Elizabeth Holtzman (born August 11, 1941) is an American attorney and politician who served in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

New York's 16th congressional district New York's 16th congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives represented by George Latimer (New York politician), George Latimer. The 16th district includes a small portion of the northern B ...

as a member of the Democratic Party from 1973 to 1981. She then served as district attorney of Kings County from 1982 to 1989, and as the 40th Comptroller of New York City from 1990 to 1993. Holtzman ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination in New York's 10th congressional district in the 2022 election.

Early life and education

Elizabeth Holtzman was born alongside her twin brother in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, on August 11, 1941, to Russian immigrants Sidney Holtzman, a lawyer, and Filia Ravitz, who had a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and later headed the Russia department at

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

. Her family is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, and she attended Hebrew school. Holtzman attended the Ethical Culture Fieldston School and Abraham Lincoln High School. She was elected vice president of the student government in 1958, while her brother was its president. Holtzman graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

from

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that was founded in 1879. In 1999, it was fully incorporated into Harvard Colle ...

in 1961, where she majored in American history and literature, and from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

in 1965. At Harvard Law School she was one of 15 women in the 500 students in her class and was a member of

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States. It was founded in 1776 at the College of William & Mary in Virginia. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences, ...

Legal and education

While at Harvard Holtzman joined the

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and later, the Student National Coordinating Committee (SNCC, pronounced ) was the principal channel of student commitment in the United States to the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Emer ...

. She worked on civil rights cases in Alabama and Georgia and for the

NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (NAACP LDF, the Legal Defense Fund, or LDF) is an American civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City. LDF is wholly independent and separate from the NAACP. Although LDF ca ...

. During her time in Georgia she worked as a law clerk for Chevene Bowers King. After being admitted to the

New York State Bar Association The New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) is a voluntary bar association for the state of New York. The mission of the association is to cultivate the science of jurisprudence; promote reform in the law; facilitate the administration of justice ...

she worked for Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison starting in 1970, before leaving to run for office in 1972. She was elected to the

Harvard Board of Overseers The Harvard Board of Overseers (more formally The Honorable and Reverend the Board of Overseers) is an advisory board of alumni at Harvard University. Unlike the Harvard Corporation, the Board of Overseers is not a fiduciary governing board, but in ...

in 1976, and worked at

New York University School of Law The New York University School of Law (NYU Law) is the law school of New York University, a private research university in New York City. Established in 1835, it was the first law school established in New York City and is the oldest survivin ...

from 1981 to 1982.

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

had her as a

visiting scholar In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...

in 1981. In 1984, a delegation, including Holtzman, went to

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

to search for

Josef Mengele Josef Mengele (; 16 March 19117 February 1979) was a Nazi German (SS) officer and physician during World War II at the Russian front and then at Auschwitz during the Holocaust, often dubbed the "Angel of Death" (). He performed Nazi hum ...

. President

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

appointed her to the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group. In 2013, Secretary of Defense

Chuck Hagel Charles Timothy Hagel ( ; born October 4, 1946)Homeland Security Advisory Council in 2014, but resigned in protest of the family separation policy for the

Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...

. Clinton's

impeachment Impeachment is a process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In Eur ...

was opposed by Holtzman, who stated that the crimes he was accused of were not comparable to the crimes that

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

was accused of. She also said that

Ken Starr Kenneth Winston Starr (July 21, 1946 – September 13, 2022) was an American lawyer and judge who as independent counsel authored the Starr Report, which served as the basis of the impeachment of Bill Clinton. He headed an investigation of mem ...

"overstepped his jurisdiction" by not conducting his report in a similar manner to

Leon Jaworski Leonidas "Leon" Jaworski (September 19, 1905 – December 9, 1982) was an American attorney and law professor who served as the second special prosecutor during the Watergate scandal. He was appointed to that position on November 1, 1973, soon aft ...

