Senator Elizabeth Warren has made a name for herself as a crusader for the financial interests of ordinary Americans her popularity has put her in the running as a potential Democratic contender in the 2016 presidential race. A closer look at Senator Warren’s background and work indicates many qualities that could help her succeed in the effort
Early Years
Elizabeth Warren was born Elizabeth Ann Herring in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on June 22, 1949 to Donald Jones Herring and his wife Pauline. She had three older brothers. When she was 12 years old, her father had a heart attack and could not continue his work as a janitor. Warren and her mother were forced to take jobs to help support the family through this difficult time. This family struggle figured prominently in Warren’s interest in personal finance matters faced by average Americans
Education
Senator Warren was a debate team star in high school and won a scholarship to George Washington University. She attended the school for two years before dropping out to marry. Warren later went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in audiology and speech pathology from the University of Houston in 1970. After moving to New Jersey with her husband, she attended Rutgers School of Law-Newark and graduated in 1976.
Private Life
Elizabeth married her high school boyfriend, Jim Warren, a NASA engineer. They had two children, Amelia and Alexander. The couple divorced in 1978. In 1980, Warren married a Harvard law professor, Bruce Mann, but kept her former married name.
Private Sector Career
Elizabeth Warren spent a good portion of her life teaching. Using her degree in audiology and speech pathology to help disabled children, and later, teaching at Rutgers School of Law-Newark, the University of Houston Law Center, the University of Texas School of Law and the University of Michigan. She was also a research associate at the University of Texas at Austin. She became a tenured professor 1987, and then went on to join the teaching staff at Harvard Law School. Her advanced studies in bankruptcy and personal finance opened the door to political appointments serving economic matters in government.
Authorship Senator Warren has also authored a number of works, Including:
- The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Father Are Going Broke
- A Fighting Chance, published In 2014 • A study on illness and medical debt in America
- Numerous articles
- A number of collaborative works with other authors
Political Career
Warren was appointed to head the National Bankruptcy Revive Commission in 1998. In 2008, she was chosen to chair the Congressional Oversight Panel that was created to monitor the dispersal of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, (TARP) which provided $700 billion to bail out banks. Warren also helped to design the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as part of the Dodd-Frank legislation to reform banking regulation. In 2011, Warren announced that she would run against Massachusetts’ Senator Scott Brown for the seat. She won the election and has continued to be a champion for the interests of ordinary Americans in her duties as a senator.
On Issues:
- Senator Warren has long been a champion for consumers’ interests against the big financial institutions. She supports strong regulation of the industry.
- She is against a balanced budget amendment
- She supports federal help to reduce student debt.
- She supports more funding for public education.
- She strongly supports abortion rights and reproductive choice.
- She supports the expansion of alternative energies instead of subsidizing oil companies.
- She works for transparency in the trade agreements.
- She supports restricting the sale of high-capacity magazines banning assault weapons.
- She wants to end bulk data collection by the NSA.
- She supports the DREAM Ad. • She sup ports unions and raising the minimum wage.
- She supports the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and keeping all options on the table in negotiating with Iran.
Senator Warren started out as a Republican, but changed her political affiliation in the 1990’s when she felt that the GOP was not supporting policies that aided the general economy. Elizabeth Warren has never been shy about her opinions on what policies would most benefit the greatest number of Americans. She has been a strong progressive voice in American politics over recent decades.
Controversies
Elizabeth Warren ran into trouble during her campaign against Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. He accused her of falsifying information about her minority Native American status on Harvard records. Warren has admitted that she believed her family s stories about Cherokee and Delaware tribal ancestry. To date, no documentation of the connection has surfaced.
