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— CH. 1 · OKLAHOMA ROOTS AND FAMILY STRUGGLE —

Elizabeth Warren

~8 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
7 sections
  • Elizabeth Ann Herring was born in Oklahoma City on the 22nd of June 1949. Her family lived near the ragged edge of the middle class during her childhood years. Pauline Louise Reed worked as a homemaker while Donald Jones Herring served as a U.S. Army flight instructor during World War II. The family faced severe financial hardship when Elizabeth turned twelve and her father suffered a heart attack. Medical bills piled up alongside a significant pay cut that left him unable to perform his previous sales job at Montgomery Ward. He eventually took work as a maintenance man for an apartment building to keep food on the table. The family car was repossessed because they could not make loan payments. Her mother found employment in the catalog-order department at Sears to help stabilize household finances. Elizabeth herself began waiting tables at her aunt's restaurant by age thirteen. She attended Northwest Classen High School where she became a star member of the debate team. The young student won the state high school debating championship before earning a scholarship to George Washington University at sixteen.

  • Warren earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech pathology and audiology from the University of Houston in 1970. She taught children with disabilities for one year before enrolling at Rutgers Law School. Her Juris Doctor arrived in 1976 after passing the bar examination shortly thereafter. Warren joined the faculty at Rutgers University Newark School of Law starting in 1977. She moved to the University of Houston Law Center in 1978 where she became associate dean in 1980. Tenure came two years later in 1981. She served as visiting associate professor at the University of Texas School of Law during 1981 before returning as full professor from 1983 through 1987. Her earliest academic work focused on bankruptcy law and commercial regulations. One article published in 1980 in the Notre Dame Law Review argued that public utilities were over-regulated. Warren soon shifted toward on-the-ground research into how people respond to laws. She analyzed court records while interviewing judges, lawyers, and debtors throughout her career. Teresa A. Sullivan and Jay Westbrook worked alongside her on this research. The trio published their findings in the book As We Forgive Our Debtors in 1989. Warren began believing most people filing for bankruptcy abused the system but concluded such abuse was actually rare. She described the way the research challenged her fundamental beliefs as worse than disillusionment. In 2004 she published an article in the Washington University Law Review arguing that correlating middle-class struggles with over-consumption was a fallacy.

  • National Bankruptcy Review Commission chair Mike Synar asked Warren to advise the commission in 1995. Synar had been a debate opponent of hers during their school years. She helped draft the commission's report and worked for several years to oppose legislation intended to severely restrict consumers' right to file for bankruptcy. Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 which curtailed consumers' ability to file for bankruptcy despite opposition efforts. From 2006 through 2010 Warren served as member of the FDIC Advisory Committee on Economic Inclusion. Her scholarship and public advocacy became the impetus for establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in 2011. U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid appointed Warren to chair the five-member Congressional Oversight Panel created to oversee implementation of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act on the 14th of November 2008. The panel released monthly oversight reports evaluating government bailout programs including foreclosure mitigation and consumer lending. President Obama named Warren Assistant to the President and Special Advisor to the Secretary of the Treasury on the CFPB in September 2010. Financial institutions and Republican members of Congress strongly opposed her nomination. Obama appointed former Ohio attorney general Richard Cordray to the post in January 2012 over Republican senators' objections.

  • Warren declared her intention to run for the Democratic nomination for the 2012 election in Massachusetts on the 14th of September 2011. A video of her speaking in Andover went viral on the Internet within a week. She responded to charges that asking the rich to pay more taxes was class warfare by stating no one grew rich without depending on infrastructure paid for by society. Warren won the state Democratic convention with 95.77% of delegate votes on the 2nd of June 2012. She raised $39 million for her campaign which exceeded any other Senate candidate in 2012. The political director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce commented that she represented a greater threat to free enterprise than any other candidate. Warren defeated incumbent Scott Brown with 53.7% of the vote on the 6th of November 2012. She became the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts. Vice President Joe Biden swore Warren in on the 3rd of January 2013. At her first Banking Committee hearing in February 2013 she pressed banking regulators about taking Wall Street banks to trial. Videos of her questioning amassed over one million views within days. In May 2013 she sent letters to the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission questioning their decisions regarding settlements versus court action. Warren introduced the Bank on Student Loans Fairness Act allowing students to take out government education loans at 0.75%. Independent senator Bernie Sanders endorsed her bill saying only she thought of it. Warren defeated Republican nominee Geoff Diehl in 2018 with 60% of the vote. She won a third Senate term in 2024 against John Deaton with 59.6% of the vote.