, the special counsel for Nixon's impeachment. In 2006, she wrote in favor of impeaching President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who was the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Bush family and the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he i ...

in ''

The Nation ''The Nation'' is a progressive American monthly magazine that covers political and cultural news, opinion, and analysis. It was founded on July 6, 1865, as a successor to William Lloyd Garrison's '' The Liberator'', an abolitionist newspaper ...

''.

Early politics

Holtzman worked on

Adlai Stevenson II Adlai Ewing Stevenson II (; February 5, 1900 – July 14, 1965) was an American politician and diplomat who was the United States ambassador to the United Nations from 1961 until his death in 1965. He previously served as the 31st governor of Ill ...

's and

Eugene McCarthy Eugene Joseph McCarthy (March 29, 1916December 10, 2005) was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. ...

's presidential campaigns. She was a liaison officer in the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs Administration from 1967 to 1970, during

John Lindsay John Vliet Lindsay (; November 24, 1921 – December 19, 2000) was an American politician and lawyer. During his political career, Lindsay was a U.S. congressman, the mayor of New York City, and a candidate for U.S. president. He was also a regu ...

mayoralty In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

. She left her position as a liaison officer to run for the

New York State Democratic Committee The New York State Democratic Party is the affiliate of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Its headquarters are in Manhattan, and it has an office in Albany, New York, Albany.

from

Flatbush, Brooklyn Flatbush is a neighborhood in the New York City Borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood consists of several subsections in central Brooklyn and is generally bounded by Prospect Park (Brooklyn), Prospect Park to the nort ...

. She conducted her campaign from her parents' basement. In 1970, Holtzman filed suit against a law that placed incumbents at the top of the ballot line; the

New York Court of Appeals The New York Court of Appeals is the supreme court, highest court in the Judiciary of New York (state), Unified Court System of the New York (state), State of New York. It consists of seven judges: the Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeal ...

ruled in her favor, five to two. Holtzman founded the Brooklyn Women's Political Caucus.

United States House of Representatives

Elections

On March 28, 1972, Holtzman announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the

from

. Michael Churchill was her campaign manager. In the primary, she faced incumbent Representative Emanuel Celler, the dean of the House of Representatives and chair of the Judiciary Committee, who was first elected in

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

. It was the first time Holtzman had run for public office. She believed that Celler was vulnerable as he had no district office, his residency was under question, and he largely went unmentioned in his district's political circles. After she filed to run against him, Celler said, "As far as I'm concerned, she doesn't exist." Holtzman criticized Celler's low voting attendance, which she said negated his seniority. Celler had the support of the

Liberal Party of New York The Liberal Party of New York is a political party in New York (state), New York. Its political platform, platform supports a standard set of socially liberal policies, including abortion rights, increased spending on education, and universal h ...

and the Democratic

political machine In the politics of representative democracies, a political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of tangible incentives (such as money or political jobs) and that is characterized by a high degree of leadership c ...

in Brooklyn. This was the second time that he had faced opposition in a primary. Holtzman raised around $32,000 and borrowed $4,000 during the primary, though she was told she needed $100,000 to run her campaign. She defeated Celler and Robert O'Donnell in the primary. Donald Zimmerman, who aided in the redistricting after the

1970 United States census The 1970 United States census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 203,392,031, an increase of 13.4 percent over the 179,323,175 persons enumerated during the 1960 census. This was t ...

