Rep. Louis Slaughter, an institution of New York politics and a groundbreaking Democrat on Capitol Hill, died early Friday morning after sustaining a head injury in a fall at her Washington residence last week.

The 88-year-old Slaughter made history in 2007, becoming the first woman to take the gavel of the powerful House Rules Committee, and was instrumental in securing some of the Democrats’ most significant legislative victories of the last decade, including ObamaCare and the law tackling lawmaker insider trading.

Slaughter's office announced her passing in a statement Friday morning.

“In her lifetime of public service and unwavering commitment to working families, Congresswoman Slaughter embodied the very best of the American spirit and ideals,” Pelosi said in a statement.

ADVERTISEMENT “Her strong example inspired countless young women to know their power, and seek their rightful place at the head of the decision-making table.”

Born in Kentucky and educated in microbiology, Slaughter moved to New York after graduate school, cutting her teeth in local and state politics before first arriving on Capitol Hill in 1987. She made an early mark as a champion of homeless children, women's reproductive rights, environmental protection of the Great Lakes region and the manufacturing sector surrounding her Rochester district. Following the Democratic wave of 2006, she seized the Rules gavel, becoming the first women in the nation’s history to chair the panel.

“She had deep convictions — on both issues important to the people of Rochester, and for the integrity and honesty of the political system,” Schumer said in a statement.

“The ferocity of her advocacy was matched only by the depth of her compassion and humanity.”

“Louise was a relentless and tireless fighter," Dreier said in a statement to The Hill. "In a late night Rules Committee meeting she told me she that she was like a pack horse. Her voice will be missed in Congress. I will miss her.”

As a legislator, Slaughter led a years-long charge against lawmaker insider trading, authoring bills designed to prevent lawmakers and staffers from profiting on non-public information. In 2012, the work paid off when President Obama signed the Stock Act into law.

Slaughter didn’t always win her requests, but both sides of the aisle respected her tenacity.