Andrea Heidi Seastrand (née Ciszek; born August 5, 1941) is a former one-term Republican member of 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 ...

, serving from 1995 to 1997.

Personal life

Seastrand was born Andrea Heidi Ciszek in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. She graduated from

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

in 1963 with a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in education, and then moved to Salinas,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to find work as an elementary school teacher. In 1965, she married Eric Seastrand, a stockbroker, and the couple had two children named Kurt and Heidi.

Political career

From 1982 to 1990, when her husband served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature (the upper house being the California State Senate). The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento, Califor ...

as a Republican, Seastrand joined the California Federation of Republican Women, later becoming its president. In 1990, Eric Seastrand died of cancer, and Andrea won a special election to succeed him, receiving 65 per cent of the vote. She remained a member of assembly for the next four years, serving on the education committee and as assistant minority leader. Seastrand was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, narrowly defeating Theology professor

Walter Capps Walter Holden Capps (May 5, 1934 – October 28, 1997) was an American academic and politician. He served as a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing California's 22nd congressional district from January ...

and succeeding fellow Republican

Michael Huffington Roy Michael Huffington Jr. (born September 3, 1947) is an American politician, LGBT activist, and film producer. He was a member of the Republican Party, and a congressman for one term, 1993–1995, from California. Huffington was married to A ...

. Considered one of the more conservative members of the

104th Congress The 104th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 19 ...

, she faced Capps again in 1996 and was defeated.

Post-political work

In 1997, after her departure from Congress, Seastrand founded the California Space and Technology Alliance—a private nonprofit focused on promoting California's participation in space ventures—which later became the California Space Authority. She remained executive director of the organization from its creation until its dissolution in 2011.

References

External links

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Andrea Seastrand-JoinCalifornia.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seastrand, Andrea 1941 births Living people Republican Party members of the California State Assembly DePaul University alumni American politicians of Polish descent Politicians from Chicago Female members of the United States House of Representatives Women state legislators in California Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from California Spouses of California politicians 21st-century American women 20th-century members of the California State Legislature 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century American women politicians

Personal life

Political career

Post-political work

See also

References

External links