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{{Short description|American politician}}
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'''Mary Lou Rath''' is a former [[New York State Senate|state senator]] in [[New York]]. A [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], she represents the state's 61st Senate District, which consists of parts of [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]] and all of [[Genesee County, New York|Genesee County]]. In January 2007, she was appointed to the post of Deputy Majority Leader for State/Federal Relations, making her the only woman in the Senate Republican leadership. She announced her retirement in 2008 and was succeeded by Erie County Legislator [[Michael Ranzenhofer]]. Senator Ranzenhofer had also succeeded Senator Rath as Minority Leader of the Erie County Legislature when Senator Rath stepped down to become a state senator.
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Mary Lou Rath
| party = [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| education = [[Buffalo State College|Buffalo State Teacher's College]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])
| state_senate = New York State
| district = [[New York's 61st State Senate district|61st]]
| predecessor = [[George Maziarz]]
| term_start = January 8, 2003
| term_end = December 31, 2008
| successor = [[Michael Ranzenhofer]]
| state_senate1 = New York State
| district1 = [[New York's 60th State Senate district|60th]]
| term_start1 = January 6, 1993
| term_end1 = December 31, 2002
| predecessor1 = [[John B. Sheffer II]]
| successor1 = [[Byron Brown]]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1934|06|17}}
| residence = [[Williamsville, New York|Williamsville]], [[New York State|New York]], U.S.
| spouse = Edward Rath Jr. (1959-2003) (his death)
| children = 3, including [[Edward Rath III]]
| birth_name = Mary Lou Schmitt
}}


'''Mary Lou Rath''' (née Schmitt) (born June 17, 1934) is an American politician who served as a member of [[New York State Senate]] from 1993 to 2008. A [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]], she represented the state's [[New York's 61st State Senate district|61st]] district, which consisted of parts of [[Erie County, New York|Erie County]] and all of [[Genesee County, New York|Genesee County]].
She was elected to the Senate in 1993 after serving as a member of the Erie County Legislature from 1978 to 1993. During her final four years in the County Legislature, she served as the Minority Leader of the Legislature. She is a resident of the Village of [[Williamsville, New York|Williamsville]]. Her late husband, Edward Rath, Jr., was a Justice of the [[New York State Supreme Court]] and her father-in-law, Edward Rath, Sr., was the first County Executive of Erie County. Her son, Edward Rath III, recently won his election for the Erie County Legislature for her former seat. In 1998 she was reportedly considered by Gov. [[George Pataki]] as his [[running mate]] for [[Lieutenant Governor of New York|lieutenant governor]]. Pataki choose Judge [[Mary Donohue]] instead.


== Early life and education ==
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Senator Rath is the Chairwoman of the Senate Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development Committee. She is a former Chairwoman of the Senate Children and Families Committee and a former Chairwoman of the Senate Local Government Committee.
Rath was born in [[Kenmore, New York]] to Aloysius Casper "Lloyd" Schmitt and Margaret M. Cassidy. Her parents divorced and Rath's mother remarried to George Louis Whetzle. She attended the [[University at Buffalo]] before earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the Buffalo State Teacher's College (now [[Buffalo State College]]).<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mary Lou Rath's Biography|url=https://justfacts.votesmart.org/candidate/biography/4231/mary-lou-rath|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Vote Smart}}</ref>


==External links==
== Career ==
She was elected to the Senate in 1993 after serving as a member of the Erie County Legislature from 1978 to 1993.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pye|first=Daniel|title=POLITICS: Mary Lou Rath announces retirement|url=https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/local_news/politics-mary-lou-rath-announces-retirement/article_9b7bdedf-031a-52be-840c-a017eebeaeb6.html|access-date=2021-05-23|website=Niagara Gazette|date=28 January 2008 |language=en}}</ref> During her final four years in the County Legislature, she served as the Minority Leader of the Legislature.
*[http://www.senatorrath.com/ Sen. Mary Lou Rath's Official Senate Website]

⚫
In January 2007, she was appointed to the post of deputy majority leader for state/federal relations, making her the only woman in the Senate Republican leadership. She announced her retirement in 2008 and was succeeded by Erie County Legislator [[Michael Ranzenhofer]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=2008-01-29|title=Republican Senator to Retire|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/29/nyregion/29retire.html|access-date=2021-05-23|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Ranzenhofer had also succeeded Senator Rath as Minority Leader of the Erie County Legislature when Senator Rath stepped down to become a state senator.

