Representative Pat Danner

Patsy Ann “Pat” Danner (née Berrer; born January 13, 1934, in Louisville, Kentucky) is an American politician who served as a Democratic Representative from Missouri in the United States Congress from 1993 to 2001. She is best known for representing Missouri’s 6th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she contributed to the legislative process during four terms in office and represented the interests of her constituents during a period of significant political and economic change in the United States.

Danner spent her early years in Kentucky before moving to Missouri, where she would establish her personal, educational, and political roots. Details of her childhood and early family life are less extensively documented in public sources, but her later career reflects a long-standing engagement with public service and the civic life of her adopted state. Her move from Kentucky to Missouri set the stage for her emergence as a local and then national political figure.

Before entering Congress, Danner built her career in Missouri politics and public affairs. She became active in the Democratic Party and developed a reputation as a committed advocate for her community. Over time, she gained experience in government and party organization, which helped her develop the legislative and constituent-service skills that would later define her work in Washington. Her pre-congressional career established her as a recognizable figure in northwest Missouri and prepared her to seek higher office.

Danner was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992 as a Democrat from Missouri’s 6th congressional district and took office on January 3, 1993. She served four consecutive terms, remaining in office until January 3, 2001. During her tenure, she participated fully in the democratic process, working on legislation, serving on committees, and engaging in oversight responsibilities typical of a member of the House of Representatives. Her years in Congress coincided with major national debates over federal spending, health care, welfare reform, and agricultural and rural policy, issues of particular importance to many of her Missouri constituents. As a member of the House, she focused on representing the needs and priorities of the 6th district, balancing local concerns with broader national policy questions.

Danner’s congressional service took place during a significant period in American history, spanning the final years of the George H. W. Bush administration, the entirety of the Bill Clinton administration, and the beginning of the George W. Bush era. In this context, she worked within a shifting partisan landscape marked by changes in congressional control and evolving policy priorities. Throughout her four terms, she maintained her affiliation with the Democratic Party and contributed to the party’s legislative agenda while also emphasizing constituent services and responsiveness to the people of northwest Missouri.

After leaving Congress in 2001, Danner stepped back from elective office but remained identified with public service and Democratic politics in Missouri. Her eight years in the House left a record of participation in national legislative affairs and representation of a largely rural and small-town district during a time of economic transition and political realignment. Now retired from public office, she is remembered as one of the notable Democratic representatives from Missouri’s 6th congressional district, having served her constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives during four full terms.