If you take ten seconds, and do a quick Google search of the term “An American Original”, the results that pull up first in some ways quite extraordinary. Walt Disney was certainly so as a business magnate and visionary. Few Americans could certainly compare to the genius of Founding Father Benjamin Franklin.
In the 21st Century, those true American Original stories continue. And thankfully for the rest of us, the great people of Illinois have sent a TRUE American Original to Washington in United States Senator Tammy Duckworth. As if her incredible journey from serving our country in Iraq, to injury in combat as a double amputee, to being elected to the Senate isn’t inspiring enough, Duckworth never seems to be satisfied with her long list of historic accomplishments. As Daniella Diaz and Sunlen Serfaty of CNN report, this trailblazer is far from done rewriting the rules of Washington or the history books…
(CNN) Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth gave birth to a baby girl Monday, her office announced, the first US senator to do so while in office.
“Bryan, Abigail and I couldn’t be happier to welcome little Maile Pearl as the newest addition to our family and we’re deeply honored that our good friend Senator (Daniel) Akaka was able to bless her name for us — his help in naming both of our daughters means he will always be with us,” Duckworth said in her office’s statement.Duckworth had her first child in 2014, when she was serving in the House of Representatives.An aide close to Duckworth told CNN she’s doing well and taking 12 weeks to bond with her new daughter and take care of her family. She’s staying in Washington, DC, for her maternity leave and is available to vote as needed.When she gave birth to her first daughter, she took her maternity leave at her home in Chicago, but this time she and her and her husband decided that she would give birth in the DC area in case she needs to vote, the aide said.
Akaka — a Democrat from Hawaii who served in Congress for more than three decades — died Friday at age 93. He was also responsible for giving Duckworth’s first daughter, Abigail, her middle name of O’kalani. They worked together on veterans’ issues dating back to when she was a patient at Walter Reed and he asked her to testify before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee when he was chairman.