She came out of nowhere to score an upset victory in one of New Jersey's most important congressional districts and then went on to serve 11 terms in the House of Representatives working across party lines to advance broad based legislative initiatives. When she retired, Republican Marge Roukema was the longest serving woman in Congress.
A former schoolteacher, Roukema (pronounced ROW-kih-mah, the first syllable rhyming with how) was first elected to the House in 1980, four years after her son Todd died from leukemia at age 17. That wrenching experience, she said, motivated her to become active in politics and inspired her nearly decade-long effort to pass legislation allowing people to leave work for extended periods to care for newborn babies and deal with family medical issues without fear of losing their jobs.
Roukema was born Margaret Scafati on Sept. 19, 1929, in Newark. Her father was an auto mechanic, and his parents had immigrated from Italy. She received a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Montclair State College in 1951 and did graduate work there. She taught high school history and government in Ridgewood, N.J., and from 1970 to 1973 served on the town’s Board of Education. She was also an honorary board member of the National Organization of Italian American Women.
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