, stated that Celler's demand that his district remain Jewish, rather than a proposed 60-40 split between whites and blacks, caused him to lose as Zimmerman did not "think Liz could have won as a reformer in a district that wasn't all Jewish." Celler attempted to have the primary voided and another one held, but Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Dominic Rinaldi ruled against him and the Appellate Division of the

New York Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the State of New York is the superior court in the Judiciary of New York. It is vested with unlimited civil and criminal jurisdiction, although in many counties outside New York City it acts primarily as a court of civil ju ...

ruled unanimously against him. The New York Court of Appeals ruled five to two against Celler. Although Celler was still on the general election ballot as the Liberal Party nominee, he announced on September 28 that he would end his campaign. Holtzman defeated Republican nominee Nicholas R. Macchio Jr. and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

nominee William Sampol in the election. Celler was the longest-serving House member to lose reelection, and blamed his defeat on his own overconfidence. ''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' called Holtzman "Liz the Lion Killer". At the time, she was the youngest woman ever elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

, at age 31. This was later outdone by

Elise Stefanik Elise Marie Stefanik ( ; born July 2, 1984) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for . As chair of the House Republican Conference from 2021 to 2025, she was the fourth-ranking House Republican. Stefanik's district covers ...

, who was elected to Congress in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

at age 30, and who was in turn surpassed by

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (born October 13, 1989), also known as AOC, is an American politician and activist who has served since 2019 as the United States House of Representatives, US representative for New York's 14th congressional distric ...

, who was elected to Congress in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

at age 29. In the 1974 election, Holtzman, who also had the Liberal nomination, defeated Republican and Conservative nominee Joseph L. Gentili. On June 15, 1976, she announced that she would run for reelection and defeated Republican and Conservative nominee Gladys Pemberton in the 1976 election. She defeated Republican and United Taxpayers nominee Larry Penner and Conservative nominee John H. Fox in the 1978 election. Holtzman left the House after four terms in order to run for the Senate.

Edolphus Towns Edolphus "Ed" Towns Jr. (born July 21, 1934) is an American educator, military veteran, and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1983 to 2013. A Democrat from New York, Towns was Chairman of the House Oversig ...

, who was later elected to Congress, campaigned with Holtzman during the 1972 primary. Bob Beckel, who later managed

Walter Mondale Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale (January 5, 1928April 19, 2021) was the 42nd vice president of the United States serving from 1977 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. He previously served as a U.S. senator from Minnesota from 1964 to 1976. ...

presidential campaign A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making progress within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, by which representatives are chosen or referen ...

, volunteered on one of Holtzman's campaigns.

Tenure

During Holtzman's tenure in the House of Representatives, she served on the Judiciary Committee and chaired the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and International Law. She was the first female member of the Democratic Party to serve on the Budget Committee. She was one of the 15 founding members of the Congresswomen's Caucus and co-chaired it with

Margaret Heckler Margaret Mary Heckler (née O'Shaughnessy; June 21, 1931 – August 6, 2018) was an American politician and diplomat who represented in the United States House of Representatives from 1967 until 1983. A member of the Republican Party, she al ...

. In 1977, Speaker

Tip O'Neill Thomas Phillip "Tip" O'Neill Jr. (December 9, 1912 – January 5, 1994) was an American Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts who served as the 47th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 to 1987, the third-l ...

selected her to be one of the two members of the House of Representatives on the

National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year The National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year was a Presidential Commission (United States), presidential commission created by Gerald Ford on January 9, 1975 to promote the national observance in the United States of Int ...

. On April 19, 1973, Holtzman filed suit against Nixon in the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York The United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York (in case citations, E.D.N.Y.) is the United States district court, federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction spans five List of counties in New York, counties in ...

, saying that he had violated the law by conducting

Operation Menu Operation Menu was a covert United States Strategic Air Command (SAC) tactical bombing campaign conducted in eastern Cambodia from 18 March 1969 to 26 May 1970 as part of the Vietnam War. The targets of these attacks were sanctuaries and base ar ...

without Congress's approval. Three members of the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

joined her lawsuit and Burt Neuborne worked as her lawyer. According to the

American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is an American nonprofit civil rights organization founded in 1920. ACLU affiliates are active in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. The budget of the ACLU in 2024 was $383 million. T ...

