41 Facts About Ellen Tauscher

Ellen O'Kane Tauscher was an American businesswoman, diplomat, and Democratic Party politician who was the US representative for California's 10th congressional district from 1997 to 2009.

Ellen Tauscher then served as Special Envoy for Strategic Stability and Missile Defense at the State Department.

Ellen Tauscher served as vice-chairwoman of the Democratic Leadership Council from 2001 to 2005.

Ellen Tauscher graduated in 1974 from Seton Hall University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood education.

Ellen Tauscher served as an officer of the American Stock Exchange from 1979 to 1983, after which she worked for Bear Stearns and a subsidiary of Drexel Burnham Lambert.

In 1989, Ellen Tauscher moved to California and later founded the ChildCare Registry, the first national research service to help parents verify the background of childcare workers.

Ellen Tauscher published The ChildCare Sourcebook and headed the Tauscher Foundation, which provided funds for elementary schools to buy computers and Internet access.

In 1996, Ellen Tauscher was recruited to run against two-term Republican incumbent Bill Baker in California's 10th congressional district, which included several wealthy suburbs in the East Bay.

Ellen Tauscher charged that Baker was too conservative for the district, particularly given his opposition to abortion and gun control.

Ellen Tauscher was re-elected in 1998 and 2000 against vigorous Republican opposition.

In 2000, during the statewide redistricting process, some of the more Republican-leaning parts of Ellen Tauscher's district were removed and replaced with more Democratic territory near Berkeley and in Solano County.

Ellen Tauscher was re-elected to four more terms, facing no substantive opposition and receiving more than 65 percent of the vote after 2002.

Ellen Tauscher chaired the Strategic Forces subcommittee of the Armed Services Committee, which oversees the country's nuclear weapons stockpile, missile defense program, and the national labs.

Ellen Tauscher was the only member of Congress who had two national labs in her district, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and the California campus of Sandia National Laboratories.

At the time she left Congress, Ellen Tauscher was the senior member from California serving on the Highways and Transit subcommittee and the Aviation subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure committee.

From her position on the Transportation Committee, Ellen Tauscher brought $33 million to her district for transportation and infrastructure projects.

Ellen Tauscher was confirmed by the United States Senate on June 25,2009, by unanimous consent.

Ellen Tauscher served as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security until her appointment on February 6,2012, as Special Envoy for Strategic Stability and Missile Defense.

Ellen Tauscher retired from the State Department on August 31,2012.

Ellen Tauscher was the lead official in the State Department working on the bilateral agreements with Poland, Romania, and Turkey for the European Phased Adaptive Approach missile defense system, negotiating timely agreements that allowed the President's deployment timeline to be met.

In 2008, Ellen Tauscher was a strong supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton's candidacy for president.

Ellen Tauscher traveled around the country as a surrogate for Clinton's campaign in the primary.

Ellen Tauscher served as vice-chairwoman of the Democratic Leadership Council from 2001 to 2005.

Ellen Tauscher supported scaling back the estate tax, tightening bankruptcy rules, and expanding free trade.

Ellen Tauscher voted against bans on late-term and partial-birth abortions.

Ellen Tauscher supported federal funding of stem cell research, voting in favor of both Stem Cell Research Enhancement Acts.

Ellen Tauscher received an F rating from the NRA Political Victory Fund.

In October 2002, Ellen Tauscher voted in favor of the Iraq Resolution, approving the use of military force in Iraq.

In December 2005, Tauscher led a group of twenty-two other House Democrats in sending a letter to President George W Bush urging him to withdraw US troops, expressing the hope that the "Iraqi government takes increased responsibility" for its political and security needs.

Ellen Tauscher later voted to redeploy troops out of Iraq within 90 days and even to impeach President Bush over the war.

On March 3,2009, Ellen Tauscher introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2009 to the House of Representatives, which would have repealed Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

The bill eventually passed in a slightly different form in 2010 after Ellen Tauscher had left the House, repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell.

Ellen Tauscher was opposed to banning gays from the Boy Scouts.

Ellen Tauscher served on the Board of Advisors of SpaceX and the Board of Directors of BAE Systems, Invacare Corporation, and SeaWorld Entertainment.

Ellen Tauscher was a member of the Board of Governors of The Commonwealth Club of California.

Ellen Tauscher served as vice chair of the Atlantic Council's Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and was a member of the University of California Board of Regents.

Ellen Tauscher served as chairman of the Board of Governors for Los Alamos National Security and Lawrence Livermore National Security, a member of the board of directors of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and was chairman of the board of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Foundation.

Ellen Tauscher was a strategic advisor to the Washington, DC law firm of Baker Donelson on matters of defense, transportation, energy, and health care.

Ellen Tauscher was a member of the ReFormers Caucus of Issue One.

Ellen Tauscher lived in Pleasanton and later Alamo, California, during her Congressional career.

Ellen Tauscher died of pneumonia on April 29,2019, at the age of 67 at the Stanford University Medical Center, in Stanford, California.