  • Warren officially announced her candidacy for president at a rally in Lawrence, Massachusetts on the 9th of February 2019. The event took place at the site of the 1912 Bread and Roses strike. Her campaign became known for depth of policy proposals including plans to assist family farms and reduce student loan debt. One signature plan was an Ultra-Millionaire Tax on fortunes exceeding $50 million. Warren popularized the idea of a wealth tax leading competitor Bernie Sanders to release his own wealth tax plan. The phrase I have a plan for that developed as a catchphrase for her campaign. After the ninth debate of the 2020 Democratic primaries on February 19, Warren received considerable media coverage for scolding fellow candidate Mike Bloomberg. She criticized Bloomberg's non-transparent tax records and history of redlining poor neighborhoods. Polls showed Warren placing second in early June 2019 behind Joe Biden but ahead of Bernie Sanders. A September Iowa poll placed her in the lead with 22% compared to Biden's 20%. Warren ended her campaign on the 5th of March 2020 after Super Tuesday following several defeats at the polls. In the third quarter of 2019 her campaign raised $24.6 million which exceeded Joe Biden's $15.2 million despite being behind Sanders' $25.3 million. Warren's average donation reached $26 while Sanders averaged $18.

  • Warren stated during her first Senate race in 2012 that being Native American had been part of her story since birth. Her opponent Scott Brown speculated she fabricated Native ancestry to gain employment market advantage. Several colleagues including Harvard said her reported ethnic status played no role in hiring decisions. The Washington Post reported that in 1986 Warren identified her race as American Indian on a State Bar of Texas write-in form. A 2018 Boston Globe investigation found clear evidence her claim never influenced hiring committees who voted resoundingly to hire her. Warren apologized for having identified as Native American in February 2019. President Donald Trump mocked her assertions and called her Pocahontas during his first term. He promised to donate one million dollars to her favorite charity if she took a DNA test showing Indian heritage. Warren released an analysis of a DNA test by geneticist Carlos D. Bustamante finding her ancestry mostly European but strongly supporting existence of unadmixed Native American ancestor likely six to ten generations ago. Geneticists Krystal Tsosie and Matthew Anderson called the interpretation problematic citing lack of Native Americans in the database. The Cherokee Nation criticized Warren saying using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection is inappropriate and wrong. She later privately contacted leadership of the Cherokee Nation to apologize for furthering confusion over tribal sovereignty issues.

  • Joshua Green cites Warren as major figure shaping Democratic Party embrace of leftward politics after Great Recession. His 2024 book The Rebels describes how politicians engage in big loud messy fights offering moral clarity behind positions. Warren demonstrated willingness to be combative with Obama administration economic officials while occasionally voicing public disagreement. Columnists like Perry Bacon Jr. wrote that ideas promoted during her presidential campaign influenced Biden administration agenda. Warren mentored several people who went on to hold notable political office including former Representative Katie Porter. Michelle Wu mayor of Boston was another law student protégée who worked on Warren's 2012 Senate campaign before running for City Council herself in 2013. Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins got his start working on Warren's 2012 campaign. Joe Kennedy III considered Warren mentor during law school studies. Ruthzee Louijeune served as senior counsel to Warren's presidential campaign before running for city council. Warren strongly believes personnel is policy meaning presidency shaped by appointees. She pressured Hillary Clinton before 2016 election to avoid Wall Street-friendly appointments. Within first three weeks of Biden presidency four of Warren's staff members received administrative positions. Kara Voght of Mother Jones noted Warren remained private but constant voice regarding personnel decisions throughout early 2021.

Common questions

When and where was Elizabeth Warren born?

Elizabeth Ann Herring was born in Oklahoma City on the 22nd of June 1949. Her family lived near the ragged edge of the middle class during her childhood years.

What academic degrees did Elizabeth Warren earn from which universities?

Warren earned a Bachelor of Science degree in speech pathology and audiology from the University of Houston in 1970. She received her Juris Doctor from Rutgers Law School in 1976 after passing the bar examination shortly thereafter.

Why did Elizabeth Warren end her presidential campaign in March 2020?

Elizabeth Warren ended her campaign on the 5th of March 2020 after Super Tuesday following several defeats at the polls. Polls showed she placing second in early June 2019 behind Joe Biden but ahead of Bernie Sanders before this conclusion.

How did Elizabeth Warren become involved with bankruptcy law research?

