Kimberly Heckler is the author of the new biography A Woman of Firsts: Margaret Heckler, Political Trailblazer. It focuses on the life of the late congresswoman, ambassador, and Cabinet secretary, who also was Kimberly Heckler's mother-in-law. Kimberly Heckler lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Q: Why did you decide to write a biography of your mother-in-law, Margaret Heckler (1931-2018)?
A: Because the story has not been told and she is an American success story. She has a place in American history as a bipartisan role model for our times. She is relevant today. Her story offers a living history of competence, excellence, and leadership.
Q: The author Elisabeth Griffith said of the book that it “illuminates [Heckler’s] feminism, political acumen, personal losses, and Irish charm in an account that recalls how hard it was for women to break through so many doors and ceilings.” What do you think of that description?
A: It is very accurate. This is a story about a woman, from the time she was given away at birth by her Irish immigrant parents during the Great Depression in Queens, New York, in 1931.
Her early childhood losses and challenges are what helped to build her character for others, utter compassion wherever she could extend herself for the greater good, touching the lives of millions of Americans.
Q: As a biographer and family member, was it difficult to separate the two as you wrote the book?
A: No. I many times felt that I was in the presence of greatness, having known her for 35 years, but opening up her papers and discovering the Margaret Heckler as a young congresswoman with only 11 women in Congress, reading about the battles she faced being a woman in a man's world and a Republican in a Democratic state [Massachusetts] was fascinating. It is an unbelievable story.
Also to discover that she is the first and only triple crown woman in American politics, serving in three high-level capacities: in Congress, in a presidential Cabinet, and as an ambassador.
Q: What do you see as Margaret Heckler’s legacy today?
A: Her greatest legacy is that she accomplished what she wanted to do in life. She brought fairness, equality, and justice for millions of people.
The Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974 - Women finally receive credit/credit cards in their own names. Title XI. The Equal Rights Amendment - her work getting it passed in the House and the Senate. The Heckler Report for minority Americans. The first federalized Hospice Program under Medicare. Women in the military. The WASPs. Veterans.
And she did level the playing field for so many.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am very busy with my book launch. It is a full-time job.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Her life provides a foundation for how we should live today. As a woman of faith, she believed in listening to all sides of the argument: “The answer is somewhere in the middle.” The importance of excellence.
This story is for everyone, but really resonates with women and tomorrow’s daughters. It should be required reading in political science, history, and women’s studies departments.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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