Dates

• Existence: 1935-

Biography

Mary Barnett Kramer was born on June 14, 1935, in Burlington, Iowa. She attended high school in Iowa City and continued her education at the University of Iowa, earning a BA in Piano Performance in 1957. Kramer also met her husband, Kay Kramer, at Iowa; the couple had two children, Kent and Krista. Kramer taught vocal music for several years before returning to Iowa for her MA in Education. She then worked as a teacher and administrator in Iowa City schools. In 1975, the family relocated to Des Moines, where Kramer began her corporate career as personnel director for Younkers department stores. Kramer transitioned to Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield in 1981, where she worked in human resources and community relations for 18 years. In 1990, Kramer was approached by three women urging her to run for office. Former Governor of Iowa Robert Ray, who was the CEO of Wellmark at the time, encouraged Kramer as well, hoping she might set an example for other corporate workers to serve in public office. Kramer won her election to the Iowa State Senate in 1990, representing parts of Des Moines, West Des Moines, and Clive. She focused on education and health insurance throughout her time as a senator. In 1992, Kramer was elected Assistant Minority Leader and in 1997, she became the first woman independently elected President of the Iowa Senate.

Beyond her own office, Kramer was active as a political organizer, serving as a leader of George W. Bush’s 2000 presidential campaign in Iowa. In 2003, Bush appointed Mary Kramer as United States Ambassador to the Seven Nations of the Eastern Caribbean (a State Department designation that included Barbados, where Kramer resided during this period). She served until her retirement in 2006. Kramer has written two books, More Than A Walk On The Beach: Confessions of an Unlikely Diplomat and An Unlikely Ambassador and Her Diplomatic Daughter: Stories and Recipes for the Life You Want, which was written with her daughter, Krista Kramer Hartman. In 2009, Mary Kramer was inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.

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