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Jane Harman
Jane Margaret Harman (née Lakes, June 28, 1945) is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 36th congressional district from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2001 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee (2002–2006), before she chaired the Homeland Security Committee's Intelligence Subcommittee (2007–2011). Harman was a conservative Blue Dog Democrat.
Resigning from Congress in February 2011, Harman became president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She succeeded former U.S. representative Lee Hamilton and was the first ever woman to lead the organization. She stepped down in February 2021. She is also a distinguished scholar and president emerita.
Harman was born Jane Margaret Lakes in New York City, the daughter of Lucille (née Geier) and Adolf N. Lakes. She is Jewish. Her father was born in Poland and escaped from Nazi Germany in 1935; he worked as a medical doctor. Her mother was born in the United States and was the first in her family to receive a college education. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Russia. Harman's family moved to Los Angeles, California when she was 4 and there she attended Los Angeles public schools, graduating from University High School in 1962. She received a bachelor's degree in government, magna cum laude, from Smith College in 1966 and served as president of the Smith College Young Democrats. Harman continued her studies at Harvard Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1969.
After graduating from law school, Harman – then known as Jane Lakes – married future NOAA administrator Richard A. Frank in 1969, and they had two children. They spent a short time in Switzerland, and then she worked for two years as an associate with the law firm Surrey, Karasik and Morse in Washington, D.C. She began her political career by serving on the staff of Senator John V. Tunney, as his legislative assistant from 1972 to 1973. In 1973, Tunney named her his senior counsel and staff director for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights in 1975. During this time she also taught at Georgetown. When Tunney lost re-election in 1976, Harman – then known as Jane Lakes Frank – joined the Carter White House where she served as Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet. She became a special counsel to the Department of Defense from 1979 to 1980.
Harman was first elected to Congress in 1992 and became the first Smith College graduate to be elected to Congress. From 1993 to 1999, Harman represented California's 36th district, serving in the 103rd, 104th, and 105th Congresses. In 1994, she barely survived reelection in a heavily Republican year, winning by 812 votes over Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Susan Brooks.
Harman did not run for the 106th United States Congress in 1998, instead entering the 1998 California gubernatorial race.
After losing the Democratic nomination to Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis, she briefly taught public policy and international relations at UCLA as a Regents' Professor before running for and winning her old congressional seat in the 2000 election.
Harman narrowly won her old seat in 2000, defeating Republican incumbent Steven T. Kuykendall, and was re-elected again in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010.
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Jane Harman
Jane Margaret Harman (née Lakes, June 28, 1945) is an American former politician who served as the U.S. representative for California's 36th congressional district from 1993 to 1999 and again from 2001 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee (2002–2006), before she chaired the Homeland Security Committee's Intelligence Subcommittee (2007–2011). Harman was a conservative Blue Dog Democrat.
Resigning from Congress in February 2011, Harman became president and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. She succeeded former U.S. representative Lee Hamilton and was the first ever woman to lead the organization. She stepped down in February 2021. She is also a distinguished scholar and president emerita.
Harman was born Jane Margaret Lakes in New York City, the daughter of Lucille (née Geier) and Adolf N. Lakes. She is Jewish. Her father was born in Poland and escaped from Nazi Germany in 1935; he worked as a medical doctor. Her mother was born in the United States and was the first in her family to receive a college education. Her maternal grandparents immigrated from Russia. Harman's family moved to Los Angeles, California when she was 4 and there she attended Los Angeles public schools, graduating from University High School in 1962. She received a bachelor's degree in government, magna cum laude, from Smith College in 1966 and served as president of the Smith College Young Democrats. Harman continued her studies at Harvard Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1969.
After graduating from law school, Harman – then known as Jane Lakes – married future NOAA administrator Richard A. Frank in 1969, and they had two children. They spent a short time in Switzerland, and then she worked for two years as an associate with the law firm Surrey, Karasik and Morse in Washington, D.C. She began her political career by serving on the staff of Senator John V. Tunney, as his legislative assistant from 1972 to 1973. In 1973, Tunney named her his senior counsel and staff director for the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights in 1975. During this time she also taught at Georgetown. When Tunney lost re-election in 1976, Harman – then known as Jane Lakes Frank – joined the Carter White House where she served as Deputy Secretary of the Cabinet. She became a special counsel to the Department of Defense from 1979 to 1980.
Harman was first elected to Congress in 1992 and became the first Smith College graduate to be elected to Congress. From 1993 to 1999, Harman represented California's 36th district, serving in the 103rd, 104th, and 105th Congresses. In 1994, she barely survived reelection in a heavily Republican year, winning by 812 votes over Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor Susan Brooks.
Harman did not run for the 106th United States Congress in 1998, instead entering the 1998 California gubernatorial race.
After losing the Democratic nomination to Lieutenant Governor Gray Davis, she briefly taught public policy and international relations at UCLA as a Regents' Professor before running for and winning her old congressional seat in the 2000 election.
Harman narrowly won her old seat in 2000, defeating Republican incumbent Steven T. Kuykendall, and was re-elected again in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010.