Nita Lowey become assistant secretary of state in 1988 when she defeated a Republican incumbent to enter Congress. She then represented her district for more than three decades — opting to remain

"With great sadness, we announce that former Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey died peacefully on March 15 at the age of 87, surrounded by her loving husband, children, and grandchildre

Nita M. Lowey, a veteran legislator from New York who served 16 terms until her retirement at the end of the 116th Congress, died on Saturday. The cause was breast cancer, her family announced. She was 87.