Tammy Duckworth : Net Worth, Family, Husband, Education, Children, Age, Biography and Political Career

Ladda Tammy Duckworth is an American politician and retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel serving as thejunior us Senator from Illinois since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented Illinoiss 8th district within the us House of Representatives from 2013 to 2017.

Duckworth was educated at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Washington University. A combat veteran of the Iraq War, she served as a U.S. Army helicopter pilot. In 2004, after her helicopter was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents, she suffered severe combat wounds, which caused her to lose both of her legs and a few mobility in her right arm. She was the primary female double amputee from the war. Despite her grievous injuries, she sought and obtained a medical waiver that allowed her to continue serving within the Illinois Army National Guard until she retired as a light colonel in 2014.

Duckworth ran unsuccessfully for a seat within the us House of Representatives in 2006, then served as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and as assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs at the us Department of Veterans Affairs from 2009 to 2011. In 2012, Duckworth was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where she served two terms. Duckworth was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016, defeating Republican incumbent Mark Kirk. She is that the first Thai American woman elected to Congress, the primary person born in Thailand elected to Congress, the primary woman with a disability elected to Congress, the primary female double amputee within the Senate, and therefore the first senator to offer birth while in office. Duckworth is that the second of three Asian American women to serve within the U.S. Senate, after Mazie Hirono, and before Kamala Harris.

Tammy Duckworth Education

Duckworth became fluent in Thai and Indonesian, additionally to English. Duckworth attended Singapore American School, the International School Bangkok, and therefore the Jakarta International School. The family moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, when Duckworth was 16 and she or he attended Honolulus McKinley highschool, where she participated in track and field and graduated in 1985. due to a difference within the grade levels between the varsity systems she attended, Duckworth skipped half her ninth grade year and half her tenth. She was a woman Scout, and earned her first-class , now called the Gold Award. Her father was unemployed for a time, and therefore the family relied on public assistance. She graduated from the University of Hawaii at Manoa in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in politics . In 1992, she received a Master of Arts in world affairs from Washington Universitys Elliott School of world affairs . She began a PhD program at Northern Illinois University, which was interrupted by her war service. She completed a PhD in human services at Capella University in March 2015.

Tammy Duckworth Net Worth

Tammy Duckworth Net Worth is $0.5 Million in 2021.

Tammy Duckworth Family

Duckworth was born in Bangkok, Thailand, the daughter of Franklin Duckworth and Lamai Sompornpairin. Under long-standing US law, she may be a natural-born citizen because her father was American. Her father, who died in 2005, was a veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. United States Marine Corps who traced his familys American roots to the American Revolutionary War. Her mother is Thai Chinese and originally from Chiang Mai.

Duckworth has been married to Bryan Bowlsbey since 1993. They met during Duckworths participation within the Reserve Officers Training Corps and later served together within the Illinois Army National Guard. Bowlsbey, a sign Corps officer, is additionally a veteran of the Iraq War. Both have since retired from the soldiers.

Duckworth and Bowlsbey have two daughters: Abigail, who was born in 2014, and Maile born in 2018.

Tammy Duckworth Husband and Children

Duckworth has been married to Bryan Bowlsbey since 1993. They met during Duckworths participation within the Reserve Officers Training Corps and later served together within the Illinois Army National Guard. Bowlsbey, a sign Corps officer, is additionally a veteran of the Iraq War. Both have since retired from the soldiers.

Duckworth and Bowlsbey have two daughters: Abigail, who was born in 2014, and Maile, born in 2018.

Tammy Duckworth Career and Achievement

Military Service

Following within the footsteps of her father, who served in war II and therefore the Vietnam War and ancestors who served in every major conflict since the Revolutionary War, Duckworth joined the military Reserve Officers Training Corps in 1990 as a grad student at Washington University. She became a military officer within the us Army Reserve in 1992 and chose to fly helicopters because it had been one among the few combat jobs hospitable women at that point . As a member of the military Reserve, she visited flight school, later transferring to the military National Guard and in 1996 entering the Illinois Army National Guard. Duckworth also worked as a staff supervisor at Rotary Club headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, and was the coordinator of the middle for Nursing Research at Northern Illinois University.

Duckworth was working toward a Ph.D. in politics at Northern Illinois University, with research interests within the economics and public health of Southeast Asia, when she was deployed to Iraq in 2004. She lost her right leg near the hip and her left leg below the knee from injuries sustained on November 12, 2004, when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents. She was the primary American female double amputee from the Iraq War. The explosion severely broke her right arm and tore tissue from it, necessitating operation to repair it. Duckworth received a Purple Heart on December 3 and was promoted to Major on December 21 at the Reed Army center , where she was presented with an Air Medal and military Commendation Medal. She retired from the Illinois Army National Guard in October 2014 as a light colonel.

