Gabrielle Giffords: A Journey Of Resilience And Leadership

Gabrielle Giffords is a name synonymous with courage and determination. Born in Tucson, Arizona, on June 8, 1970, she has made significant contributions to politics and society. Her journey from an urban planner to a U.S. Congresswoman is not just a testament to her political acumen but also to her resilience in the face of adversity.

In 2005, Giffords made history by becoming the third woman from Arizona elected to the U.S. Congress. Her political career was marked by a commitment to her constituents and a strong focus on issues such as border security and healthcare reform. Tragically, her life took a dramatic turn in 2011 when she was the victim of an assassination attempt, an event that shocked the nation and highlighted the dangers faced by public officials.

Despite this traumatic experience, Giffords demonstrated an incredible spirit of recovery. After extensive rehabilitation, she not only returned to public life but also co-founded the advocacy organization Americans for Responsible Solutions, aiming to reduce gun violence. Her story serves as a powerful reminder of the strength of the human spirit and the impact one individual can have on society.

Who Is Gabrielle Giffords?
Early Life and Career
Political Career
Assassination Attempt
Resignation from Congress
Quick Facts
Quotes

Who Is Gabrielle Giffords?

Gabrielle Giffords worked as an urban planner before winning election to the Arizona State House of Representatives in 2000. She was elected to U.S. Congress in 2005—only the third Arizona woman to do so. Giffords was the victim of an assassination attempt in 2011. She recovered in time to see her husband command the last flight of the space shuttle Endeavor and to vote on the debt-ceiling bill, before resigning from Congress in 2012. Giffords went on to co-found the advocacy group Americans for Responsible Solutions.

Early Life and Career

Gabrielle Dee "Gabby" Giffords was born on June 8, 1970, in Tucson, Arizona. Her father, Spencer, worked as a businessman who ran the family's tire company, and her mother, Gloria Kay, devoted her time to the arts as a painter and art restorer. Giffords had some interesting adventures growing up. She and her older sister Melissa spent some of their summers going across the border to go to camp in Mexico. Giffords also developed a passion for horses, and she worked in a stable to earn the money to cover riding lessons. According to her 2011 memoir, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, she later told voters that "I learned a lot cleaning out those stalls. It was good training, all of that manure-shoveling, for when I entered politics."

After graduating from Tucson's University High School, Giffords enrolled at Scripps College, a small, female-only school in California. There she earned her bachelor's degree in Latin American history and sociology. Her hard work was rewarded with a coveted William Fulbright Scholarship, which she used to study in Chihuahua, Mexico, for a year.

Giffords then pursued a master's degree in regional planning at Cornell University. After completing her studies, she landed a job with Price Waterhouse in New York in 1996. Giffords gave up her corporate career to return to Tucson to help with the family business. She became the president and chief executive officer of El Campo Tire and stayed with the company until 2000 when it was sold to Goodyear Tire.

Political Career

After her return to Tucson, Giffords became interested in helping people in her community. She decided the best way to improve things was to enter politics. Giffords had first registered as a Republican as a teenager, but she later switched over to the Democratic party. Giffords was elected to a seat in the Arizona State House on her first try for office in 2000. She then ran for a seat in Arizona Senate in 2002. Emerging victorious, Giffords became the youngest woman ever elected to the Arizona Senate. She was re-elected in 2004.

Seeking a new opportunity to help the people of Arizona, Giffords resigned from office in December 2005 to seek the congressional seat being vacated by Representative Jim Kolbe of the 8th Congressional District. As the first to announce her candidacy for Kolbe's seat, Giffords established herself as his natural replacement and began an aggressive campaign for the seat. Come election time, the former state senator defeated Republican Randy Graf by earning roughly 54 percent of the vote.

Giffords earned re-election in 2008, defeating Republican State Senate President Timothy Bee, a childhood schoolmate, with nearly 55 percent of the vote. She also sat on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees. Giffords also participated in the Science and Technology committee and chaired its Space and Aeronautics subcommittee in her next term.

Assassination Attempt

On January 8, 2011, Giffords went to an event called "Congress On Your Corner" at a Tucson grocery store. She wanted to give her constituents a chance to meet with her, but the event soon turned deadly when 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner shot Giffords in the head. In addition to wounding the congresswoman, Loughner wounded several others and killed six people, including District Court Judge John M. Roll, a 9-year-old girl, and an aide to Giffords. Hours after the shooting, President Obama released a statement condemning the attack, stating that "such a senseless and terrible act of violence has no place in a free society. I ask all Americans to join me and Michelle in keeping Representative Giffords, the victims of this tragedy, and their families in our prayers."

After the shooting, Giffords was rushed to the hospital where she underwent emergency surgery. She made a remarkable comeback from her injuries in the weeks and months that followed. She regained her ability to talk, walk, and handle other everyday activities after going through extensive rehabilitation. Giffords was even well enough to attend the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour that May. Her husband, Mark Kelly, was the commander of that mission.

Resignation from Congress

In January 2012, more than a year after the attempt on her life, Giffords resigned from Congress to devote her time to her recovery. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a friend and colleague of Giffords, read her resignation letter aloud to the House. The note said, in part: "The only way I ever served my district in Congress was by giving 100 percent. This past year, that's what I have given to my recovery." Giffords, who was on hand for the reading, claimed that she would one day seek office again. In her letter, she told colleagues, "Every day I am working hard. I will recover and will return and we will work together again for Arizona and for all Americans."

Her life-changing ordeal has only strengthened her marriage to Kelly, who retired from NASA in 2011. The couple penned a book together about her recovery, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, which was published in 2011. Giffords and Kelly also co-founded Americans for Responsible Solutions, an organization that seeks to reduce gun violence. Its mission, according to its Facebook page, is to "encourage elected officials to stand up for solutions to prevent gun violence and protect responsible gun ownership by communicating directly with the constituents that elect them."