, which represented her, it was the second time that a member of Congress had challenged the legality of a president's conduct in war since

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

questioned the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. Judge Orrin Grimmell Judd ruled in Holtzman's favor on July 25, 1973, and issued an order to end the bombings, but the

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (in case citations, 2d Cir.) is one of the thirteen United States Courts of Appeals. Its territory covers the states of Connecticut, New York (state), New York, and Vermont, and it has ap ...

reversed the decision. Supreme Court Justice

Thurgood Marshall Thoroughgood "Thurgood" Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1967 until 1991. He was the Supreme C ...

upheld the court's

stay of proceedings A stay of proceedings is a ruling by the court in civil and criminal procedure that halts further legal process in a trial or other legal proceeding. The court can subsequently lift the stay and resume proceedings based on events taking place ...

, but Justice

William O. Douglas William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898January 19, 1980) was an American jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1939 to 1975. Douglas was known for his strong progressive and civil libertari ...

vacated the stay order on August 4, causing the bombing suspension to be returned. Three hours later, Marshall and the other justices halted the original ruling, ordering the suspension of bombings to circumvent Douglas's decision. Chief Justice

Warren E. Burger Warren Earl Burger (September 17, 1907 – June 25, 1995) was an American attorney who served as the 15th chief justice of the United States from 1969 to 1986. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Burger graduated from the William Mitchell College o ...

declined to call a special term for the court to hear the case. In 1979, U.S. Representative Jimmy Wilson, who had narrowly lost reelection the previous year to Buddy Leach, accused Leach of purchasing enough votes to win both the primary and general elections. The House voted 241 to 153 not to advance Wilson's objections on a mostly party-line vote. Holtzman was one of only four Democrats to vote in support of Wilson's challenge. Holtzman supported

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American politician, diplomat, and historian who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator from South Dakota, and the Democratic Party (United States), Democ ...

in the 1972 Democratic presidential primaries and was a delegate to the

Democratic National Convention The Democratic National Convention (DNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 18 ...

. She endorsed Herman Badillo for the Democratic nomination during the 1973 New York City mayoral election. She endorsed

Ramsey Clark William Ramsey Clark (December 18, 1927 – April 9, 2021) was an American lawyer, activist, and United States Federal Government, federal government official. A progressive, New Frontier liberal, he occupied senior positions in the United States ...

's New York senatorial campaign during the 1974 election. She supported Governor

Hugh Carey Hugh Leo Carey (April 11, 1919 – August 7, 2011) was an American politician and attorney of the Democratic Party who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1961 to 1974 and as the 51st governor of New York from 1975 to 1982. Early ...

in the 1978 gubernatorial election. She received two delegate votes for the vice-presidential nomination at the 1980 Democratic National Convention.

Watergate

Holtzman was one of the first members of the Judiciary Committee to support starting impeachment proceedings against Nixon, in 1973. The committee voted, with Holtzman voting no, to extend the deadline for Nixon to hand over his tape recordings. She voted in favor of an attempt by Representative

John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. Conyers was the sixth-longest serving member of Congress and the lo ...

to have Nixon cited for contempt of Congress that failed, 32 to 5. Holtzman wrote Article IV of the impeachment charges, which charged Nixon with the violation of the War Powers Clause, and it was introduced by Conyers. It failed, 26 to 12, and Holtzman later said, "I regret it, because I think the right to take people's lives unilaterally and secretly and with enormous power, and the perversion of that power, is certainly as serious as anything else the President did." Holtzman voted against advancing

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

's vice presidential confirmation in the Judiciary Committee and at the final vote. She asked Ford whether he had made a deal with Nixon to

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the j ...

him. She also asked if the pardon and an agreement that the tapes belonged to Nixon was in order to prevent the release of conversations between him and Nixon. She, Conyers, and Henry S. Reuss asked Charles Ruff to investigate Ford for perjury at his vice-presidential confirmation hearing. She also asked Attorney General Edward H. Levi to investigate claims of perjury and alleged a

cover-up A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrongdoing, error, incompetence, or other embarrassing information. Research has distinguished personal cover-ups (covering up one's own misdeeds) from relational co ...

after he declined to investigate. She made a motion in the Judiciary Committee to launch a probe into the pardon, but it failed, four to three.

