Judy Biggert

Judy Biggert – Life, Career, and Notable Perspectives

Explore the biography of Judy Biggert (born August 15, 1937), former U.S. Representative from Illinois, her legislative priorities in education, housing, science, and her moderate Republican stance and legacy in public service.

Introduction

Judith “Judy” Borg Biggert (born August 15, 1937) is an American lawyer and politician best known for her twelve-year service in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Illinois’s 13th District (1999–2013). A moderate Republican with deep engagement in education, children’s welfare, housing, and science policy, Biggert carved a reputation for pragmatism, bipartisanship, and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations. Her career offers a case study of a legislator bridging local interests, policy detail, and principle in an increasingly polarized era.

Early Life and Family

Judy Biggert was born Judith Gail Borg in Chicago, Illinois, on August 15, 1937. She was the second of four children born to Alvin Andrew Borg and Marjorie Virginia (Mailler) Borg. Her father worked for Walgreens for over four decades and eventually became its president. On her maternal side, she had Anglo heritage; on the paternal side, Finnish immigrant roots.

She grew up in Wilmette, Illinois (a North Shore suburb of Chicago) and graduated from New Trier High School in 1955. After high school, she attended Stanford University, earning her B.A. in International Relations in 1959. She then enrolled in Northwestern University School of Law, where she obtained her J.D. in 1963. During her law studies, she served as an editor for the Northwestern University Law Review.

Following graduation, she clerked for Judge Luther Merritt Swygert of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit from 1963 to 1964.

After her clerkship, Biggert paused full-time legal work in order to raise her family, later doing legal work from home in estates, real estate, and trusts for friends and family.

In 1963, she married Rody Patterson Biggert, Jr. They raised four children: Courtney, Alison, Rody, and Adrienne. The Biggerts moved to Hinsdale, Illinois, in the early 1970s, where Judy would later base much of her civic and political engagement.

Political Beginnings & State Legislature

Biggert’s public service began locally. In 1978, she was elected to the Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education, where she served until 1985, including time as its president (1983–1985). Later, from 1989 to 1993, she chaired the Hinsdale Plan Commission, working on local planning and development matters.

In 1992, Biggert ran for the Illinois House of Representatives in the 81st District. She won, then was reelected in 1994 and 1996, serving from January 1993 through January 1999. During her state legislative tenure, she built a reputation for attention to local issues and constituent service, which became a foundation for her Congressional aspirations.

U.S. House of Representatives (1999–2013)

Election & Tenure

In 1998, Biggert ran for the open U.S. House seat in Illinois’s 13th District, succeeding retiring Congressman Harris Fawell. In the Republican primary, she defeated state Senator Peter Roskam. In the general election, she won with about 61% of the vote. She was sworn in January 3, 1999, and subsequently won re-election six times.

Her service in Congress ended after electoral defeat in 2012, in which redrawn district lines placed her in a more Democratic-leaning 11th District and she lost to Democrat Bill Foster. She served until January 3, 2013.

Committee Assignments and Legislative Focus

Over her Congressional career, Biggert served on several key committees:

• Education and the Workforce (and its subcommittees on early education, higher education, workforce training)

• Financial Services (where she chaired the Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing & Community Opportunity in the 112th Congress)

• Science, Space & Technology (serving on energy and environment subcommittees)

In addition, early in her tenure she sat on Government Reform, Banking & Financial Services, and Science committees.

She also co-chaired the Caucus on Women’s Issues and helped found several issue-based caucuses (focused on the judicial branch, literacy, R&D, homelessness).

Education & Homelessness Advocacy

One of Biggert’s signature initiatives was improving educational access for homeless children. In 1999 she introduced the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Education Assistance Improvements Act, intended to streamline enrollment barriers for homeless students. The legislation was later incorporated into No Child Left Behind in 2002.

Throughout her tenure, she remained vocal on early childhood education, support for low-income families, and expanded legal assistance for victims of domestic violence.

Policy Stances & Moderation

Biggert was viewed as a moderate (or centrist) Republican. She was a member of the Republican Main Street Partnership, aligning with the more pragmatic wing of her party.

On social issues, she occasionally diverged from conservative orthodoxy. For example:

• She voted against the 2006 Federal Marriage Amendment (which would have banned same-sex marriage).

• She supported repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” though opposed repealing the Defense of Marriage Act.

• On abortion, she had a mixed record, regarded as more moderate than many in her party.

On economic and fiscal policy, she signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge (committing to oppose tax increases) and supported making the Bush-era tax cuts permanent.

She also favored reforming Social Security toward optional privatized accounts (a moderate rather than radical change).

On campaign finance, she opposed public financing of federal campaigns, favored fewer restrictions on contributions (with transparency), and opposed limits that she viewed as overly restrictive.

Legacy, Influence, and Later Service

Legacy

Judy Biggert’s legacy lies in being a thoughtful, moderate legislator who prioritized policy over politics. Her work in education—particularly her advocacy for homeless children’s schooling—and her committee leadership in financial services and science reflect durable contributions rather than flash.

Moreover, she serves as an example of a Republican woman sustaining a multi-term congressional career while balancing party loyalty with independent judgment. Her defeat in 2012 came during a wave of redistricting and party polarization rather than major scandal.

Post-Congressional Role

In April 2015, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner appointed Biggert to the Illinois Education Labor Relations Board, which oversees negotiations related to teacher contracts and labor relations in the education sector.

She has remained active in civic and educational spheres and continues to be cited as an example of bipartisan willingness and policy-driven service.

Personality, Style & Strengths

Judy Biggert is frequently characterized as pragmatic, diligent, and detail-oriented. Her willingness to cross party lines on selected issues earned her respect from both sides of the aisle. She was not known as a firebrand or a partisan warrior, but rather as someone focused on solving problems—particularly in education, children’s welfare, housing, and scientific research.

She also leveraged her legal training to navigate complex legislation, and her commitment to constituent service grounded her in the daily concerns of her district. Her moderate posture sometimes placed her in tension with more ideologically driven colleagues, but also allowed her greater flexibility in negotiation.

Selected Quotations & Perspectives

While Biggert is not primarily known for pithy, widely quoted lines, several statements capture her views:

• “Being without a home should not mean being without an education.” (from her floor speech on homelessness in 1999)

• On energy & environment: She supported maintaining a diverse energy mix, including nuclear power, to manage emissions and supply security.

These reflect core concerns in her work: equity in education, pragmatic energy policy, and bridging policy detail with advocacy.

Lessons from Judy Biggert

1. Moderation can be strength
   In an era of polarization, Biggert shows that thoughtful, centrist approaches still have relevance—especially when tied to consistent principles rather than shifting expedience.

2. Advocate for the unseen
   Her focus on homeless children’s access to education underscores how legislators can champion populations often overlooked.

3. Expertise matters
   Her legal background and committee leadership allowed her to engage meaningfully in complex domains—education policy, financial regulation, science funding.

4. Balance local & national
   She maintained ties to her district’s priorities while engaging national legislation, showing how effective representatives unify grassroots and policy impact.

Conclusion

Judy Biggert’s public life exemplifies steady service, principle-aligned moderation, and policy seriousness. Though no longer in Congress, her legislative imprint—especially in education and financial oversight—and her model of a conscientious, independent-minded Republican remain relevant. Her career encourages us to value legislators who strive for results over rhetoric, who lift voices of marginalized children, and who stay rooted in the practical demands of governance.