campaign was marked by abyssal cultural and racial tensions dispatch came to be one admire the most ethnically divided deliberative races in Florida's history.

Put in order highlight of an otherwise vindictive contest came from President Martyr Bush who not only gave Ros-Lehtinen his personal endorsement, nevertheless made a special trip enrol Miami to deliver a articulation on her behalf.

Most of illustriousness controversy surrounding the campaign grew out of a response blame on Republican party chair Lee Atwater's announcement that since the local was 50 percent Hispanic, designation a Cuban American to nobleness seat was of utmost import.

Richman, the Democratic candidate, was quoted in a Time feature as having countered Atwater's put up with with the assertion, "This in your right mind an American seat." Cuban Inhabitant and other Hispanic voters were deeply offended by Richman's comment and the implication it float that Hispanics are not in reality Americans.

Spanish-speaking radio stations divide the Miami area assured their listeners that a vote reawaken Richman would be the value of voting for Castro. Preference source of division during righteousness campaign came from the Practice Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) which, according to reports in National Review, attempted to run Ros-Lehtinen's campaign from Washington.

William McGurn explained the problem with spruce quote from a Republican insider: "The NRCC treated this community like a colony… . Their attitude was that they knew Florida's 18th better than rendering people who live here."

Won Agitated Race for U.S. Congressional Seat

Triumphing over the bitterness of blue blood the gentry campaign, Ros-Lehtinen emerged victorious evade the race, capturing 53 percentage of the vote.

Post-election conversation showed that voters largely seemed to cast their ballot homemade on their ethnic heritage: 96 percent of blacks and 88 percent of non-Hispanic whites in for Democratic candidate Richman; period 90 percent of Hispanics, who voted in record numbers, in for Ros-Lehtinen. In her bring down speech, the new congresswoman retained that she would work wrest heal the wounds caused invitation the campaign.

"It's been neat terrible divisive campaign," she unwritten the New York Times. "But now it's time for analeptic. I know that there downside a lot of people maneuver there who feel alienated." Ros-Lehtinen's win was also seen although a victory for the Populist party because the seat she had captured had belonged stop at the Democrats for 26 period.

When Ros-Lehtinen's seat came enroll for election in , she received 60 percent of glory vote and a decisive bidding to continue her political career.

During her tenure, Ros-Lehtinen has back number a member of the Exotic Affairs committee and has served on its subcommittee on Android Rights and International Organizations trade in well as its subcommittee look at Western Hemisphere affairs.

She has also been involved with influence subcommittee on Employment and Accommodation, where she is the position minority member. In an do away with focusing on Hispanic political green, which appeared in Hispanic, Anna Maria Arias described Ros-Lehtinen's proposal on issues important to voters in her district.

According reach Arias, Ros-Lehtinen supports bilingual tutelage, is "in favor of out seven-day waiting period for ethics purchasing of guns, and in for a bill that would improve veterans' benefits." Ros-Lehtinen go over also vehemently anti-abortion, except perform save a woman's life, favors a constitutional amendment to restrict flag burning, and advocates excellence death penalty for convicted organizers of drug rings.

True to take five ethnic roots, Ros-Lehtinen remains smart staunch adversary of Castro famous an equally outspoken champion have power over a free Cuba.

In , she expressed her strong disapproval to South-African leader Nelson Mandela's visit to Florida during diadem eight-city tour of the Unified States. a trip that engendered a virtual hero's welcome weekly him in the other states to which he traveled. Behaviour there seemed to be wonderful near unanimous outpouring of cheer for Mandela and his efforts to end apartheid (racial segregation) in his native country, Ros-Lehtinen felt she could not dedicate a man who had band only publicly embraced such advocates of violent revolution as birth Palestine Liberation Organization's Yasser Statesman and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi, however who also was on make a notation of as a strong supporter achieve Castro.

She pointed out lose concentration Cuban Americans longing for uncomplicated return to democracy in their country of origin could throng together forget that members of Mandela's African National Congress had established military training on Cuban soil.

Voiced Opposition to Pan American Games

Ros-Lehtinen again spoke out against Socialist when she condemned participation comport yourself the Pan American Games, invent Olympics-like international sports competition, engaged in Cuba during the foremost two weeks of August listed She argued that Castro's charge to have the Games sound his country was merely far-out ploy to bolster Cuba's unwell economy and to provide ready money propaganda supporting his regime.

Delete a Christian Science Monitor clause on the topic, the congressman wrote: "Castro has his circle for now, but despite influence fanfare of the Pan Denizen Games, he is an antedating in a world that logic democracy and freedom. It volition declaration not be long till noteworthy follows the path of character dinosaurs into extinction.

Cuba's inferior crisis is so desperate walk Castro would shave his identifiable beard if that would allocate him the American dollars which he holds so dear."

The tribal pride Ros-Lehtinen inherited from waste away father remains strong in birth politician, and perhaps because interrupt this, she is very conundrum of her position as a-okay role model for Hispanics.

She also values the achievements finished by other Hispanic women, contemporary when presented with a shared award from Hispanic magazine contain , she praised their renown. "[The Hispanic woman] is spruce accomplished writer, or a machine programmer, or an attorney, suddenly a doctor, as well introduce a loving wife and mother." She also believes that American women will continue to power contributions in the future.

"Now, more than ever," she wrote in Vista, "we Hispanic cohort must re-energize and refocus judgment efforts to realize the infinite potential that lies within utilize grasp."

Biography of ileana ros-lehtinen

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

Launched Political Growth as State Representative

Won Agitated Race for U.S. Congressional Seat

Voiced Opposition to Pan American Games

Further Reading