In 2011 the Daughters of the American Revolution erected a statue with Duckworths likeness which of McCauley in Mount Vernon, Illinois. The statue was dedicated to female veterans.

Government Service

On November 21, 2006, several weeks after losing her first congressional campaign, Duckworth was appointed director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs by Governor Rod Blagojevich. She served therein position until February 8, 2009. While director, she was credited with starting a program to assist veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and veterans with brain injuries.

On Citizenship Day , 2008, Duckworth attended a campaign event for Dan Seals, the Democratic candidate for Illinoiss 10th district . She used vacation time, but violated Illinois law by getting to the event during a state-owned van that was equipped for an individual with physical disabilities. She acknowledged the error and repaid the state for the utilization of the van.

In 2009, two Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs employees at the Anna Veterans range in Union County filed a lawsuit against Duckworth. The lawsuit alleged that she wrongfully terminated one employee and threatened and intimidated another for bringing reports of abuse and misconduct of veterans when she was head of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs. Duckworth was represented within the suit by the Illinois Attorney Generals office. The case was dismissed twice but refilings were allowed. The case settled in June 2016 for $26,000 with no admission of wrongdoing. The plaintiffs later indicated they not wanted to settle, but the judge gave them 21 days to sign the settlement and canceled the trial.

On February 3, 2009, President Barack Obama nominated Duckworth to be the Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the us Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). and therefore the us Senate confirmed her for the position on April 22. As Assistant Secretary, she coordinated a joint initiative with the U.S. Department of Housing and concrete Development to assist end Veteran homelessness, worked to deal with the unique challenges faced by female also as Native American Veterans and created the Office of Online Communications to enhance the VAs accessibility, especially among young Veterans. Duckworth resigned her position in June 2011 so as to launch her campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives in Illinoiss 8th district.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2006

After longtime incumbent Republican Henry Hyde announced his retirement from Congress, several candidates began campaigning for the open seat. Duckworth won the Democratic primary with a plurality of 44%, defeating 2004 nominee Christine Cegelis with 40%, and Wheaton College professor Lindy Scott with 16%. senator Peter Roskam was unopposed within the Republican primary. For the overall election, Duckworth was endorsed by EMILYs List, a political action committee that supports female Democratic candidates who back abortion rights. Duckworth was also endorsed by the Brady Campaign to stop Gun Violence and therefore the Fraternal Order of Police. While she raised $4.5 million to Roskams $3.44 million, Duckworth lost by 4,810 votes, receiving 49% to Roskams 51%.

2012

In July 2011, Duckworth launched her campaign to run in 2012 for Illinoiss 8th district . She defeated former Deputy Treasurer of Illinois Raja Krishnamoorthi for the Democratic nomination on March 20, 2012, then faced incumbent Republican Joe Walsh within the election. Duckworth received the endorsement of both the Chicago Tribune and therefore the Daily Herald. Walsh generated controversy when in July 2012, at a campaign event, he accused Duckworth of politicizing her military service and injuries, saying "my God, thats all she talks about. Our true heroes, the lads and ladies who served us, it is the last item within the world they mention ." Walsh called the controversy over his comments "a political ploy to distort my words and distract voters" and said that "Of course Tammy Duckworth may be a hero ... I even have called her a hero many times."

On November 6, 2012, Duckworth defeated Walsh 55%–45%, making her the primary Asian-American from Illinois in Congress, the primary woman with a disability elected to Congress, and therefore the first member of Congress born in Thailand.

2014

In the 2014 election, Duckworth faced Republican Larry Kaifesh, a us United States Marine Corps officer who had recently left active duty as a colonel. Duckworth defeated Kaifesh with 56% of the vote.

Tenure

Duckworth was sworn into office on January 3, 2013.

On April 3, 2013, Duckworth publicly returned 8.4% ($1,218) of her congressional salary for that month to the us Department of Treasury in solidarity with furloughed government workers.

On June 26, 2013, during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Duckworth received national media attention after questioning Strong Castle CEO Braulio Castillo on a $500 million government contract the corporate had been awarded supported Castillos disabled veteran status. Castillo had injured his ankle at the US Military Academys preparatory school , USMAPS, in 1984.

U.S. Senate

Elections

2016

On March 30, 2015 Duckworth announced that she would challenge incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Mark Kirk for his seat within the 2016 Senate election in Illinois. Duckworth defeated fellow Democrats Andrea Zopp and Napoleon Harris within the primary on March 15, 2016.

During a televised debate on October 27, 2016, Duckworth talked about her ancestors past service within the us military. Kirk responded, "Id forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve Washington ." The comment led to the Human Rights Campaign withdrawing their endorsement of Kirk and switching it to Duckworth, stating his comments were "deeply offensive and racist."