⚫
During her service in the Senate, Rath served at different times as chairwoman of the Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development Committee, chairwoman of the Children and Families Committee and as chairwoman of the Local Government Committee.

In 1998, she was reportedly considered by Governor [[George Pataki]] as his running mate for [[Lieutenant Governor of New York|lieutenant governor]]. Pataki choose Judge [[Mary Donohue]] instead.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pataki Picks an Upstate Judge As His Election Running Mate|url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/politics/camp/gov/articles/051298ny-gov-pataki.html|access-date=2021-05-23|website=archive.nytimes.com}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Rath married her late husband, Edward Rath, Jr. (1930-2003), on January 10, 1959 in [[Buffalo, New York]]. Edward Rath, Jr. was a justice of the [[New York State Supreme Court]] and her father-in-law, [[Edward A. Rath]], was the first county executive of Erie County. Her son, [[Edward Rath III]], won his election for the Erie County Legislature for her former seat and in 2020 was elected in her seat for [[New York State Senate]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Staff|title=Mary Lou Rath served well Senator's retirement marks end of career more about achievements than limelight|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/mary-lou-rath-served-well-senators-retirement-marks-end-of-career-more-about-achievements-than/article_6f7e538f-ae11-5747-803b-083a875f4394.html|access-date=2021-05-23|website=The Buffalo News|date=29 December 2008 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Retired Judge Edward Rath Dies of Cancer|url=https://news.wbfo.org/post/retired-judge-edward-rath-dies-cancer|access-date=2021-05-23|website=news.wbfo.org|date=2 May 2003 |language=en}}</ref> She is a resident of the Village of [[Williamsville, New York|Williamsville]], and has two other children, Allison and Melinda.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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}}
{{succession box
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| title = Minority Leader of the [[Erie County, New York|Erie County Legislature]]
| before = [[Thomas M. Reynolds]]
| after = [[Michael Ranzenhofer]]
| years = 1989&ndash;1993
}}


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{{start box}}
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{{s-off}}
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{{succession box|title=Minority Leader of the [[Erie County, New York|Erie County Legislature]]|before=[[Thomas M. Reynolds]]|after=[[Michael Ranzenhofer]]|years=1989&ndash;1993}}
{{succession box|title=[[New York State Senate|Chairperson of the Senate Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development Committee]]|before=[[George Maziarz]]|after=TBA|years=2005 &n2008; }}
{{s-par|us-ny-sen}}
{{s-par|us-ny-sen}}
{{succession box|title=[[New York State Senate|New York State Senate, 60th District]]|before=[[John B. Sheffer]]|years=1993&ndash;2002|after=[[Byron Brown]] }}
{{succession box
| title = [[New York State Senate]], [[New York's 60th State Senate district|60th District]]
| before = [[John B. Sheffer II]]
| years = 1993&ndash;2002
| after = [[Byron Brown]]
}}
{{succession box
{{succession box|title=[[New York State Senate|New York State Senate, 61st District]]|before=[[George Maziarz]]|years=2003&ndash;2008|after=[[Michael Ranzenhofer]] }}
| title = [[New York State Senate]], [[New York's 61st State Senate district|61st District]]
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{{end box}}
| before = [[George Maziarz]]
{{New York State Senate}}
| years = 2003&ndash;2008
| after = [[Michael Ranzenhofer]]
}}
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{{s-end}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Rath, Mary Lou}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rath, Mary Lou}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American women state legislators]]
[[Category:Republican Party New York (state) state senators]]
[[Category:New York politicians]]
[[Category:People from Kenmore, New York]]
[[Category:New York State Senators]]
[[Category:People from Williamsville, New York]]
[[Category:People from Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:County legislators in New York (state)]]
[[Category:County Legislators in New York]]
[[Category:Women state legislators in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Republicans (United States)]]
[[Category:Buffalo State College alumni]]
[[Category:Republican Party (United States) politicians]]
[[Category:University at Buffalo alumni]]
[[Category:New York Republicans]]
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:21st-century members of the New York State Legislature]]
[[Category:21st-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century members of the New York State Legislature]]
[[Category:20th-century American women politicians]]

