Pat Schroeder, a former US representative who pioneered in Congress for women’s and family rights, passed away on Monday night. She was 82 years old.

Schroeder reportedly experienced a stroke and passed away at a hospital in Celebration, Florida, where she had been living recently, according to Andrea Camp, Schroeder’s former press secretary.

For 24 years, Schroeder challenged the wealthy elite with her razor wit and pranks, shaking up stodgy government institutions by compelling them to accept that women could hold positions of authority.

Pat Schroeder cause of death: How did Pat Schroeder die?

Schroeder claimed she wasn’t eager to join what she dubbed “the good old boys’ club” solely to gain political advantage despite the fact that her unconventional approaches cost her critical committee positions.

She became a symbol for the feminist movement because she was unafraid to make her congressional colleagues look bad in front of the public.

Schroeder won an easy 11 times reelection from her safe seat in Denver after being elected to Congress in Colorado in 1972. She went on to become one of the state’s most important Democrats. She was never chosen to lead a committee despite her seniority.