Elizabeth Brater (born April 12, 1951) is a Democratic former member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

, who represented the 18th district from 2003 to 2010, and served as the Assistant Minority Leader. Her district included the cities of

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

and

Ypsilanti Ypsilanti ( ), commonly shortened to Ypsi ( ), is a college town and city located on the Huron River in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north ...

. She was previously a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

from 1995 to 2000.

Early life

Brater was born in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. After graduating high school in 1969, she enrolled at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

, where she remained for two years, but transferred to the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, completing her

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 English in 1973. She continued to receive an

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) 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. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in History, ''

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 ...

'', in 1976, 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, ...

. She moved to

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

in 1975, when her husband, Enoch Brater, took a job as an English professor at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. In Ann Arbor, she worked as an editor and writer, also teaching courses on local government and writing at the university.

Political career

Brater won election as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

to the

city council from the city's Third Ward in 1988. She then ran for mayor of Ann Arbor in April 1991, defeating two-term incumbent Republican mayor Gerald D. Jernigan. Brater was the first woman to be elected mayor of Ann Arbor. As mayor, Brater established the city's extensive

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...

program. After serving one two-year term, she was defeated in her mayoral reelection campaign, losing in April 1993 to the Republican challenger, former city council member Ingrid Sheldon, who went on to serve four two-year terms as mayor. After her mayoral defeat, Brater ran successfully for the

in November 1994. She served in the House from 1995 to 2000, representing Michigan's 53rd district. Term limits prevented Brater from running for a fourth term. Brater was honored by the Michigan Sierra Club as its 1996 Environmentalist of the Year and by the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Michigan as its 1998 Legislator of the Year. In November 2002, Brater won election to the

. In the Democratic primary, she defeated a fellow member of the Michigan House, John Hansen of

Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...

. In the general election, she triumphed easily over Republican candidate Gordon Darr, a Scio Township Trustee, and

Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...

candidate Elliott Smith. In 2006, she was re-elected with more than 71% of the vote, but in 2010 was term-limited and thus barred from seeking re-election.

Committees

In the

, Brater was a member of the Judiciary and Finance committees, the vice-chair of the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs and the Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism committees. Brater also served as a member of the Governor's Land Use Leadership Council.

Electoral history

*2006 Election for the Michigan State Senate - 18th District *2002 Election for the Michigan State Senate - 18th District

References

External links

Michigan Senate - Liz Brater
official government website
Floor Statements
video clips
Project Vote Smart - Senator Elizabeth S. 'Liz' Brater (MI)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Liz Brater
2006200420022000
Senate campaign contributions
200019981996
House campaign contributions
Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus

Michigan Liberal - SD18
at ''PoliticalGraveyard.com'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Brater, Elizabeth Living people 1951 births Mayors of Ann Arbor, Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Democratic Party Michigan state senators Women mayors of places in Michigan Women state legislators in Michigan University of Michigan faculty 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature 21st-century American women politicians University of Chicago alumni Women city councillors in Michigan Michigan city council members American women academics Politicians from Boston 20th-century members of the Michigan Legislature