Tammy Duckworth

**Ladda Tammy Duckworth** (born March 12, 1968) is an American politician. She is a United States senator from  Illinois. She was a U.S. Representative for Illinois's 8th congressional district from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first Asian American woman elected to Congress in Illinois, the first disabled woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first member of Congress born in Thailand.

## Early life

Duckworth was born on March 12, 1968, in Bangkok, Thailand, to an American father, Franklin Duckworth, and his Thai wife, Lamai Sompornpairin. Her father, who died in 2005, was a veteran of the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps.

After moving to Illinois, Duckworth began a PhD program at Northern Illinois University. She completed a PhD in human services at Capella University School of Public Service Leadership in March 2015.

## Military service

Duckworth was working toward a Ph.D. in political science at Northern Illinois University when she was deployed to Iraq in 2004.

She lost her right leg near the hip and her left leg below the knee from injuries sustained on November 12, 2004, when a helicopter she was co-piloting was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Iraqi insurgents. She was the first American female double amputee from the Iraq War. The explosion severely broke her right arm and tore tissue from it, causing major surgery to repair it.

Duckworth received a Purple Heart on December 3 and was promoted to the rank of major on December 21 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where she was presented with an Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal. She retired from the Illinois Army National Guard in October 2014 as a lieutenant colonel.

## U.S. House of Representatives

Duckworth was sworn into office on January 3, 2013.

On April 3, 2013, Duckworth publicly returned 8.4% ($1,218) of her congressional salary for that month to the United States Department of Treasury in solidarity with furloughed government workers.

On June 26, 2013, during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Duckworth received national media attention after questioning Strong Castle CEO Braulio Castillo on a $500 million government contract the company had been awarded based on Castillo's disabled veteran status. Castillo had injured his ankle at the US Military Academy's prep school, USMAPS, in 1984.

## U.S. Senate

Duckworth ran for the United States senate seat against the current senator Mark Kirk in the 2016 Illinois senate elections. On November 8, 2016, she defeated Kirk in his bid for re-election to his U.S. Senate seat.

In April 2018, Duckworth gave birth to her daughter Maile, making her the first U.S. Senator to give birth while in office.

In July 2020, she became one of the finalists for Joe Biden's running mate in the 2020 election.

## Personal life

Duckworth has been married to Bryan Bowlsbey since 1993. They met during Duckworth's participation in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and served together in the Illinois Army National Guard. Duckworth and Bowlsbey have two daughters: Abigail, born in 2014, and Maile, born in 2018. Maile's birth made Duckworth the first U.S. senator to give birth while in office. Former Senator Daniel Akaka helped the couple name both girls; Akaka died on April 6, 2018, three days before Maile was born.

## Other websites

- Official U.S. House website
- Tammy Duckworth for Senate
- Duckworth participates in panel discussion, _Returning Veterans_ at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Tammy Duckworth
- **image**: Tammy Duckworth, official portrait, 115th Congress.jpg
- **office**: United States Senate, United States Senator
from Illinois
- **term start**: January 3, 2017
- **alongside**: Dick Durbin
- **predecessor**: Mark Kirk
- **state1**: Illinois
- **term start1**: January 3, 2013
- **term end1**: January 3, 2017
- **predecessor1**: Joe Walsh (Illinois politician), Joe Walsh
- **successor1**: Raja Krishnamoorthi
- **office2**: United States Department of Veterans Affairs, Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
- **president2**: Barack Obama
- **term start2**: April 24, 2009
- **term end2**: June 30, 2011
- **predecessor2**: Lisette M. Mondello, Lisette Mondello
- **successor2**: Michael Galloucis
- **office3**: Director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs
- **governor3**: Rod Blagojevich
Pat Quinn (politician), Pat Quinn
- **term start3**: November 21, 2006
- **term end3**: February 8, 2009
- **predecessor3**: Roy Dolgos
- **successor3**: Daniel Grant
- **birth name**: Ladda Tammy Duckworth
- **birth place**: Bangkok, Thailand
- **party**: Democratic Party (United States), Democratic
- **spouse**: Bryan Bowlsbey
- **children**: 1
- **father**: Frank Duckworth
- **mother**: Lamai Duckworth
- **alma mater**: University of Hawaii at Manoa, University of Hawaii, Manoa

Northern Illinois University
Capella University
- **branch**:
 Illinois Army National Guard
- **serviceyears**: 1992–2014
- **rank**:  Lieutenant colonel (United States), Lieutenant Colonel
- **unit**:  106th Aviation Regiment, 28th Infantry Division (United States), 28th Infantry Division
- **battles**: Iraq War
- **mawards**:  Purple Heart
 Meritorious Service Medal (United States), Meritorious Service Medal
 Air Medal
 Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal with Oak leaf cluster
 Reserve Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal with four Oak leaf clusters
 Combat Action Badge
 United States Aviator Badge, Senior Army Aviator Badge
- **signature**: DuckworthTammy.png