BIOGRAPHY OF 
         U.S. SENATOR BARBARA A. MIKULSKI
                      OF
                   MARYLAND

Born in Baltimore, Maryland on July 20, 1936, Barbara Ann
Mikulski is the great-granddaughter of Polish immigrants and the
oldest of three daughters. Her parents, William and Christine
Mikulski, operated a neighborhood grocery store in East Baltimore
where she worked during her high school years.

Senator Mikulski was educated at local parochial schools in
Baltimore. She received her B.A. degree from Mount St. Agnes
College in Baltimore in 1958, and her M.S.W. degree from
the University of Maryland School of Social Work in 1965.

Senator Mikulski was elected to the Senate in November 1986,
winning 61% of the vote against her Republican challenger. After
being sworn-in on January 6, 1987, Senator Mikulski
became the 16th woman to serve in the Senate.

With her election to the Senate, Barbara Mikulski achieved a
number of "firsts." She is the first Democratic woman to hold a
Senate seat not previously held by her husband; she is the first
Democratic woman ever to have served in both Houses of Congress;
and, she is the first woman ever to win a statewide election in
Maryland.

First Political Battle: Saving A Neighborhood

In the late 1960's the City of Baltimore announced plans to
locate a 16-lane highway through the city's historic Fells Point
neighborhood. In addition to destroying areas of Fells Point, the
proposed highway also would have destroyed the first black home
ownership neighborhood in the city.

Barbara Mikulski got involved in the community efforts to stop
the proposed highway and soon became one of its key leaders and
spokespersons. At one major rally of supporters, the feisty
Mikulski told those in attendance: "We didn't let the British
take Fells Point; we didn't let termites take Fells Point; and
we're not going to let the State Roads Commission take Fells
Point."

By 1970, the anti-road forces had won their fight. Mikulski then
decided that rather than being on the "outside" knocking on City
Hall's door, it would be better to be " inside," letting the
people in. So, she announced her candidacy for the Baltimore City
Council.

City Council Race, 1971

Campaigning as an outsider taking on established political
machines, Barbara Mikulski used the summer of 1971 to go
door-to-door throughout her councilmanic district. "I knocked on
15,000 doors that summer, wore out 5 pair of shoes and got mugged
by 14 Chihuahuas," she later recalled. But it was worth it on
election day when she claimed success in her first bid for
elective office.

For five years on the Baltimore City Council, Barbara Mikulski
was known as an effective, hands-on representative of the people.
Her campaign literature said she "got things done" and she did.
>From potholes to public education, when people had-problems or
needed help they came to her.

First Congressional Race

In 1976, then Third District Congressman Paul S. Sarbanes
announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Councilwoman Barbara
Mikulski was one of 6 people to throw her hat into the race to
take his place in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Using a vast network of community volunteers and 110 percent of
her own energy, Councilwoman Mikulski won the Democratic primary
and went on to beat the Republican nominee in the general
election. She was on her way to Washington, but she never forgot
her roots.

Before she ever ran for public office, Senator Mikulski worked in
Baltimore as a social worker for a local Catholic charities
organization and later for the Baltimore City Welfare Department.
It was while working with these organizations, on cases of child
abuse and child neglect, that the Senator developed her deep
concern for the rights of children and families. It's a concern
that she took with her to Washington.

In Washington

It didn't take Congresswoman Mikulski long to learn her way
around Capitol Hill when she arrived in January 1977. She
maintained a 50-year Baltimore tradition by getting appointed
to the Merchant Marine & Fisheries Committee where she could work
on legislation affecting the Port of Baltimore, one of the
state's largest employers. She also turned a few heads by
becoming the first woman ever appointed to the powerful Energy &
Commerce Committee, a position that allowed her to work for her
constituents, on a host of "bread & butter" issues, from
railroads to telecommunications to health care.

The Race For The Senate

After 10 years in the House, over 10,000 votes, and thousands of
hours of committee work, town hall meetings, and visits with
constituents, Congresswoman Mikulski announced on October
28, 1985 that she would seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated
by retiring Senator Charles McC. Mathias, Jr.

It was not an easy decision for Congresswoman Mikulski to make
because she loved the House of Representatives. While in the
House, she left her permanent mark on many important pieces of
legislation, including funding of shelters for battered spouses,
funding for the deep dredging of the Baltimore harbor to make it
internationally competitive, and amendments to an omnibus
anti-terrorism bill which improved passenger safety on the high
seas.

In announcing her candidacy for the Senate, Barbara Mikulski
acknowledged the risk she was taking. She was giving up a "safe"
House seat to make the race. But she remembered her
great-grandmother who had come to this country from Poland at the
age of 16 with no money or job. And, like her great-grandmother,
Barbara Mikulski plunged ahead recognizing that in life there are
"no guarantees, only opportunities." And for her, serving in the
U.S. Senate was an opportunity to "do more good for more people."

Senate Committees & Theme

Senator Mikulski's theme for her work in the U.S. Senate is,
"Getting Maryland and our country ready for the future." She
intends to do that through her work as a member of the
Appropriations Committee (she is chair of the Appropriations
subcommittee on HUD - Independent Agencies), the Labor & Human
Resources Committee, and the Small Business Committee.