Ellen Hauser

**Ellen Elisabeth Hauser** (née **Turner**; born November 2, 1960) is an American politician who is the junior United States Senator from Connecticut, in office since 2017. She has previously served in the Connecticut Senate from 2011 to 2017, and as the president of the Norwalk Public Schools Board of Education from 2008 to 2011.

Born in Liechtenstein, to an American father and Swiss mother, Hauser moved to Zürich during infancy, before moving to Darien, Connecticut at age seven, where she was raised. Hauser graduated with a degree in history from Fordham University, and later earned a master's degree in education from Sacred Heart University. Hauser worked as a history teacher in Connecticut for several years, before becoming a stay-at-home mom in 1992. She was elected to the Norwalk Public Schools Board of Education in 2002, became vice president in 2006, and was elected president in 2008, which she held until 2011. She subsequently was elected to the Connecticut Senate in 2010, where she served three terms before being elected to the United States Senate in 2016.

A Democrat, Hauser holds dual American and Swiss citizenship and is the first citizen of Switzerland to be elected to an office in the United States. She is additionally the first Liechtenstein-born person to hold office in the United States.

## Early life, education, and career

Hauser was born in Vaduz, the capital of Liechtenstein, to an American father, Joel Turner (1924–), and a Swiss mother, Friederike Vonlanthen (1927–). Joel worked in business and was on a business trip in Switzerland when he met Friederike, an elementary school English teacher. When Hauser was born, Friederike was employed as an English teacher in a Liechtenstein elementary school, and the family had been residing there for the past three years. She has two elder siblings; James Turner (1952–) and Daniella Hahn (née Turner; 1954–). All three children acquired Swiss citizenship at birth, and received American citizenships later in life. When Hauser was eighteen months old, the family returned to Switzerland and settled in Zürich, where she spent most of her early childhood.

In 1968, Joel received employment in New York City, and the family moved to the United States, settling in Joel's hometown of Darien, Connecticut. While in Connecticut, Friederike became certified to become a high school German teacher. Hauser adjusted to the move better than her siblings, with both of them returning to Switzerland after graduating from high school. Hauser attended Darien High School, where she was a high academic achiever and captain of the varsity cheerleading squad. She graduated from high school in 1979, and moved to The Bronx to attend Fordham University, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in history in 1983. After graduating, she returned to Connecticut to attend Sacred Heart University, graduating with her master's degree in education in 1985, and beginning to work as a high school history teacher in Fairfield County. Hauser left her teaching position in 1992, becoming a stay-at-home mother. In 2002, she was elected to the Norwalk Public Schools Board of Education. She served as vice president from 2006 to 2008, and then as president from 2008 to 2011.

## Political career

### Connecticut Senate

Hauser first began a political career in 2010, after announcing her candidacy for the 25th district of the Connecticut Senate. She went on to win the Democratic primary in a landslide, and defeated the Republican incumbent Thomas McCarthy in the general election. Hauser was later reelected in 2012 and 2014. She left the Connecticut Senate four days before completing her third term, due to being elected to the United States Senate.

### United States Senate

In 2015, Hauser announced her candidacy for United States Senate, to replaced the retiring senator Connie England. She ended up victorious in the close Democratic primary, and went on to defeat her Republican opponent Gina Nils in the general election.

## Personal life

Hauser married Nathaniel Hauser, a mathematics teacher at Greenwich High School, in 1986. In 2004, Nathaniel became the superintendent of Greenwich Public Schools, before retiring in 2016. They have three children together: Frederica "Fredie" Jane (born December 3, 1990), Jason Oswald (born May 13, 1992), and Madison Mathilde (born October 18, 1993). The family splits their time between Norwalk, Connecticut, where Hauser claims residence, and LeDroit Park in Washington, D.C., where Hauser resides during congress sessions.

Hauser was born a Swiss citizen, and did not become an American citizen until 1992, when Switzerland began allowing dual citizenship. She was raised speaking both Swiss German and English, with Swiss German as her primary language until moving to the United States. After settling in Connecticut, the family began using English as their primary method of communication. Hauser has been a lifelong member of the Roman Catholic Church. All three of her children are dual Swiss and American citizens, and can speak Swiss German fluently. Her elder brother, James, is a retired businessman living in Zürich, while her elder sister, Daniella, owns and operates a family-run party planning business in Lucerne.