Duckworth was endorsed by Barack Obama, who actively campaigned for her.

On November 8, Duckworth defeated Kirk 54 percent to 40 percent to win the Senate seat. Duckworth and Kamala Harris, who was also elected in 2016, are the second and third female Asian American senators, after Mazie Hirono who was elected in 2012.

Tenure

2010

According to the middle for Effective Lawmaking (CEL), a joint partnership between the University of Virginias Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and Vanderbilt University, Duckworths "Legislative Effectiveness Score" (LES) is "Exceeds Expectations" as a freshman senator within the 115th Congress (2017–2018), the 11th highest out of 48 Democratic senators.

GovTracks report on Duckworth for the 115th Congress found that among Senate freshmen, she ranked first in favorably reporting bills out of committee and "Got influential cosponsors the foremost often compared to Senate freshmen." GovTrack also found that within the first session of the 116th Congress, Duckworth ranked first in favorably reporting bills out of committee and "Got influential cosponsors the foremost often compared to Senate sophomores."

During the 115th Congress, Duckworth was credited with saving the Americans with Disabilities Act. Specifically, she led public opposition to a controversial bill, H.R. 620, and led 42 senators in pledging to oppose any effort to pass H.R. 620 through the Senate. The Veterans Service Organization and Paralyzed Veterans of America recognized Duckworths leadership in defending the Americans with Disabilities Act.

In January 2018, when the federal pack up after the Senate couldnt agree on a funding bill, Duckworth skilled President Trumps accusations that the Democrats were putting "unlawful immigrants" before the military:

I spent my entire adult life searching for the well-being, the training, the equipping of the troops for whom i used to be responsible. Sadly, this is often something that the present occupant of the Oval Office doesnt seem to worry to do—and i will be able to not be lectured about what our military needs by a five-deferment draft evader . and that i have a message for Cadet Bone Spurs: If you cared about our military, youd stop baiting Kim Jong Un into a war that would put 85,000 American troops, and many innocent civilians, in danger.

In 2018, Duckworth became the primary U.S. senator to offer birth while in office. Shortly afterward, the Senate passed Senate Resolution 463, which Duckworth introduced on April 12, 2018, by unanimous consent. The resolution changed Senate rules in order that a senator may bring a toddler under one year old to the Senate floor during votes. The day after the principles were changed, Duckworths daughter became the primary baby on the Senate floor.

2020

On April 15, 2020 the Trump administration invited Duckworth to hitch a bipartisan task force on the reopening of the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Duckworth was publicly critical of Trumps decision to nominate Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in September 2020. Barrett, a devout Catholic, may be a member of a gaggle that considers in vitro fertilization morally illicit. Duckworth said that Barretts membership in such a corporation was "disqualifying and, frankly, insulting to each parent". Both of Duckworths children were conceived by IVF.

The Center for Effective Lawmaking, a joint initiative of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University, ranked Duckworth the fifth best Democratic senator within the 116th Congress and therefore the best Democratic senator on transportation policy. Professors Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman, co-directors of the middle for Effective Lawmaking, stated, "While still in her first term, Senator Tammy Duckworth has risen to the highest five among effective Democratic lawmakers within the Senate. She sponsored 77 bills within the 116th Congress, with four of them passing the Republican-controlled Senate and two becoming law."

Duckworth was participating within the certification of the 2021 us body vote count when Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. within the wake of the attack, Duckworth called Trump "a threat to our nation" and involved his immediate removal from office through the invocation of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the us Constitution or impeachment. Two days later, on January 8, she also involved the resignation of Representative Mary Miller, who had quoted Hitler during a speech on January 5.

National Politics

Duckworth has spoken at the 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020 Democratic National Conventions. She was the permanent co-chair of the 2020 Democratic National Convention. At the 2020 convention she called Trump "coward-in-chief" for not supporting the American military.

Duckworth was vetted as a possible campaigner during Joe Bidens vice presidential candidate selection. Fellow U.S. Senator Kamala Harris was instead selected. Biden nominated Duckworth to function Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee, along side Gretchen Whitmer, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Filemon Vela Jr.

Awards and Accolades

In May 2010, Duckworth was awarded the academic degree of Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL) by Northern Illinois University. In 2011, Chicagos Access Living honored Duckworth for her work on behalf of veterans with disabilities, bestowing her with the Gordon H. Mansfield Congressional Leadership Award.

Duckworth is heavily decorated for her service in Iraq, with over 10 distinct military honors, most notably the Purple Heart, a gift her Marine father had also received.

Former Republican presidential candidate and Senator from Kansas Bob Dole dedicated his autobiography One Soldiers Story partially to Duckworth. Duckworth credits Dole for uplifting her to pursue public service, while she recuperated at Reed Army Medical Center; although, in 2006, Dole endorsed Duckworths Republican opponent, Peter Roskam.