Lynn Nancy Rivers (née Carruthers; born December 19, 1956) is an American

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

and lawyer from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. She served four terms 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 1995 to 2003.

Early life and education

Rivers was born in Au Gres, Michigan, and graduated from Au Gres-Sims High School,

Arenac County Arenac County ( ) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the population was 15,002. The county seat is Standish, Michigan, Standish. History Arenac County wa ...

, in 1975. She was married the day after graduation, and had 2 children by age 21. She received 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 ...

biological anthropology Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, is a natural science discipline concerned with the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their extinct hominin ancestors, and related non-human primates, particularly fro ...

from 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 1987 and a J.D. from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

in 1992.

Career

She served as a trustee of the

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 ...

board of education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional area, ...

from 1984 to 1992. She was a member of the

Michigan State House of Representatives Michigan ( ) is a peninsular state in the Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, Indiana and Illinois to the southwest, Ohio ...

between 1993 and 1994. Rivers was elected 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 ...

from Michigan's 13th District to the

for the 104th and to the three succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1995, to January 3, 2003. After Michigan lost a district in the United States 2000 Census reapportionment, much of her district was merged into a redrawn 15th District together with long-time incumbent

John Dingell John David Dingell Jr. ( ; July 8, 1926 – February 7, 2019) was an American politician from the state of Michigan who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1955 until 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, D ...

. Rivers challenged Dingell in the Democratic primary for the new 15th. However, running in a district that was over 65 percent new to her, she lost to Dingell by 18 points. Immediately after leaving Congress, she taught political science at the

and at

Washtenaw Community College Washtenaw Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan.bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder (BD), previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that each last from days to weeks, and in ...

. She was about 21 when she was diagnosed. While in Congress she spoke about her condition on the House floor, making her the first openly bipolar member of Congress. In 1998, the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) named her "Legislator of the Year."

References

External links

Rep. Lynn Rivers
at

GovTrack GovTrack.us is a website developed by then-student Joshua Tauberer. It is based in Washington, D.C., and was launched as a hobby. It enables its users to track the bills and members of the United States Congress. Users can add trackers to certain ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivers, Lynn 1956 births Living people Politicians from Ann Arbor, Michigan University of Michigan alumni University of Michigan faculty Wayne State University Law School alumni People with bipolar disorder Female members of the United States House of Representatives Women in Michigan politics Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan Women state legislators in Michigan School board members in Michigan 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians People from Arenac County, Michigan American lawyers with disabilities American politicians with disabilities 21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Michigan Legislature Washtenaw Community College faculty

Early life and education

Career

See also

References

External links