Mary Rose Oakar was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives between 1977 and 1993, representing Ohio's 20th District, and being the first Arab-American member of the House of Representatives. She was Vice Chairperson of the House Democratic Caucus, 1985-1989, and served as president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee. She served in the Ohio House of Representatives, serving Cleveland's 13th District, between 2001 and 2002. In 2012 she was elected to the Ohio State Board of Education to represent the 11th District.