(Reuters) - Former U.S. Representative Margaret "Marge" Roukema of New Jersey, the longest-serving woman in Congress at the time she retired, died on Wednesday at age 85.
Roukema died at Christian Health Care Center in Wycoff, New Jersey, facility spokeswoman Julie Lee said.
The moderate Republican who represented northern New Jersey from 1981 until 2003 was best known as a sponsor of legislation requiring employers to provide 12 weeks of unpaid family leave for employees.
"Congresswoman Marge Roukema was a champion for women and families," New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno said in a statement.
Lee declined to confirm media reports that Roukema had Alzheimer's disease.
(Reporting by Barbara Goldberg in New York; Editing by Peter Cooney)