About Marge Roukema
Margaret "Marge" Ellen Roukema (née Scafati; September 19, 1929 – November 12, 2014) was an American Republican Party politician who represented New Jersey in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 2003. == Early life and education == Roukema was born Margaret Ellen Scafati on September 19, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey, and raised in West Orange, New Jersey, the daughter of Claude and Margaret Scafati. She graduated from West Orange High School in 1947. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and political science from Montclair State College in 1951, and she also did graduate work at Montclair State. In addition, she took graduate courses in city and regional planning at Rutgers University. == Career == Roukema began her career as a high school American history teacher in Ridgewood, New Jersey. She served as a member of the board of education of the Ridgewood Public Schools from 1970 to 1973. === U.S. House of Representatives === In 1978, Roukema ran for Congress against incumbent Democratic Congressman Andrew Maguire, losing by approximately 9,000 votes. In 1980, Roukema challenged Maguire again and won; her campaign was helped by successful Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan's presence at the top of the ticket. She was re-elected 11 times without facing serious Democratic opposition.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.