10 Things You Didn't Know About Barbara Boxer

1 Boxer was born Barbara Levy on Nov. 11, 1940. Her immigrant parents, Ira, a lawyer, and Sophie, raised her in Brooklyn, N.Y.

[See which industries have donated to Boxer's campaign.]

2 She earned a degree in economics from Brooklyn College in 1962.

3 During her senior year, she married fellow student Stewart Boxer. She remained in New York while he attended Fordham University Law School. They are still married.

4 After being denied jobs by a number of stockbrokerage firms because of what she believes was gender discrimination, she worked as a secretary. Though she eventually found work as a stockbroker, she says those post-college rejections later made her advocate for women's rights.

5 In 1965, she moved with her husband to Greenbrae in Marin County, Calif. There they raised two children, Doug and Nicole.

6 She won a spot on the Marin County board of supervisors in 1976 and served for six years.

7 In 1982, she was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. After 10 years in the House, she became a senator in 1993. She was elected to her third Senate term in 2004 with 6.9 million votes, the most votes won by a Senate candidate in U.S. history.

8 In 1995, her daughter Nicole married Hillary Clinton's brother, Tony Rodham, in a ceremony at the White House.

9 Boxer is the first female senator to chair the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. She's also the head of the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.

10 At 4 feet, 11 inches tall, she uses her "Barbara box" when giving speeches, a platform that raises her to microphone level.

• See who donates to Boxer's campaign.
• See the women of the Senate.

Sources

• WhoRunsGov.com
• Official Website of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
• Jewish Women's Archive