Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2009 | |
| 21st United States Secretary of Health and Human Services | |
| In office April 28, 2009 – June 9, 2014 | |
| President | Barack Obama |
| Deputy | Bill Corr |
| Preceded by | Charles E. Johnson |
| Succeeded by | Sylvia Mathews Burwell |
| 44th Governor of Kansas | |
| In office January 13, 2003 – April 28, 2009 | |
| Lieutenant | John E. Moore Mark Parkinson |
| Preceded by | Bill Graves |
| Succeeded by | Mark Parkinson |
| 23rd Insurance Commissioner of Kansas | |
| In office January 9, 1995 – January 13, 2003 | |
| Governor | Bill Graves |
| Preceded by | Ronald L. Todd |
| Succeeded by | Sandy Praeger |
| Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 56th district | |
| In office January 1987 – January 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Judith Runnels |
| Succeeded by | Nancy Kirk |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Kathleen Gilligan May 15, 1948 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Keith Sebelius (father-in-law) |
| Education | Trinity Washington University (BA) University of Kansas (MPA) |
Kathleen Sebelius (/sɪˈbiːliəs/; née Gilligan, born May 15, 1948) is an American politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of health and human services from 2009 until 2014. As Secretary of Health and Human Services, Sebelius was instrumental in overseeing the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. Before becoming secretary, she served as the 44th governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the second woman to hold that office. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Sebelius was the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address[1] and is chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors Association (she was its first female chair).[2] She is CEO of Sebelius Resources LLC.
Early life and education
[edit]Sebelius was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Mary Kathryn (née Dixon) and John J. Gilligan.[3][4] Sebelius was the second oldest of four children in her family.[5] Her family ran funeral homes and her father was a city councilor in Cincinnati.[5] Jack Gilligan ran for Congress near the end of Sebelius's time in high school and served one term in Congress.[5][6] Her father was elected governor of Ohio when Sebelius was 21 years old.[5] Sebelius worked in her father's campaign traveling around the state.[5] Her family was Catholic and has Irish ancestry.[7][8]
She attended the Summit Country Day School in Cincinnati and graduated from Trinity Washington University in Washington, D.C., with a Bachelor of Arts in political science. She later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Kansas.[9] She moved to Kansas in 1974.
Early career
[edit]Sebelius served as executive director and chief lobbyist for the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association from 1977 to 1986.[10][11]
Kansas House of Representatives (1987–1995)
[edit]Sebelius was first elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1986. She won re-election in 1988, 1990, and 1992. She represented Topeka, Kansas.
Tenure
[edit]In the 1988 presidential election, she endorsed Gary Hart.[12]
In 1991, she ran to become House Majority Leader but lost to State Representative Tom Sawyer of Wichita.[13][14]
She is strongly pro-choice.[15]
Committee assignments
[edit]- Federal and State Affairs Committee (Chair)[16]
Kansas Insurance Commissioner (1995–2003)
[edit]In 1994, Sebelius left the state House of Representatives to run for state Insurance Commissioner and stunned political forecasters by winning – the first time a Democrat had won the position in over a century.
She refused to take campaign contributions from the insurance industry and blocked the proposed merger of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas, the state's largest health insurer, with an Indiana-based company. Sebelius's decision marked the first time the corporation had been rebuffed in its acquisition attempts.[17]
When Sebelius became commissioner in 1995, the Insurance Department had an annual budget of $11.7 million. By 2002, the budget had been cut to $10 million. Among the cuts was spending on contracted services after Sebelius fired two contracted lawyers after an audit discovered they had overbilled the state.[18]
In 2001 Sebelius was named as one of Governing Magazine's Public Officials of the Year while she was serving as Kansas Insurance Commissioner.[19]
Governor of Kansas (2003–2009)
[edit]
2002 election
[edit]In the general election, Sebelius's platform included promises to protect school budgets from budget cuts, not to raise taxes, and to completely review and overhaul the state government.[5] Sebelius raised $4 million for the campaign, a Kansas state fundraising record.[5] Sebelius defeated Republican Kansas State Treasurer Tim Shallenburger 53%–45%.[20] Sebelius's election made her and her father the first father/daughter governor duo in the United States.[21]
First term (2003–2007)
[edit]Throughout her first term, Sebelius built upon her popularity and in January 2006 was tied for 20th most popular governor in the country.[22]
During the 2004 election, CNN speculated Sebelius could be a potential running mate for John Kerry.[23]
In November 2005, Time named Sebelius as one of the five best governors in America, praising her for eliminating a $1.1 billion debt she inherited, ferreting out waste in state government, and strongly supporting public education – all without raising taxes, although she proposed raising sales, property, and income taxes.[24] The article also praised her bipartisan approach to governing, a useful trait in a state where Republicans have usually controlled the Legislature.[25]
In February 2006, the White House Project named Sebelius one of its "8 in '08", a group of eight female politicians who could possibly run and be elected president in 2008.[26] She was also cited by The New York Times to be among the women most likely to become the first female President of the United States.[27]
In October 2006, the Cato Institute gave Sebelius the grade of "D" on their biennial fiscal policy report card, which measures the fiscal performance of U.S. governors based on spending and taxes. Her grade was influenced by the combination of proposed tax increases and expanded spending growth beyond population plus inflation.[28]
2006 re-election
[edit]