Mary E. Kramer (born June 14, 1935) is an American former politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served as an

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

State Senator from 1990 to 2003. She was elected President of the Senate in 1997, becoming the first independently elected woman to fill the post. In 2003 Kramer was nominated by President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean; she was confirmed by the United States Senate and served from 2004 to 2006.

Biography

Mary Kramer was born in Burlington, Iowa on June 14, 1935, and grew up in Iowa City. She holds a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

degree from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

in piano performance and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

degree in education, also from the University of Iowa. For nearly twenty years Kramer worked as a teacher and school administrator in Iowa. In 1975 she entered the corporate sector when she became the Corporate Personnel Director for Younkers, Inc. She joined Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 1981, and during her eighteen years with the company served as Vice President of Human Resources and as Vice President of Community Investments.

Political career

Kramer’s political career began in 1990 when she was first elected to the Iowa State Senate, representing Clive, Des Moines and

West Des Moines West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. A majority of the city is located in Polk County, a minority of the city is located in Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren and Ma ...

. Her special interests were in education, economic development, and health care. She was elected Assistant Minority Leader in 1992 and President in 1997. In 2002, President George W. Bush appointed Kramer

Chairperson The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the White House Commission for Presidential Scholars, and in 2003, the President nominated her as the United States Ambassador to the Seven Island Nations of the Eastern Caribbean. Kramer held the latter post from 2004 until her retirement in 2006.

Accomplishments

Kramer has served on the Board of the Directors for the State Legislative Leaders Foundation and was the Chairman of the Board for the Senate President’s Forum. She was a member of the Reforming States Group of the Milbank Fund, a group dedicated to population-wide health improvement. Additionally, she has served as a member of the Board of the Des Moines Club, the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, United Way of Central Iowa, the Polk County Child Care Resource Center, Brenton Bank, and Mercy Hospital. She is also a lifetime member of the

Society for Human Resource Management The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) is a professional human resources membership association headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. SHRM promotes the role of HR as a profession and provides education, certification, and networking to ...

(SHRM) in Iowa and received the Society’s highest national award in June 1996. In August 2009, Kramer was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.

Personal

Kramer and her late husband, Kay Kramer, married in 1958. They have a son and a daughter and four grandchildren. Kay Kramer died in November 2018. Kramer remains active in community affairs and is currently working on a memoir of her experiences in politics.

References

, - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Kramer, Mary E. 1935 births Living people Presidents of the Iowa Senate Republican Party Iowa state senators Ambassadors of the United States to Barbados Women state legislators in Iowa Ambassadors of the United States to Antigua and Barbuda Ambassadors of the United States to Dominica Ambassadors of the United States to Grenada Ambassadors of the United States to Saint Kitts and Nevis Ambassadors of the United States to Saint Lucia Ambassadors of the United States to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Politicians from Burlington, Iowa Politicians from Iowa City, Iowa University of Iowa alumni Schoolteachers from Iowa American women educators American school administrators American business executives Women business executives American women ambassadors 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American diplomats