Andrea Seastrand

Andrea Heidi Seastrand (née Ciszek; born August 5, 1941) is a former one-term Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 1995 to 1997.

Andrea Seastrand
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from California's 22nd district
In office
January 3, 1995 – January 3, 1997
Preceded byMichael Huffington
Succeeded byWalter Capps
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 33rd district
In office
December 7, 1992 - November 30, 1994
Preceded byTrice Harvey[1]
Succeeded byTom J. Bordonaro Jr.
Member of the California State Assembly
from the 29th district
In office
December 3, 1990 - November 30, 1992
Preceded byEric Seastrand[2]
Succeeded byBill Jones
Personal details
Born
Andrea Heidi Ciszek

(1941-08-05) August 5, 1941
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1965; died 1990)​
Children2
Alma materDePaul University

Personal life

Seastrand was born Andrea Heidi Ciszek in Chicago.[3][4] She graduated from DePaul University in 1963 with a B.A. in education, and then moved to Salinas, California to find work as an elementary school teacher.[5] In 1965, she married Eric Seastrand, a stockbroker, and the couple had two children named Kurt and Heidi.[5]

Political career

From 1982 to 1990, when her husband served in the California State Assembly as a Republican, Seastrand joined the California Federation of Republican Women, later becoming its president.[5]

In 1990, Eric Seastrand died of cancer, and Andrea won a special election to succeed him, receiving 65 per cent of the vote.[5] She remained a member of assembly for the next four years, serving on the education committee and as assistant minority leader.[5][3]

Seastrand was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, narrowly defeating Theology professor Walter Capps and succeeding fellow Republican Michael Huffington.[5] Considered one of the more conservative members of the 104th Congress,[6] she faced Capps again in 1996 and was defeated.[5]

Post-political work

In 1997, after her departure from Congress, Seastrand founded the California Space and Technology Alliance—a private nonprofit focused on promoting California's participation in space ventures—which later became the California Space Authority.[5] She remained executive director of the organization from its creation until its dissolution in 2011.[7][8]

See also

References
  1. "Our Campaigns - CA State Assembly 33 Race - Nov 03, 1992". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  2. "Our Campaigns - CA State Assembly 29 Race - Nov 06, 1990". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  3. Schenken, Suzanne O'Shea. "SEASTRAND, Andrea - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  4. "Seastrand, Andrea Ciszek (1941- )", From Suffrage to the Senate: An Encyclopedia of American Women in Politics, Volume 1, Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, 1999, pp. 605–606, ISBN 9780874369601
  5. "SEASTRAND, Andrea | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
  6. "The Promise Keeper". Los Angeles Times. March 31, 1996.
  7. "Space group took $16M in public funds". Pacific Coast Business Times. 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
  8. "California Space Authority dissolves nonprofit status | Breaking News | Santa Maria Sun, CA". www.santamariasun.com. Retrieved 2017-05-17.
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