Barbara Mikulski Becomes Longest-Serving Woman in History of Congress

Barbara Mikulski

Pol Light Moment #117 happened on March 17, 2012, when Barbara Mikulski became the longest-serving woman in the history of the United States Congress. Barbara Mikulski has been a United States Senator from Maryland since 1987. From 1977-1987 she also served as the U.S. Representative from Maryland's 3rd District.

Barbara Mikulski set the record for longest years of service by a woman in Congress by serving a combined 10 years in the House of Representatives and 25 years in the United States Senate.  On March 17, 2012, Barbara Mikulski's years of service in Congress surpassed Rep. Edith Nourse Rogers, who represented Massachusetts in the House of Representatives from 1925 to 1960 (CNN, March 16, 2012).  Barbara Mikulski also became the longest serving woman in the United States Senate in 2010 (CNN, March 2, 2015).

The following is a CNN news feature on this milestone for Barbara Mikulski.

On March 2, 2015, Barbara Mikulski announced that she will not seek reelection in 2016 and will retire in 2017. She will retire from the United States Senate with almost 40 years of service in Congress, which is a record that could stand for awhile.

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Photo: The photo of Barbara Mikulski is in the Public Domain.