A Congresswoman who just retired after representing parts of the Central and South Coasts has left part of her legacy to a university.
Longtime Democratic Congresswoman Lois Capps of Santa Barbara has donated her nearly two decades worth of papers to UC Santa Barbara. The documents will be a part of the UCSB Library’s Department of Special Collections.
There are 130 boxes of papers which will be available for future research.
Capps has a special tie to UCSB. Her late husband Walter was a professor there, who ran for the congressional office and won in 1996. When he suddenly died nine months after taking office, Lois Capps ran for the seat in a 1998 special election, and held it until she decided to retire last year.
The 24th Congressional District includes all of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, and a sliver of Ventura County.
