Betty McCollum

Betty Louise McCollum (born July 12, 1954) is the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's 4th congressional district, serving since 2001. She is a member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).

McCollum's district centers on St. Paul, Minnesota's capital city. She is the second woman elected to Congress from Minnesota.

Early life, education and career

McCollum was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She has two younger siblings, Anthony and Monica. McCollum is divorced and has two children. She graduated from the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1976. McCollum has worked as a high school social sciences teacher and as a sales manager. She first got involved in politics in 1986, when her daughter got hurt on a slide in a North St. Paul city park. When the city council wouldn't do anything to fix the slide, McCollum's neighbors encouraged her to run for a spot on the council herself. She won that November and served three terms. She then challenged longtime state representative Rich O'Conner in the DFL primary and won an upset victory. She went on to serve four terms in the state house.