Celebration of Life Ceremony for Representative Louise Slaughter
Remembered as “a pioneer,” “a giant,” and one who “would never back down from a fight,” Representative Louise Slaughter was remembered during a Celebration of Life Ceremony in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol on April 18, 2018.
Representative Slaughter passed away on March 16, 2018, in Washington, D.C. Representative Slaughter’s spent 32 years in the House of Representatives representing New York’s 25th district. She made history in 2007 when she became the first woman to chair the House Rules Committee.
House Speaker Paul Ryan described Representative Slaughter as an effective lawmaker. “‘Formidable’ does not even begin to describe it. She was just so resolute, so certain in her point of view. You could try to convince her otherwise, but if you didn’t have every fact straight, if you had not done your homework, forget it. You did not stand a chance.”
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi called Representative Slaughter a “moral force in the Congress,” and said, “Louise made the Congress more diverse, more welcoming to women, and more representative of our nation.”
To honor the Representative Slaughter, Minority Leader Pelosi announced that a walnut tree would be planted on the Capitol grounds.