United States Senate campaigns

1980 election

It was speculated that Holtzman might run in the 1976 United States Senate election in New York. She said that she was "testing the voters" for a senatorial campaign on May 5, 1979. On January 8, 1980, she announced her senatorial candidacy, being the first Democrat to formally announce, for the 1980 election. Linda Davidoff was her campaign manager. At the state Democratic convention, Holtzman received 38% of the delegate vote on the first ballot, above the required 25% support to appear on the ballot without petitioning, but not enough to gain the party's endorsement. She attempted to gain the Liberal nomination, but the party selected incumbent Senator Jacob Javits. She won the Democratic primary, making her the first woman to win a major-party U.S. Senate nomination in New York. Republican, Conservative, and

Right to Life The right to life is the belief that a human (or other animal) has the right to live and, in particular, should not be killed by another entity. The concept of a right to life arises in debates on issues including: capital punishment, with some ...

nominee

Al D'Amato Alfonse Marcello D'Amato (born August 1, 1937) is an American attorney, lobbyist, and Republican politician who represented the state of New York in the United States Senate from 1981 to 1999. From 1995 to 1999, he chaired the Senate Banking C ...

defeated Holtzman. D'Amato's victory was attributed to Javits splitting the vote between him and Holtzman, and she lost by 1% to D'Amato as a result. She raised $1,869,183 and spent $2,003,548 during the campaign. She did not concede the election. Holtzman attributed her defeat to a lack of financial support from the Democratic Party and President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

's unpopularity. Holtzman was included in polling as a possible challenger to

Daniel Patrick Moynihan Daniel Patrick Moynihan (; March 16, 1927 – March 26, 2003) was an American politician, diplomat and social scientist. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he represented New York (state), New York in the ...

in the 1982 U.S. Senate election. It was speculated that Holtzman might run in the 1986 Senate election, but she declined, saying that she would not be able to match D'Amato's fundraising.

1992 election

On February 6, 1992, Holtzman announced her candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 1992 U.S. Senate election. She filed a complaint against D'Amato to the

United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics is a Select or special committee (United States Congress), select committee of the United States Senate charged with dealing with matters related to senatorial ethics. It is also commonly referred to ...

, accusing him of illegally using his franking privilege, worth $461,000, to send a letter to three million New Yorkers stating that there was not enough evidence to charge him in 1991, but the committee dismissed the complaint. At the state Democratic convention, Holtzman received 28% of the delegate vote on the first ballot, but her support declined to 2% on the second ballot and 1% on the third ballot.

Geraldine Ferraro Geraldine Anne Ferraro (August 26, 1935 March 26, 2011) was an American politician, diplomat, and attorney. She served in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1985, and was the Democratic Party's nominee for vice presiden ...

won the endorsement. Holtzman focused on negative advertising against Ferraro, saying that it was "a legitimate and valid way of showing the voters the differences", as Ferraro was declining to attend debates at the time. Governor

Mario Cuomo Mario Matthew Cuomo ( , ; June 15, 1932 – January 1, 2015) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 52nd governor of New York for three terms, from 1983 to 1994. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ...

and ''

Ms. Ms. (American English) or Ms (British English; normally , but also , or when unstressed)''Oxford English Dictionary'' online, Ms, ''n.2''. Etymology: "An orthographic and phonetic blend of Mrs ''n.1'' and miss ''n.2'' Compare mizz ''n.'' The pr ...

'' founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin criticized her for the ads. Holtzman also demanded that Ferraro donate $340,000 to child sex abuse victims, the amount of rent she had received from Star Distributors Inc., a photographing company that was alleged to be affiliated with the

mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...

