Pat Schroeder Recounts Tales of Congressional <I>Sturm und Drang</I>

After serving 24 years in Congress, the outspoken Coloradan kicks off book tour with a visit to Radcliffe

By Rhea Becker

Gazette Staff

Early in her congressional career, Pat Schroeder became the only female member of the influential House Armed Services Committee at about the same time that the first black member was appointed. In response, the chairman, one of the Old Guard, proclaimed, "That girl and that black are each worth about half. I'll give them one chair." For two years, she and Ron Dellums, a Democrat from California, literally shared a single chair in the committee room.

Schroeder visited Radcliffe last Friday to share tales like this one -- some outrageous, some humorous -- about her career in Congress, and to kick off a national book tour to publicize her autobiography, 24 Years of House Work . . . and the Place Is Still a Mess (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1998).

Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson introduced Schroeder, saying, "Our mission [at Radcliffe] -- advancing society by advancing women -- tracks closely with the kind of leadership Pat Schroeder has given this country."

Schroeder, with her trademark electric smile and keen humor, regaled the Longfellow Hall audience of about 150, characterizing her time in Congress as "a 15-ring circus."

Schroeder's political career started on a whim. After graduating from Harvard Law School in 1964, she moved to Colorado with her husband James. Happily practicing law and teaching, Schroeder was surprised when she was approached by a committee searching for a candidate to run against a popular, entrenched Republican incumbent from Denver's first district. "My generation of women did not think you were meant to be a candidate," said Schroeder. "You voted, you worked on a campaign, but you weren't a candidate."

To her amazement, she won the 1972 election, and took her seat in the 93rd Congress, ultimately serving 24 years -- the longest career of any woman in congressional history.

Schroeder encountered a male-dominated institution unaccustomed to the presence of women. "Imagine going to Congress with a 2-year-old and a 6-year-old," Schroeder said. Even the late Bella Abzug greeted Schroeder with a warning: "She called me and said, 'I hear you have little kids -- you can't do the job.' "

Late in her congressional career, Schroeder witnessed a historic change in the makeup of Congress. The backlash following the Clarence Thomas hearings resulted in more women winning seats than ever before. "In 1992 women went from 5 percent to 10 percent," said Schroeder. "When the new class was getting sworn in, one of the old bulls came over and said, 'This place looks like a damned shopping center thanks to people like you.' "

Schroeder's legacy includes sponsorship of the Family and Medical Leave Act as well as the Violence Against Women and Child Abuse Prevention acts, and the cofounding of the bipartisan Congressional Women's Caucus.

After leaving Congress, Schroeder lectured at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, where she began to despair of finding "bright, young people" interested in becoming political candidates. "When I asked, 'Who wants to run for office?,' nobody raised their hand. They all want to be George Stephanopoulos."

Today, Schroeder is chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers (AAP), where she is working on an initiative, "Books for Babies," designed to get a "very simple message" out: reading is good for young children. The initiative, which includes sending books home with newborns, will be undertaken by the AAP and the Institute for Civil Society, in Newton, directed by Pam Solo, a former Peace Fellow at the Bunting Institute and a good friend and colleague of Schroeder's.

"Literacy is in the good hands of Pat Schroeder and Pam Solo," commented Lindy Hess, director of the Radcliffe Publishing Course.

Schroeder emphasized that "if a little kid has a lot of books, he or she will start looking at them because they're in the environment. And we know reading out loud really gets you a whole long way."

Schroeder's talk was sponsored by the Radcliffe College Alumnae Association, the Radcliffe Publishing Course, and the Institute for Civil Society.