Her earliest academic work focused on bankruptcy law and commercial regulations starting when she joined the faculty at Rutgers University Newark School of Law in 1977. She analyzed court records while interviewing judges, lawyers, and debtors throughout her career to publish findings in the book As We Forgive Our Debtors in 1989.

When was Elizabeth Warren sworn into the U.S. Senate by Vice President Joe Biden?

Vice President Joe Biden swore Warren in on the 3rd of January 2013. She became the first woman ever elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts after defeating incumbent Scott Brown with 53.7% of the vote on the 6th of November 2012.

All sources

265 references cited across the entry

  1. 1webFor Professor Warren, a steep climbStephanie Ebbert et al. — August 19, 2012
  2. 3webElizabeth WarrenHarvard Law School
  3. 4newsElizabeth Warren Grapples with Presidential Loss in New BookLisa Lerer — May 1, 2021
  4. 6webInside Biden and Warren's Yearslong FeudTheodoric Meyer — March 12, 2019
  5. 9webSen. Warren wins re-election, promptly rips into TrumpSteve LeBlanc — November 7, 2018
  6. 14newsElizabeth Warren defeats Scott BrownNoah Bierman et al. — November 7, 2012
  7. 16bookThe Unwinding, an inner history of the New AmericaGeorge Packer — Farrar, Straus, and Giroux — 2013
  8. 17newsElizabeth Warren Fast FactsDecember 31, 2018
  9. 19newsDonald J Herring ObituaryDecember 5, 1997
  10. 21newsA girl who soared, but longed to belongNoah Bierman — February 12, 2012
  11. 22webReligion is constant part of Elizabeth Warren's lifeVictoria McGrane — September 2, 2017
  12. 23newsWarren's extended family split about heritageSally Jacobs — September 16, 2017
  13. 24newsThe Woman Who Knew Too MuchSuzanna Andrews — November 2011
  14. 26newsWarren Winning Means No Sale If You Can't Explain ItMark Pittman et al. — November 19, 2009
  15. 27newsFamily long a bedrock for WarrenStephanie Ebbert — October 24, 2012
  16. 28newsThe Watchdog: Elizabeth WarrenCharles P. Pierce — December 20, 2009
  17. 29webConversation with Elizabeth WarrenHarry Kreisler — Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley — March 8, 2007
  18. 31webCurriculum VitaeElizabeth Warren — Harvard Law School — 2008
  19. 32newsElizabeth Warren on health care and religionEugene Joseph Jr. Dionne — August 23, 2012
  20. 33newsElizabeth Warren's unorthodox careerLeon Neyfakh — October 22, 2011
  21. 36newsHarvard's Top Five Salaries Total More Than $1.5MAdam Hickey — The Harvard Crimson — September 19, 1997
  22. 40webThe Making of Elizabeth WarrenMichael Kruse — November 30, 2018
  23. 42webThe new bankruptcy law and youJeanne Sahadi — October 17, 2005
  24. 49newsBehind Consumer Agency Idea, a Tireless AdvocateJodi Kantor — March 25, 2010
  25. 50webTARP and Other Government Assistance for AIGU.S. Government Publishing Office — May 26, 2010
  26. 54newsAn Agency Builder, but Not Yet Its LeaderEdward Wyatt — July 4, 2011
  27. 55newsLousy Filibusters: Richard Cordray EditionAndres Rosenthal — December 8, 2011
  28. 57newsAppointment Clears the Way for Consumer Agency to ActEdward Wyatt — January 4, 2012
  29. 58webLiz Was a Diehard ConservativeAlex Thompson — April 12, 2019
  30. 59newsElizabeth Warren: 'I Created Occupy Wall Street'Samuel P. Jacobs — October 24, 2011
  31. 60webWhy Elizabeth Warren Left The GOPJeff Spross — April 27, 2014
  32. 61webThe Making of Elizabeth WarrenMichael Kruse — November 30, 2018
  33. 62newsWarren Kicks Off Senate CampaignMaya Jackson Randall — September 14, 2011
  34. 64newsClass warfare, Elizabeth Warren styleGreg Sargent — September 21, 2011
  35. 65newsThe underlying social contractSteve Benen — September 21, 2011
  36. 66newsThe context behind Obama's 'you didn't build that'Michael Smerconish — July 30, 2012
  37. 67newsAn unoriginal Obama quote, taken out of contextGlenn Kessler — July 23, 2012