. Multiple feminists criticized Holtzman for her attacks on Ferraro, including Pogrebin and Bella Abzug, though Betty Friedan endorsed Holtzman. She placed last of the four candidates in the Democratic primary, after having raised $3,037,868 and spent $2,929,109, and was accused of costing Ferraro the primary. Ferraro said that Holtzman's negative campaigning hurt Democratic nominee

Robert Abrams Robert Abrams (born July 4, 1938) is an American attorney and politician. He served as the Attorney General of New York, attorney general of New York from 1979 to 1993 and was the Democratic nominee for the 1992 United States Senate election in ...

in the general election and allowed D'Amato to win reelection.

Later life

District Attorney

Brooklyn District Attorney The Kings County District Attorney's Office, also known as the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, is the district attorney's office for Kings County, coterminous with the Borough of Brooklyn, in New York City. The office is responsible for th ...

Eugene Gold declined to run for reelection in 1981, and wanted his executive assistant Norman Rosen to succeed him. Holtzman launched her campaign on July 22, and was given the Liberal ballot line while Rosen received the Republican line. Rosen was supported by Mayor

Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Koch was a lifelong Democrat who ...

and Brooklyn's Democratic political machine. During the campaign, Rosen ran a radio commercial that stated, "Liz Holtzman, she's a nice girl; maybe I'd like to have her as a daughter, but not as a DA." Holtzman won the nomination due to strong support from black voters. Her election made her first female district attorney in New York City and the second in New York State. Holtzman was an opponent of Meade Esposito, the chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party and its political machine, during her political career and reduced his control over the district attorney's office. Before her tenure, black people were excluded from working in the homicide bureau. The police union picketed her office in 1985, calling her a "persecutor of cops" and claimed she was "soft on crime" after she created a special unit to investigate police brutality.

Comptroller

Harrison J. Goldin, the

New York City Comptroller The Office of Comptroller of New York City, a position established in 1801, is the chief financial officer and chief auditor of the city agencies and their performance and spending. The comptroller also reviews all city contracts, handles the s ...

, ran in the 1989 mayoral election. Holtzman announced her campaign to succeed him on July 16, 1989. In the 1993 primary she was challenged by Alan Hevesi, who was supported by Ferraro, and Herman Badillo, who was supported by Koch. Fleet Financial Group loaned $455,000 to Holtzman's 1992 senatorial campaign. Sheila Levin, the chief fundraiser for the Re-Elect Liz Holtzman Committee, was investigated by the

New York City Department of Investigation The New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) is a law enforcement agency of the government of New York City that serves as an independent and nonpartisan watchdog for New York City government. Established in 1873, it is one of the oldest l ...

and

New York County District Attorney The New York County District Attorney, also known as the Manhattan District Attorney, is the elected district attorney for New York County, New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws (federal l ...

for providing false information on the bank application. The NYCDOI report found Holtzman "grossly negligent" and stated that Levin accepted $3,000 in campaign contributions from Fleet executives. Holtzman placed second in the primary and lost the runoff to Hevesi, with the controversy around her campaign loan being blamed for her defeat. Adam Clayton Powell IV worked as an aide to Holtzman during her tenure as comptroller.

Other campaigns

Holtzman considered running to succeed

Andrew Cuomo Andrew Mark Cuomo ( , ; born December 6, 1957) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 56th governor of New York from 2011 until his resignation in 2021. A member of the Democratic Party and son of former governor Mario Cuomo, ...

attorney general of New York The attorney general of New York is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and head of the Department of Law of the government of New York (state), state government. The office has existed in various forms since ...

in the 2010 election and running in the

special election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

to replace

Anthony Weiner Anthony David Weiner ( born September 4, 1964) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1999 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Democratic Party (United States) ...

as the representative from New York's 9th congressional district after Weiner resigned in 2011. She ran for the Democratic nomination in New York's 10th congressional district in the 2022 election.

