Margaret "Marge" Roukema (née Scafati; September 19, 1929 – November 12, 2014) was an American politician who represented

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

in the

U.S. 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 chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

for twenty-two years as a

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 ...

from 1981 to 2003.

Early life and education

Roukema was born in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Montclair State College Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public university in New ...

. She also took graduate history courses at

Rutgers University–Newark Rutgers University–Newark is one of three regional campuses of Rutgers University, New Jersey's State University. It is located in Newark. Rutgers, founded in 1766 in New Brunswick, is the eighth oldest college in the United States and a me ...

Career

Reagan Contact Sheet C1002 (cropped) (cropped)

Roukema began her career as a high school American history

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

in the

Ridgewood Public Schools The Ridgewood Public Schools is a comprehensive community public school district serving students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from suburban Ridgewood, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020–21 school year ...

. She also served as a member of her Ridgewood School Board, becoming Vice President of the body in 1970.

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1980, she challenged three-term incumbent Democratic Congressman

Andrew Maguire Gene Andrew Maguire (born March 11, 1939) is an American politician who served three terms as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing New Jersey's 7th congressional district (western Bergen County) from 19 ...

, and won in what was then the . She was one of several Republicans swept into office by

Reagan's coattails Reagan's coattails refers to the influence of Ronald Reagan's popularity in elections other than his own, after the United States, American political expression to "Coattail effect, ride in on another's coattails". Chiefly, it refers to the "Reaga ...

. After decennial

redistricting Redistribution (re-districting in the United States and in the Philippines) is the process by which electoral districts are added, removed, or otherwise changed. Redistribution is a form of boundary delimitation that changes electoral dist ...

, Roukema's district was renumbered as the and became significantly more Republican than its predecessor. She was handily reelected in 1982 and nine more times after that with almost no opposition. Roukema was a moderate Republican, as was the case with most Republicans from the Northeast. In 1992, she faced a primary challenge from a considerably more conservative Republican, Ira M. Marlowe, Louis Sette. In 1998, another conservative, State Assemblyman

Scott Garrett Ernest Scott Garrett (born July 9, 1959) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for , serving from 2003 to 2017. He is a member of the Republican Party. He previously served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 200 ...

, challenged her in the primary. Roukema managed to fight him off, and did so again in 2000.

Retirement

With the prospect of another primary challenge from Garrett in 2002 (in a district made even more conservative on paper by redistricting), as well as facing the loss of her subcommittee chairs due to caucus term limits, the Ridgewood Republican opted not to seek a 12th term and retired from politics. Garrett won the nomination with 45% of the vote and went on to win the seat, despite Roukema's refusal to endorse him.

State Senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of 49 U ...

Gerald Cardinale Gerald Cardinale (February 27, 1934 – February 20, 2021) was an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey State Senate from 1982 until his death in 2021, representing the 39th Legislative District. He also served one ...

, who Roukema endorsed in the primary to succeed her, came in third with 25% of the vote, behind State Assemblyman

David C. Russo David C. Russo (born October 8, 1953) is an American Republican Party politician, who served in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he represented the 40th legislative district from 1990 to 2017. Biography Russo was born in Jersey City.

with 26%. She was an honorary board member of the

National Organization of Italian American Women The National Organization of Italian American Women (NOIAW) is an American Sisterhood group founded in 1980 to represent Italian American women of varied professional and business backgrounds. Through the invitation of Dr. Aileen Riotto Sirey and ...

Death

On November 12, 2014, Roukema died at Christian Health Care Center in

Wyckoff, New Jersey Wyckoff is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 16,585. At the time of the 2010 census, the township's population was 16,696, reflecting an increase of ...

at the age of 85. She had

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

.Marge Roukema, former congresswoman, dies at age 85
njherald.com; accessed November 15, 2014.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Roukema, Marge 1929 births 2014 deaths American politicians of Italian descent Deaths from Alzheimer's disease Deaths from dementia in New Jersey Female members of the United States House of Representatives Montclair State University alumni People from Ridgewood, New Jersey Reformed Church in America members Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey School board members in New Jersey Women in New Jersey politics 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Schoolteachers from New Jersey American women educators