The Honorable Mary Lou Rath

The Honorable Mary Lou Rath is a lifelong resident of Erie County, growing up in Kenmore, graduating from Buffalo State College and now residing in Williamsville.

Senator Rath served in the Erie County Legislature from 1978 to 1993, when she was elected to the New York State Senate. She retired in 2008, after proudly serving 15 years in the State Senate and 30 years in public service. It is fitting to honor Senator Rath, as she was instrumental in starting the Women of Distinction program in the New York State Senate in 1998.

Senator Rath was also the first woman elected to the 15th District of the Erie County Legislature and to the 60th District of the New York State Senate. In 1997, she was inducted into the Western New York Women’s Hall of Fame, recognized as a woman who has made a major positive influence on life in Western New York.

In the New York State Senate, Senator Rath served as Chair of the Local Government and Tourism Committees and as Chair of the Long Term Care Task Force of the Health Committee. She has also served on numerous boards and committees in her community, and her dedication to the betterment of New York State is widely recognized by her family, friends and colleagues across the state.

Senator Rath and her late husband, New York State Supreme Court Judge Edward A. Rath Jr., raised their three children, Allison Garvey, Melinda Sanderson and County Legislator Edward Rath III, in Williamsville. All now live in the Town of Amherst with their families.