Political positions

Equality

Holtzman supported the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States, United States Constitution that would explicitly prohibit sex discrimination. It is not currently a part of the Constitution, though its Ratifi ...

and was the leading sponsor of legislation to extend its deadline. She criticized Celler during the 1972 election for opposing the legislation and preventing its passage by the Judiciary Committee. Holtzman called for George Scratchley Brown, the

chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is the presiding officer of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The chairman is the highest-ranking and most senior military officer in the United States Armed Forces Chairman: appointment; gra ...

, to be removed from his position after he claimed that Jews controlled the banking system and newspapers. The Irish Lesbian and Gay Organization was excluded from the 1992 New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade. Holtzman and other elected officials boycotted the parade and instead marched with the ILGO in a separate parade.

Foreign policy

Holtzman voted against the

War Powers Resolution The War Powers Resolution (also known as the War Powers Resolution of 1973 or the War Powers Act) () is a federal law intended to check the U.S. president's power to commit the United States to ...

, saying that the "actual effect would be to sanction for 123 days combat operations initiated solely by the President". She supported the Nuclear Freeze campaign and ending the testing of

nuclear weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear exp ...

s. She traveled to Egypt and Israel on December 20, 1977, and met with President

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...

and Prime Minister

Menachem Begin Menachem Begin ( ''Menaḥem Begin'', ; (Polish documents, 1931–1937); ; 16 August 1913 – 9 March 1992) was an Israeli politician, founder of both Herut and Likud and the prime minister of Israel. Before the creation of the state of Isra ...

. Holtzman criticized President

for offering to sell fighter planes to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, and

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. She opposed Carter's decision to reinstitute the

Selective Service System The Selective Service System (SSS) is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the United States government that maintains a database of registered male U.S. Citizenship of the United States, citizens and o ...

registration requirement. She called for Carter to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Billy Carter's connections with Libya. While campaigning in 2022, Holtzman said she was "totally opposed to the BDS movement."

Healthcare

During the 1992 election Holtzman proposed the creation of a

single-payer healthcare Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare, in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer"). Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from pr ...

system.

Immigration

Holtzman criticized the

Immigration and Naturalization Service The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) was a United States federal government agency under the United States Department of Labor from 1933 to 1940 and under the United States Department of Justice from 1940 to 2003. Refe ...

in April 1974 for allowing around 50 alleged

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

war criminals A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hostag ...

to live in the U.S. In 1977, she and 42 other representatives introduced legislation calling for the deportation of all aliens who had engaged in Nazi war crimes. The INS reopened its case on Andrija Artuković, an

Ustaše The Ustaše (), also known by anglicised versions Ustasha or Ustashe, was a Croats, Croatian fascist and ultranationalist organization active, as one organization, between 1929 and 1945, formally known as the Ustaša – Croatian Revolutionar ...

war criminal, at the request of Holtzman and other members of Congress. Holtzman asked for Austrian President

Kurt Waldheim Kurt Josef Waldheim (21 December 1918 – 14 June 2007) was an Austrian politician and diplomat. Waldheim was the Secretary-General of the United Nations#List of secretaries-general, secretary-general of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981 a ...

not to be allowed inside the U.S. due to his involvement with the Nazis. In 1977, she proposed legislation, co-sponsored by 39 Democratic and 11 Republican members of the House, that would require the deportation of all aliens who participated in Nazi war crimes and bar them from the U.S. Holtzman, Joshua Eilberg,

Chris Dodd Christopher John Dodd (born May 27, 1944) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party politician who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1981 to 2011. Dodd is the List of United Sta ...

, Hamilton Fish IV, and Edward Mezvinsky traveled to

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

in 1975 to study the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

's treatment of Jews. In 1974, she was one of 39 members of Congress to sign a letter asking Nixon to help the 4,500

Syrian Jews Syrian Jews ( ''Yehudey Surya'', ''al-Yahūd as-Sūriyyūn'', colloquially called SYs in the United States) are Jews who live in the region of the modern state of Syria, and their descendants born outside Syria. Syrian Jews derive their origin ...