  38. 70newsElizabeth Warren agrees to WBZ-TV debate with Scott BrownMichael Levenson — June 5, 2012
  39. 72newsA New Senator, Known Nationally and Sometimes FearedKatharine Q. Seelye — November 11, 2012
  40. 73newsElizabeth Warren: 'The System Is Rigged'Gregory J. Krieg et al. — September 5, 2012
  41. 74newsElizabeth Warren: 'Wall Street CEOs' Still 'Strut Around Congress'Mark Silva — Bloomberg — September 5, 2012
  42. 75newsWarren attacks CEOs who 'wrecked economy'Stephanie Kirchgaessner — September 6, 2012
  43. 76newsWarren announces she's running for re-electionVictoria McGrane et al. — January 6, 2017
  44. 77webElizabeth Warren running for 3rd US Senate term in 2024Steve LeBlanc — March 27, 2023
  45. 79newsElizabeth Warren assigned to Senate banking committeeBrian Montopoli — December 12, 2012
  46. 81newsSenator Warren's rebuke of regulators goes viralLynch, S. N. — February 19, 2013
  47. 82newsSen. Warren Lets LooseDavid Riley — March 11, 2013
  48. 86webStudent LoansBernie Sanders — United States Senate — May 17, 2013
  49. 89webElizabeth Warren Gets a Promotion – Or Does She?Kevin Drum — November 13, 2014
  50. 90webElizabeth Warren Gets Senate Democratic Leadership SpotAmanda Terkel et al. — November 13, 2014
  51. 92webElevating Elizabeth WarrenRussell Berman — November 13, 2014
  52. 93newsWhat Will the TPP Mean for China?Barry Naughton et al. — October 7, 2015
  53. 94newsWarren calls on progressives to help fight TPPCassella, Megan — July 7, 2015
  54. 95newsObama says Elizabeth Warren 'absolutely wrong' on tradeBohn, Kevin — October 7, 2015
  55. 98newsWells Fargo's CEO just got grilled by the SenateBob Bryan — September 20, 2016
  56. 102newsSenate votes to shut up Elizabeth WarrenSeung Min Kim — February 8, 2017
  57. 104newsWells Fargo CEO faces angry Warren, CongressKen Sweet — October 3, 2017
  58. 107newsArea Members Of Congress React To Capitol ChaosJim Levulis — January 6, 2021
  59. 112magazineElizabeth Warren is Hillary Clinton's NightmareNoam Scheiber — November 10, 2013
  60. 115magazineWhy Isn't Elizabeth Warren Running for President?John Cassidy — December 15, 2014
  61. 116newsRun, Hillary, run, say Senate's Dem womenAlexandra Jaffe — October 30, 2013
  62. 118newsClinton must make Elizabeth Warren her vice presidentDana Milbank — March 4, 2016
  63. 119newsElizabeth Warren endorses ClintonAnnie Linskey et al. — June 9, 2016
  64. 120newsHillary Clinton narrows VP list to 5 peopleRob Smith — July 8, 2016
  65. 121newsElizabeth Warren: "I'm still cheering Bernie on"Nicole Gaudiano — March 25, 2016
  66. 125newsWarren blasts Trump; he calls her 'Pocahontas'David Wright — May 25, 2016
  67. 130newsElizabeth Warren Announces She Is Running for President in 2020Astead W. Herndon et al. — December 31, 2018
  68. 131newsOff and running: Warren launches presidential bid in LawrencePaul Tennant — February 10, 2019
  69. 134magazineCan Elizabeth Warren Win It All?Sheela Kolhatkar — June 24, 2019
  70. 135webIltra-Millionaire TaxElizabeth Warren for President.
  71. 140newsElizabeth Warren, Once a Front-Runner, Drops Out of Presidential RaceAstead W. Herndon et al. — March 5, 2020
  72. 144newsAre Warren and Sanders '100% grassroots-funded'?Salvador Rizzo — September 30, 2019
  73. 151newsElizabeth Warren's Dog Is Campaigning For Her While She's Stuck In WashingtonMolly Hensley-Clancy et al. — January 29, 2020
  74. 155newsWarren and Brown share July 12 anniversary dateMichael Levenson — July 12, 2012
  75. 156newsElizabeth Warren: 'I was hurt, and I was angry'MJ Lee — April 16, 2014
  76. 157newsElizabeth Warren's familyStephanie Ebbert — October 25, 2012
  77. 158newsElizabeth Warren's brother dies from coronavirusQuint Forgey — April 23, 2020
  78. 161newsThe Net Worth Of Every 2020 Presidential CandidateDan Alexander — August 14, 2019
