Get to Know Madeleine Dean, One of the House Impeachment Managers

The Democratic Congresswoman from Montgomery County is a lawyer and former English professor.

WASHINGTON — Madeleine Dean stood in the well of the Senate chamber, her hands together, and laid out the case.

The Democratic Congresswoman from Montgomery County pointed out how former President Donald Trump helped sow doubt in the democratic process and aimed his fans at elected officials across the nation.

“Donald Trump was trying to undermine our election by taking votes away from the American people so that he could remain president,” she said. “And he was willing to blame and betray anyone, anyone, even his own supporters if they got in the way.”

Dean had the air of a friendly professor who has mastered the class material or an attorney confident in her case.

That’s because that’s who she is.

Who is US Rep. Madeleine Dean?

Dean answered that question a bit when she introduced herself Wednesday. 

“I’m a lawyer. I’m a former professor of writing. I’m a sister. I’m a wife,” Dean said. “I’m a mother. I’m a grandmother to three, with a fourth on her way. I’m a person of faith. And I’m an American.”

That doesn’t tell the whole story. Let’s take a closer look at Dean’s history and record.

Dean was born in 1959 in Glenside, Montgomery County, which borders northwest Philadelphia. She is the youngest of seven. Yeah, she’s Catholic. She’s written about her faith. 

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dean has a tattoo of Saint John Baptiste de la Salle on her foot. He is the patron saint of teachers.

She is a graduate of Abington High School, La Salle University, and Widener Law. Dean practiced law for more than 10 years before she switched careers and spent about 10 years teaching English at La Salle University.

Throughout her adult life, she has been involved in politics. 

She was elected at 18 to serve as a local committeeperson in Abington Township, Montgomery County, and later served as a township commissioner.

She won her first race for the state House of Representatives in 2012 and was reelected twice.

In 2018, she ran for—and won—a seat in the US House of Representatives. She was reelected in November for a second term.

What Are the Charges Against Donald Trump? 

Trump is charged with inciting the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol.

With 10 members of his own party voting for impeachment, it was the most bipartisan impeachment in history.

Where Was Dean During the Attack on the Capitol?

Dean spoke emotionally about her experience in the gallery during the attack on the Capitol. 

She heard the police report the breach over their radios and someone shouting, “Duck!”

“Shortly after, there was a terrifying banging on the chamber doors,” she said. “I will never forget that sound. Shouts, and panicked phone calls to my husband and my sons.” 

What Does Dean Do as a House Manager in the Impeachment Trial?

Dean is one of nine House Managers in the impeachment effort. They are the members of the House of Representatives who are appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to act as prosecutors when an official’s impeachment is brought before the Senate. 

On Tuesday, Dean took the Senate through the recent history of Trump’s attempts to overturn the election results.

She showed them his early efforts to throw out votes through court cases across the country. He lost 61 of 62 cases. 

“Then after losing in all the courts, Trump turned to another tactic,” Dean said, “pressuring and threatening election officials.”

She took them through his efforts as they swung from Michigan to Pennsylvania.

“All so he could take the election for himself,” she said. “And then in Georgia, a state Trump had counted on for victory, his conduct was perhaps the most egregious.”

She described his “relentless attack” on Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. She pointed out Trump tweeted 17 times about Raffensperger and his family, who voted for and donated to Trump; Raffensperger then received death threats.

Dean pointed out that news of the threats didn’t stop Trump from continuing his public attacks on officials.

She closed by stressing that the Senate’s responsibility isn’t to a man or a party, but to history and the generations that follow them. 

“Senators, ours is a dialogue with history, a conversation with the past with a hope for the future,” Dean said.