Blanche Lincoln
Blanche Lambert Lincoln (born September 30, 1960) is a Democratic United States Senator from the State of Arkansas. She was the youngest woman ever to be elected to the Senate.
Lincoln was born in Helena, Phillips County, Arkansas. She attended Arkansas public schools and graduated from Randolph-Macon College in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1982. She studied law at the University of Arkansas.
Immediately after graduating she took a job as staff assistant to Congressman Bill Alexander and served in his office until 1984. Lincoln defeated Alexander in the Democratic primary of 1992 and took his seat in the House. Lincoln won reelection to a second term and served in the House of Representatives until 1997. Lincoln did not stand for reelection in 1998 and instead ran for the US Senate seat vacated by Dale Bumpers.
Lincoln serves on the Senate Finance Committee; Special Committee on Aging; Select Committee on Ethics; Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee; Senate Social Security Task Force; Rural Health Caucus; Senate New Democrat Coalition.
Lincoln has concentrated primarily on issues involving farmers, and rural issues. She is one of the primary advocates of the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), which is designed to spur development in the lower Mississippi River Delta region.
Some experts and pundits initially considered Lincoln to be a possible running mate for presidential candidate John Kerry in the 2004 election.
Lincoln co-authored the book Nine and Counting with 8 other female Senators relating their experiences in public service. Lincoln is married to Dr. Steve Lincoln and is the mother of twin boys.
Lincoln's sister Mary Lambert is a movie director.
