Sue Myrick

Sue Myrick
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 9th district
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2013
Preceded by	Alex McMillan
Succeeded by	Robert Pittenger
51st Mayor of Charlotte
In office 1987–1991
Preceded by	Harvey Gantt
Succeeded by	Richard Vinroot
Personal details
Born	(1941-08-01) August 1, 1941 Tiffin, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Jim Forest (Divorced)[1] Ed Myrick
Children	2 (including Dan) 3 stepchildren
Education	Heidelberg University, Ohio

Sue Wilkins Myrick (born August 1, 1941) is the former U.S. Representative for North Carolina's 9th congressional district, serving from 1995 to 2013. She is a member of the Republican Party. She was the first Republican woman to represent North Carolina in Congress. On February 7, 2012, she announced that she was retiring. She left Congress in January 2013 and was replaced by Robert Pittenger.

Early life, education, and business career

Myrick was born in 1941 in Tiffin, Ohio.^[2] She graduated from Port Clinton High School in Port Clinton, Ottawa County, Ohio.^[3] She attended Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Seneca County, Ohio between 1959 and 1960. Prior to going into public relations and advertising, she was a Sunday School Teacher. Sue is the former President and CEO of Myrick Advertising and Public Relations and Myrick Enterprises.^[4]

Charlotte city politics

Myrick ran for a seat on the Charlotte City Council unsuccessfully in 1981. In 1983, she was successfully elected to an At-Large District of the City Council and served until 1985. In 1987, she was elected as the first female Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1989, when Sue Myrick was running for re-election as mayor of Charlotte, NC, she confessed to having had a relationship with her husband in 1973 while he was still married to his former wife. (She went on to win the election.) ^[5]

1992 U.S. Senate election

In 1992, she ran for the nomination for a U.S. Senate seat, held by incumbent Democrat U.S. Senator Terry Sanford. The Republican primary was won by Lauch Faircloth, who defeated Myrick and former U.S. Representative Walter Johnston 48%–30%–17%.^[6]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

In 1994, Myrick was elected to the House, succeeding five-term incumbent Alex McMillan.

Myrick was overwhelmingly elected to her sixth consecutive term in the 2004 Congressional elections, earning 70% of the popular vote and defeating Democrat Jack Flynn. Similarly, she defeated Democrat William Glass in 2006 with almost 67% of the vote.^[7]

Two Charlotte-area Democrats announced challenges to Myrick in 2008 – Harry Taylor and Ross Overby. Myrick defeated Taylor with almost 63% of the vote.^[8]

On February 7, 2012, she announced that she was retiring from Congress.^[9]

Tenure

Ideology

Myrick was one of the most conservative members of the House. She chaired the Republican Study Committee, a group of House conservatives, in the 108th Congress.

Being a cancer survivor herself, she has been one of the leading advocates to find a cure for breast cancer. While in Congress she introduced a bill to provide treatment for women on Medicaid diagnosed with breast cancer - the bill passed and was signed into law - previously women diagnosed under Medicaid had no treatment options.

Myrick was one of the leading Republican opponents of an abortive 2006 sale of operations at six major American ports along the East Coast to Dubai Ports World, a state-owned company from the United Arab Emirates. In a February 22, 2006, letter to President Bush, Myrick wrote: "In regards to selling American ports to the United Arab Emirates, not just NO—but HELL NO!".^[10]

Committee assignments

• Committee on Energy and Commerce (Vice Chair)
  • Subcommittee on Health
  • Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations (Vice Chair - Full Committee)
• Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (Chair of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, HUMINT, Analysis, and Counterintelligence)

Caucus memberships

• Deputy Whip
• Congressional Anti-Terrorism Caucus (Founder)
• House Cancer Caucus (Co-Chair)
• International Conservation Caucus
• Republican Study Committee {First woman chairman 2003–2005}
• Sportsmen's Caucus
• Tea Party Caucus

Personal life

Sue is a wife and a mother of two children and three step-children. She and her husband, Ed Myrick, have 12 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.^[11] Her second son, Dan Forest, was elected Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina in 2012.^[12]

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sue Wilkins Myrick.

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at The Library of Congress
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Sue Myrick Mayoral Papers, J Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte
• Sue Myrick Congressional Papers, J Murrey Atkins Library, UNC Charlotte.