. During a speech by

Andrei Gromyko Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko ( – 2 July 1989) was a Soviet politician and diplomat during the Cold War. He served as Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union), Minister of Foreign Affairs (1957–1985) and as List of heads of state of the So ...

United Nations headquarters The headquarters of the United Nations (UN) is on of grounds in the Turtle Bay, Manhattan, Turtle Bay neighborhood of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It borders First Avenue (Manhattan), First Avenue to the west, 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd ...

, Holtzman and 84 other people protested the Soviet Union's reduction of its Jewish emigration quota. Holtzman sent a list of South Vietnamese people, including Nguyễn Cao Kỳ and Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, to the INS for investigation of their involvement in war crimes. Nguyễn Ngọc Loan was going to be deported to stand trial in Vietnam for the execution of Nguyễn Văn Lém, but Carter halted his deportation. In 1975, Holtzman voted against legislation to give

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

his

citizenship Citizenship is a membership and allegiance to a sovereign state. Though citizenship is often conflated with nationality in today's English-speaking world, international law does not usually use the term ''citizenship'' to refer to nationalit ...

back and unsuccessfully proposed an amendment to extend the citizenship return to draft dodgers and protesters who renounced their citizenship in protest of the Vietnam War. She asked the INS to investigate

Sun Myung Moon Sun Myung Moon (; born Moon Yong-myeong; 6 January 1920 – 3 September 2012) was a Korean religious leader, also known for his business ventures and support for conservative political causes. A messiah claimant, he was the founder of the ...

, asking whether he could be deported for inducing or assisting the entry of illegal immigrants or for failing to report his criminal record. She and Senator

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts who served as a member of the United States Senate from 1962 to his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic Party and ...

wrote the

Refugee Act of 1980 The United States Refugee Act of 1980 (Public Law 96-212) is an amendment to the earlier Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the Migration and Refugee Assistance Act of 1962, and was created to provide a permanent and systematic proced ...

Ratings

Holtzman was the only member of Congress to receive a 100% rating from

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American lawyer and political activist involved in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. He is a Perennial candidate, perennial presidential candidate. His 1965 book '' ...

Public Citizen Public Citizen is an American non-profit, Progressivism in the United States, progressive consumer rights advocacy group, and think tank based in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1971 by the American activist and lawyer Ralph Nader. Lobbying e ...

in 1976, and one of four in 1978. She received a 100% rating from the

Consumer Federation of America The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) is a non-profit organization founded in 1968 to advance consumer interests through research, education and advocacy. The CFA's website states that its members are nearly 300 consumer-oriented non-profits, ...

Electoral history

Books

*''Who Said It Would Be Easy?: One Woman's Life in the Political Arena'' (with Cynthia L. Cooper). Arcade Publishing (May 30, 1996); *''The Impeachment of George W. Bush: A Practical Guide for Concerned Citizens'' (with Cynthia L. Cooper). Nation Books (August 22, 2006); *''Cheating Justice: How Bush and Cheney Attacked the Rule of Law and Plotted to Avoid Prosecution- and What We Can Do about It'' (with Cynthia L. Cooper). Beacon Press (February 7, 2012); *''The Case for Impeaching Trump''. Hot Books (January 1, 2019);

References

Works cited

Books

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News

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Newspapers

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Web

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External links

Papers, 1970–1981Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.
[Videotape collection][videorecording], 1974–1993Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.

Early life and education

Legal and education

Early politics

United States House of Representatives

Elections

Tenure

Watergate

United States Senate campaigns

1980 election

1992 election

Later life

District Attorney

Comptroller

Other campaigns

Political positions

Equality

Foreign policy

Healthcare

Immigration

Ratings

Electoral history

Books

See also

References

Works cited

Books

News

Newspapers

Web

External links

Further reading