Nita Lowey with Hillary Clinton
By Dan Murphy
“Westchester’s Congresswoman,” Nita Lowey, passed away on March 15 at the age of 87.
Her family posted the following message, “With great sadness, we announce that former Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey died peacefully on March 15 at the age of 87, surrounded by her loving husband, children, and grandchildren, in her home in Harrison, N.Y. Nita has quietly and bravely battled metastatic breast cancer in recent years with the same tenacity and strength that she fought throughout her 32-year career in Congress for women, children and families in the U.S. and around the world.”
“A public servant in the truest sense, she was guided by the Jewish core value of ‘Tikkun Olam,’ repairing the world. She was an indefatigable fighter and worked across the aisle to deliver results for her constituents and all Americans. She sponsored life-changing legislation in education, medical research, and international relations.”
Nita Lowey represented Westchester County in Congress from 1988 to 2020. In 1988, Lowey defeated Republican Congressman Joe Dioguardi to become the first Westchester Democrat to break the Republican hold on Westchester politics. Lowey defeated two Democrats in a primary, Dennis Mehiel and Hamilton Fish V, before beating Dioguardi with 53% of the vote.
Rep. Lowey represented almost every town, village, and city in Westchester over her 28 years in Congress, from Yonkers to Yorktown. Her district was redrawn on three occasions.
In 1999, Senator Daniel Moynihan announced his retirement, and Lowey announced that she was running to replace him, except if Hillary Clinton decided to run. Clinton did run and represented NY in the US Senate for 8 years, with Lowey graciously deferring.
Over the next twenty years, Lowey built a career in the House of Representatives, becoming the first woman to chair the House Appropriations Committee. As Chair, Lowey was able to steer billions to her district, Westchester County, and New York.
Lowey also formed a bond with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said, “Chairwoman Nita Lowey built a brighter, more hopeful future — for her beloved New York constituents and all Americans. I traveled the world with Nita for years and saw the esteem in which heads of state and women and girls held her. She was beloved.”
In her 32 years in Congress, Lowey never had a Democratic opponent and, on some occasions, never had a Republican opponent. She was a legendary Westchester Democrat, admired and beloved by the thousands of Westchester women who voted for her year after year.
In 2019, serving her 31st year in Congress, Lowey announced her retirement. Some believe that Mondaire Jones, who was going to challenge Lowey in a Democratic primary, got her to step down. “Nonsense,” Lowey told reporters at the time.
Rep. Lowey will be remembered for her strong support for Israel and her strong pro-choice views on abortion. (She voted against a bill in 1999 that would make it a federal crime for an adult to take a minor to another state for an abortion to avoid a parental notification law in the girl’s home state. “This bill could throw grandmothers in jail for helping their granddaughters,” she said.
“She was a trusted friend, colleague, advisor, and standard-bearer for the Jewish community and the U.S.-Israel relationship. As co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. Her legacy will live on not only through all the colleagues she mentored and legislation like the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act but also in all the people her work has helped and will continue to help here at home and around the world. Nita loved AJC and the Jewish people, and I hope through our collective efforts, we, too, can help honor her memory,” said the American Jewish Committee
“With deep sorrow, AJC mourns the loss of former Congresswoman Nita Lowey, a true friend to AJC and an irreplaceable champion of the Jewish people. The Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, a transformative law, continues to be central to AJC’s advocacy as we work to build trust and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians and strive for a more peaceful and interconnected Middle East.”
At the age of 81, Lowey decided it was time to spend more time with her family and grandchildren. She had left her mark on Congress and the United States of America.
Congressman George Latimer said, “ “She was the definition of an excellent public servant: smart, warm. Principled and fearless. For over 30 years, she represented our home area in Congress with grace and fortitude. Nita Lowey has passed away… but she will be forever remembered. And forever praised.”Latimer
Congressman Mike Lawler said, “Nita Lowey broke barriers as a legislator, shaping the lives of New Yorkers and Americans alike. Her commitment to our communities was unwavering, and her legacy will endure. May her memory be a blessing.”
“Nita didn’t wait for history — she made it. As the first woman to lead the House Appropriations Committee, she trailblazed a path of leadership defined by integrity, hard work, and an unyielding dedication to public service. She was a trailblazer, a progressive champion, a great representative, and my friend. We’ll miss you, Nita,” said Rep. Tom Cole, the current republican Chair of Appropriations.
Former New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson said, “Nita was warm, charming, idealistic, and yet also shrewd, tough, and pragmatic. A seemingly contradictory blend, but always held in balance, all real, all genuine, all essential to her outsized success and to the fierce loyalty of those who worked for her and with her….And Nita’s casual observations about people, so many of them, often funny and irreverent, and always bulls-eye accurate. She could measure someone at a glance.
Congresswoman Lowey is survived by her husband of 64 years, Stephen Lowey, and their three children and eight grandchildren.
Her proudest achievement, she said, had been “breaking the glass ceiling for women” by becoming the first to lead the Appropriations Committee. “One thing about Nita that some may not remember is she was tough, and she made it OK to be a tough female politician. Nobody wanted to mess with Nita,” said one colleague.
“The Empire State and the entire country have lost a principled, passionate, and powerful public servant with the passing of Congresswoman Nita Lowey. Throughout her historic career, Congresswoman Lowey courageously served her constituents and stood up for New Yorkers while shattering multiple glass ceilings along the way,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins also reflected on Lowey’s legacy.
“She was the role model, the mentor, the godmother. She was everything,” Stewart-Cousins said. “She always had the right values. She understood what was important, and she was ready to invest her time, money, and passion in ensuring the right things happen.”