Latest revision as of 22:00, 13 December 2024

Mary Lou Rath
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 61st district
In office
January 8, 2003 – December 31, 2008
Preceded byGeorge Maziarz
Succeeded byMichael Ranzenhofer
Member of the New York State Senate
from the 60th district
In office
January 6, 1993 – December 31, 2002
Preceded byJohn B. Sheffer II
Succeeded byByron Brown
Personal details
Born
Mary Lou Schmitt

(1934-06-17) June 17, 1934 (age 90)
Political partyRepublican
SpouseEdward Rath Jr. (1959-2003) (his death)
Children3, including Edward Rath III
Residence(s)Williamsville, New York, U.S.
EducationBuffalo State Teacher's College (BS)

Mary Lou Rath (née Schmitt) (born June 17, 1934) is an American politician who served as a member of New York State Senate from 1993 to 2008. A Republican, she represented the state's 61st district, which consisted of parts of Erie County and all of Genesee County.

Early life and education

[edit]

Rath was born in Kenmore, New York to Aloysius Casper "Lloyd" Schmitt and Margaret M. Cassidy. Her parents divorced and Rath's mother remarried to George Louis Whetzle. She attended the University at Buffalo before earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the Buffalo State Teacher's College (now Buffalo State College).[1]

Career

[edit]

She was elected to the Senate in 1993 after serving as a member of the Erie County Legislature from 1978 to 1993.[2] During her final four years in the County Legislature, she served as the Minority Leader of the Legislature.

In January 2007, she was appointed to the post of deputy majority leader for state/federal relations, making her the only woman in the Senate Republican leadership. She announced her retirement in 2008 and was succeeded by Erie County Legislator Michael Ranzenhofer.[3] Ranzenhofer had also succeeded Senator Rath as Minority Leader of the Erie County Legislature when Senator Rath stepped down to become a state senator.

During her service in the Senate, Rath served at different times as chairwoman of the Tourism, Recreation and Sports Development Committee, chairwoman of the Children and Families Committee and as chairwoman of the Local Government Committee.

In 1998, she was reportedly considered by Governor George Pataki as his running mate for lieutenant governor. Pataki choose Judge Mary Donohue instead.[4]

Personal life

[edit]

Rath married her late husband, Edward Rath, Jr. (1930-2003), on January 10, 1959 in Buffalo, New York. Edward Rath, Jr. was a justice of the New York State Supreme Court and her father-in-law, Edward A. Rath, was the first county executive of Erie County. Her son, Edward Rath III, won his election for the Erie County Legislature for her former seat and in 2020 was elected in her seat for New York State Senate.[5][6] She is a resident of the Village of Williamsville, and has two other children, Allison and Melinda.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Mary Lou Rath's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  2. ^ Pye, Daniel (28 January 2008). "POLITICS: Mary Lou Rath announces retirement". Niagara Gazette. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  3. ^ "Republican Senator to Retire". The New York Times. 2008-01-29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  4. ^ "Pataki Picks an Upstate Judge As His Election Running Mate". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  5. ^ Staff (29 December 2008). "Mary Lou Rath served well Senator's retirement marks end of career more about achievements than limelight". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
  6. ^ "Retired Judge Edward Rath Dies of Cancer". news.wbfo.org. 2 May 2003. Retrieved 2021-05-23.
Political offices
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Erie County Legislature
1989–1993 		Succeeded by
New York State Senate
Preceded by New York State Senate, 60th District
1993–2002 		Succeeded by
Preceded by New York State Senate, 61st District
2003–2008 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Lou_Rath&oldid=1262955361"