Mary Bono

Mary Bono represented California's 45th District in the United States House of Representatives from 1998-2012. She was elected through a special election, after the death of her husband, U.S. Rep. Sonny Bono.

Bono was born October 24, 1961, in Cleveland, Ohio, and raised in South Pasadena, California. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a Bachelor of Arts in art history in 1984. She married entertainer Sonny Bono in 1986, and worked as a personal fitness instructor and helped managed Bono’s businesses. During Sonny Bono's term as mayor of Palm Springs, California, from 1988-1992, Mary Bono served as the first lady of Palm Springs and also served on the board of the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

In 1994, Sonny Bono was elected to the U.S. House. In January 1998, he was killed in a skiing accident, and Mary Bono won the special election to fill his seat. Bono was defeated in her bid for reelection in 2012.

For more information on Bono's policy subject areas, committee appointments and sponsored/co-sponsored legislation during her time in the U.S. House of Representatives, please visit her profile on https://www.congress.gov.

Sources:

United States House of Representatives. (n.d.). Bono, Mary. Retrieved on October 13, 2020, from https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/B/BONO,-Mary-(B001228)/.