Janet Denison Howell (born May 7, 1944 in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

) is an

American politician The politics of the United States function within a framework of a constitutional federal republic and presidential system, with three distinct branches that share powers. These are: the U.S. Congress which forms the legislative branch, a bi ...

. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 1991, where she represents the 32nd district in

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a County (United States), county in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria and ...

Biography

She was born to Edward Fulton and Elsie (Lightbown) Denison. Her father was a prominent

economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...

at the U. S. Department of Commerce and

the Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...

, and fellow Oberlin alumnus. Howell taught in the Philadelphia school district, 1968–1969, and was a legislative assistant in the

Virginia State Senate The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virg ...

from 1989 to 1991. The ''Reston Times'' named her Restonian of the year in 1984. In 1991 the Virginia Association of Social Workers honored her as Virginian of the year. She was named Senator of the Year (

Fraternal Order of Police The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is a fraternal organization consisting of sworn law enforcement officers in the United States. It reports a membership of over 355,000 members organized in 2,100 local chapters (lodges), state lodges, and th ...

, 1998), Citizen of Yr. (ARC, 1998). She was Chairman of the Fairfax County, Virginia Social Services Board, 1979–82, State Bd. Social Svcs., Va., 1986–91, Reston (Va.) Transp. Com., 1986–91; pres. Reston Community Assn., 1982–85, Citizen of Yr., 1990. Howell reported financial assets in 2010 worth more than $US1.48 million and possibly more than $6 million.

Electoral history

Summary

2011 election campaign

Janet Howell ran for reelection in Virginia's November 8, 2011 election. The

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, the first elected legislative assembly in the New World, and was established on July 30, 16 ...

drew new legislative districts to reflect the U.S. Census of 2010. As chairman of the Senate of Virginia's committee on privileges and elections, Mrs. Howell led the process to draw new Senate district boundaries, and she did so to preserve her party's majority and to improve her own reelection prospects within the law. If the

U.S. Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

or U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approves the plan, as required by the

voting rights act The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement ...

, she will acquire some reliably Democrat voting precincts and shed others that lean

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 ...

References

Sources

External links

Senator Janet Howell
official website
Project Vote Smart - Senator Janet Denison Howell (VA)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Janet D Howell
2005200320011999
campaign contributions
Washington Post - Senate District 32 Race
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Janet Denison 1944 births Living people Oberlin College alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni People from Washington, D.C. Democratic Party Virginia state senators Women state legislators in Virginia People from Reston, Virginia American Unitarian Universalists 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians