Andrea Heidi Seastrand (née Ciszek; born August 5, 1941) is a former one-term
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
, serving from 1995 to 1997.
Personal life
Seastrand was born Andrea Heidi Ciszek in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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.
She graduated from
DePaul University
DePaul University is a private university, private, Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-centu ...
in 1963 with a
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
in education, and then moved to
Salinas,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
to find work as an elementary school teacher.
In 1965, she married
Eric Seastrand, a stockbroker, and the couple had two children named Kurt and Heidi.
Political career
From 1982 to 1990, when her husband served in the
California State Assembly
The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento.
The A ...
as a Republican, Seastrand joined the California Federation of Republican Women, later becoming its president.
In 1990, Eric Seastrand died of cancer, and Andrea won a special election to succeed him, receiving 65 per cent of the vote.
She remained a member of assembly for the next four years, serving on the education committee and as assistant minority leader.
Seastrand was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, narrowly defeating Theology professor
Walter Capps
Walter Holden Capps (May 5, 1934 – October 28, 1997) was an American academic and politician. He served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing California's 22nd congressional district from January 1 ...
and succeeding fellow Republican
Michael Huffington
Michael Huffington (born September 3, 1947), is an American politician, LGBT activist, and film producer. He was a member of the Republican Party, and a congressman for one term, 1993–1995, from California. Huffington was married to Arianna H ...
.
Considered one of the more conservative members of the
104th Congress
The 104th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 19 ...
, she faced Capps again in 1996 and was defeated.
Post-political work
In 1997, after her departure from Congress, Seastrand founded the California Space and Technology Alliance—a private nonprofit focused on promoting California's participation in space ventures—which later became the
California Space Authority
The California Space Authority (CSA) was a nonprofit corporation representing the commercial, civil, and national defense/homeland security interests of California's diverse space enterprise community in four domains: Industry, Government, Acade ...
.
She remained executive director of the organization from its creation until its dissolution in 2011.
See also
*
Women in the United States House of Representatives
Women have served in the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber, since the 1916 election of Republican Jeannette Rankin from Montana, the first woman in Con ...
References
External links
*
Andrea Seastrand-JoinCalifornia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seastrand, Andrea
1941 births
Living people
Republican Party members of the California State Assembly
DePaul University alumni
Politicians from Chicago
Female members of the United States House of Representatives
Women state legislators in California
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California
Spouses of California politicians
21st-century American women