  79. 162newsHow Elizabeth Warren Built A $12 Million FortuneMichela Tindera — August 20, 2019
  80. 163webElizabeth Warren's net worth: Senator salary, real estate & moreBrian O'Connell et al. — January 5, 2025
  81. 170newsEnd US complicity in Yemen's humanitarian disasterElizabeth Warren et al. — October 8, 2018
  82. 174newsHere's which senators voted for or against the Respect for Marriage ActMourtoupalas and Blanco — November 29, 2022
  83. 175newsElizabeth Warren: We Can Prevent More Bank FailuresElizabeth Warren — March 13, 2023
  84. 180newsElizabeth Warren's family has mixed memories about heritageSally Jacobs — September 16, 2012
  85. 181webBrown continues offense on Warren over Native American claimsAshley Killough et al. — May 8, 2012
  86. 183magazineElizabeth Warren's Family TiesKelefa Sanneh — June 3, 2012
  87. 187magazineElizabeth Warren, Scott Brown and the Myth of RaceTouré — October 5, 2012
  88. 188webDespite Pledge, Gloves Are Off In Massachusetts Senate RaceCurt Nickisch — September 25, 2012
  89. 190webBrown hits Warren on Cherokee claimDavid Catanese — September 20, 2012
  90. 191newsCandidate for Senate Defends Past HiringKatharine Q. Seelye et al. — April 30, 2012
  91. 193newsDirectories identified Warren as minorityStephanie Ebbert — The Boston Globe — April 30, 2012
  92. 195newsEthnicity not a factor in Elizabeth Warren's rise in lawAnnie Linskey — September 1, 2018
  93. 198webWhat Elizabeth Warren Still Doesn't GetBriahna Gray — October 16, 2018
  94. 205news <!-- this was published with no author byline -->US senator Elizabeth Warren faces backlash after indigenous DNA claimOctober 16, 2018
  95. 221newsWho's left? The top 20 US progressivesMehdi Hasan — January 11, 2012
  96. 223magazineElizabeth WarrenJosh Marshall — April 30, 2009
  97. 224magazineElizabeth WarrenSheila Bair — April 29, 2010
  98. 228newsElizabeth Warren on Charlie RoseCharlie Rose et al. — May 11, 2009
  99. 231newsSenator Elizabeth Warren targeted by 'Saturday Night Live'Sean Smyth — February 12, 2017
  100. 232webSaturday Night Live: Bow Down to Kate McKinnon's Elizabeth WarrenKaren Valby — Vanity Fair — October 13, 2019
  101. 234magazineAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez is on the 2019 TIME 100 ListElizabeth Warren — 2019
  102. 235newsInside the Elizabeth Warren merchandising empireLauren Dezenski — August 13, 2017
  103. 236newsWill Elizabeth Warren get an action figure?Cristela Guerra — June 5, 2017
  104. 237webShe PersistedJonathon Mann — February 8, 2017
  105. 238webWhere Are You Elizabeth WarrenJonathon Mann — February 29, 2016
  106. 239webJamaal Bowman Lands Endorsement From Elizabeth WarrenNicholas Fandos — June 6, 2024
  107. 241magazineThe Socialist Moment Hasn't Passed. It's Yet to Come.Scott W. Stern — February 5, 2024
  108. 244web'She persisted': Elizabeth Warren cements spot as Trump's oppositionSabrina Siddiqui et al. — February 8, 2017
  109. 246webElizabeth Warren grabs center stageAlex McCammond et al. — May 9, 2022
  110. 250webSteve Tompkins endorses Michelle Wu for Boston mayorSean Philip Cotter — Digital First — September 1, 2021
  111. 252webWho advanced through the Boston City Council preliminary elections?Sean Philip Cotter — September 15, 2021
  112. 254webInside the Secret List of Demands Warren Gave HillaryAlex Thompson — December 19, 2019
  113. 258bookAll Your Worth: The Ultimate Lifetime Money PlanElizabeth Warren — Free Press — 2005
  114. 260journalIllness and Injury as Contributors to BankruptcyDavid U. Himmelstein et al. — February 8, 2005
  115. 261newsSick and BrokeElizabeth Warren — February 9, 2005
  116. 262newsMedical Bankruptcies: A Data-CheckGary Langer — March 5, 2009
  117. 264newsBook review: 'A Fighting Chance' by Elizabeth WarrenMichael Jonas — April 21, 2014
  118. 265newsUS Sen. Elizabeth Warren launches book tourHillel Italie — April 18, 2017