Ellen Sauerbrey | |
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| 11thAssistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration | |
| In office January 4, 2006 – December 31, 2007 | |
| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Gene Dewey |
| Succeeded by | Eric P. Schwartz |
| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates from the 10th district | |
| In office January 12, 1983 – January 11, 1995 Serving with Wade Kach, Thomas Chamberlain,Bob Ehrlich | |
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| Succeeded by |
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| Member of theMaryland House of Delegates from the 5B district | |
| In office January 10, 1979 – January 12, 1983 Serving with Richard Matthews | |
| Preceded by | George Price |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence LaMotte |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ellen Richmond (1937-09-09)September 9, 1937 (age 87) Baltimore,Maryland, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Education | McDaniel College(BA) |
| Website | Official blog |
Ellen Richmond Sauerbrey[1] (born September 9, 1937)[2] is an American politician fromMaryland and the former head of theUnited States Department of State'sBureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. She was nominated to the Bureau in September 2005 byPresidentGeorge W. Bush. On January 4, 2006, Bush placed her in office by way of arecess appointment, bypassing the need forSenate confirmation. Her confirmation was unlikely, given strong objections by some senators. Sauerbrey's recess appointment caused some controversy; however, her experience as minority leader in theMaryland House of Delegates and managing a complexU.S. Census project helped rally others to her cause.[3]
Sauerbrey was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the only child of Ethel, a secretary/stenographer, and Edgar Richmond, a steelworker forBethlehem Steel atSparrows Point.[4] She is a 1955 graduate ofTowson High School and a 1959 graduate ofWestern Maryland College, and was a teacher before entering politics.[5] In 1959, she married Wilmer J.E. Sauerbrey,[4] who is credited with having introduced her to conservative politics.[6]
From 1978 to 1994, she was aRepublican member of theMaryland House of Delegates, and served asminority leader from 1986 to 1994. Her committee assignments included the Appropriations Committee; Subcommittee on Education and Transportation; Ways and Means and Economic Matters.
In 1990, she was elected as the national chairman of theAmerican Legislative Exchange Council,[7] serving in 1991 when PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush spoke to the organization.[8]
Sauerbrey ran unsuccessfully forGovernor of Maryland twice, in1994 and1998. She was defeated by DemocratParris Glendening both times, the first time by a very narrow margin. The 1994 election was in doubt as charges of voter fraud led to a lawsuit by the Sauerbrey campaign to overturn the election, which was ultimately unsuccessful.
In 2002,George W. Bush nominated Sauerbrey to be Representative to theUnited Nations Commission on the Status of Women, of theEconomic and Social Council of theUnited Nations, with the rank of Ambassador. In that post, Sauerbrey focused mostly on three issues: the need for more education for women, the importance of empowering women economically and politically, and protection of theright to life.
In January 2006, while the Senate was recessed, President Bush appointed Sauerbrey asAssistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration. It was reported then that this and other such appointments would end at the conclusion of the congressional session in January 2007.[9]
In a January 15, 2007, hearing before theSenate Judiciary Committee, Democratic lawmakers and advocates for refugees called for increased help for fleeing Iraqis. Sauerbrey said a UN-predicted wave of refugees did not occur right after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and was instead occurring at that present time.[10]
Sauerbrey was inducted into theMaryland Women's Hall of Fame in 2013[11] and has written opinion articles published byThe Washington Times as recently as 2017.[12][13][14][15]
In November 2020, amidattempts to overturn the U.S. presidential election, Sauerbrey expressed no regrets about challenging her 1994 election outcome, saying, "I think when you have a pretty good indication that the election is rigged, you should fight". Sauerbrey also questioned the transparency, accuracy, and timeliness involved with counting mail-in ballots.[16]
he referred to Ellen R. Sauerbrey and Samuel A. Brunelli, national chairperson and executive director of the council
| Party political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Republican nominee forGovernor of Maryland 1994,1998 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration 2006–2007 | Succeeded by |