Boxer, Barbara (1940-…), a Democrat from California, was a member of the United States Senate from 1993 to 2017. As a senator, Boxer often focused on women’s and children’s issues. She also focused on protecting the environment and preserving areas of significant historic and natural importance.
Barbara Levy was born on Nov. 11, 1940, in the Brooklyn section of New York City. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brooklyn College in 1962. Also in 1962, she married Stewart Boxer, who became a lawyer. She then worked as a stockbroker until 1965, when the couple moved to northern California. She worked as a newspaper editor from 1972 to 1974.
From 1974 to 1976, Boxer served as an aide to U.S. Representative John L. Burton of California. She was a member of the Marin County, California, Board of Supervisors from 1976 to 1982, serving as its president in 1980 and 1981.
In 1982, Boxer was elected to the United States House of Representatives. She was reelected four times. In 1992, she ran for the U.S. Senate and won election to her first term as a senator. She took office in 1993. Boxer was reelected in 1998, 2004, and 2010. Boxer retired from the Senate when her term ended in January 2017.
