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

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

in the

U.S. House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the 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 Article One of th ...

from 1981 to 2003.

Early life and education

Roukema was born Margaret Ellen Scafati on September 19, 1929, in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, and raised in

West Orange, New Jersey West Orange is a suburban Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 48,843, an increase of 2,636 (+5.7%) from t ...

, the daughter of Claude and Margaret Scafati. She graduated from West Orange High School in 1947. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science from

Montclair State College Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Clifton and into Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, the second largest public un ...

in 1951, and she also did graduate work at Montclair State. In addition, she took graduate courses in city and regional planning at

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

Career

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. w ...

Ridgewood, New Jersey Ridgewood is a Village (New Jersey), village in Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Ridgewood is a suburban commuter town, bedroom community of New York City, located approximately northwest of Midtown M ...

. She served as a member of the board of education of 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, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020–21 school ...

from 1970 to 1973."Former long-serving Rep. Marge Roukema dies"
''

New Jersey Herald The ''New Jersey Herald'' is a newspaper published six days (Sunday-Friday) every week. Its headquarters are in Newton, New Jersey. It is the only daily newspaper published in Sussex County, New Jersey and one of the oldest in the state. It has ...

'', November 12, 2014. Accessed June 11, 2024. "She graduated from West Orange High School in 1947 and, in 1951, received a degree from Montclair State College. She was elected to the Ridgewood school board in 1970, but lost re-election in 1973."

U.S. House of Representatives

In 1978, Roukema ran for Congress against incumbent Democratic Congressman

Andrew Maguire Andrew Maguire may refer to: * Andrew Maguire (politician), member of the U.S. House of Representatives from New Jersey * Andrew Maguire (whistleblower), British commodities trader and whistleblower * Alpha (Marvel Comics) A-Bomb Abomi ...

, losing by approximately 9,000 votes. In 1980, Roukema challenged Maguire again and won; her campaign was helped by successful Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan's presence at the top of the ticket. She was re-elected 11 times without facing serious Democratic opposition. Roukema was a moderate Republican known for her staunch support for the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). During her congressional career, she represented New Jersey's 7th and 5th congressional districts, respectively. In 1992, she faced a primary challenge from three other Republicans and prevailed. In 1998, 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 ...

, a considerably more conservative Republican, challenged her in the Republican primary. Roukema managed to fight him off, and did so again in 2000.

Retirement

With the prospect of a third consecutive 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. She endorsed State Senator

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 on ...

in the ensuing primary, which he lost to Garrett. Despite Roukema's refusal to endorse him, Garrett was elected as her successor. She left office in 2003. At the time of her retirement, Roukema was the longest-tenured female member of Congress.

Personal life and death

Roukema was married to psychiatrist Richard W. Roukema. The Roukemas had three children: Greg, Todd, and Meg. Todd Roukema died of leukemia in October 1976. On November 12, 2014, Roukema died in

Wyckoff, New Jersey Wyckoff ( ) is an affluent 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, a decrease of 111 (−0.7%) from the 2010 census count of 16,696, which in turn ...

, at the age of 85. She had

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Roukema, Marge 1929 births 2014 deaths American people of Italian descent Deaths from Alzheimer's disease in New Jersey 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 West Orange High School (New Jersey) alumni People from West Orange, New Jersey Women in New Jersey politics 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians Schoolteachers from New Jersey American women educators 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives