Barbara Lee (born July 16, 1946), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1998, representing the 9th District of California (map). She was born in El Paso, Texas, was educated at Mills College and the University of California, Berkeley. Lee was a staff member for United States Representative Ron Dellums and a member of the California State Assembly and the California State Senate before entering the House. Dellums endorsed her when she ran for Congress in a special election that created a year-long series of five special elections as various East Bay politicians vied for political office. For a detailed account of these elections, see Special election madness.
Lee is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. In 2001, Congresswoman Lee cast the only "no" vote to the US invasion of Afghanistan which made her a national hero among the anti-war movement, but also received death threats. Lee has been an vocal critic of George W. Bush's war in Iraq and supports legislation creating a Department of Peace.
