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Catherine May | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's4th district | |
| In office January 3, 1959 – January 3, 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Hal Holmes |
| Succeeded by | Mike McCormack |
| Member of theWashington House of Representatives for the 14th district | |
| In office 1953–1959 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Catherine Dean Barnes (1914-05-18)May 18, 1914 Yakima, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | May 28, 2004(2004-05-28) (aged 90) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Yakima Valley College University of Washington (BS) University of Southern California |
Catherine Dean May (May 18, 1914 – May 28, 2004) was aU.S. Representative fromWashington.[1] She was the first woman elected to Congress in the state of Washington.
May was born as Catherine Dean Barnes inYakima, Washington, and graduated from Yakima Valley Junior College, in 1934. She earned her B.S. from theUniversity of Washington,Seattle, Washington in 1936 and her teaching certificate in 1937. She attended theUniversity of Southern California inLos Angeles, California, in 1939.[2]
She taught English atChehalis High School from 1937 to 1940 and was women's editor and a news broadcaster inTacoma, Washington, in 1941 and 1942.[2] She headed the radio department for a Seattle advertising agency from 1942 to 1943, and a Seattle insurance company from 1943 to 1944. She then became a writer and assistant commentator for the National Broadcasting Company in New York City from 1944 to 1946 before returning to the Northwest to become women's editor at stationKIT in Yakima from 1948 to 1957. She worked as an office manager and medical secretary at the Yakima Medical Center in 1957 and 1958 and served as president of Bedell Associates.
May served as member of theWashington State House of Representatives from 1952 to 1958.[3] She was the first woman from the state of Washington elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 1958, May was elected as aRepublican to theEighty-sixth United States Congress. She was subsequently re-elected five times, serving from January 3, 1959, until January 3, 1971. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Washington. While in Congress, May served on theHouse Agriculture Committee, ranking member of theHouse Beauty Shop Committee, and theJoint Committee on Atomic Energy.[3] May voted in favor of theCivil Rights Act of 1960,[4]Civil Rights Acts of 1964,[5] and theCivil Rights Act of 1968.[6] She also voted in favor of the24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution but did not vote on theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[7][8]
Upon her marriage to Donald W. Bedell on November 14, 1970, she was known as Catherine May Bedell.
She was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to theNinety-second Congress in 1970 and subsequently served on theUnited States International Trade Commission from 1971 to 1975 and again from 1979 through 1980.[2] In 1982, she was a Special Consultant to the President on the 50 States Project. In 2004, she was the president of Bedell Associates inPalm Desert, California.[1]
She died on May 28, 2004, inRancho Mirage, California.[3]
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromBiographical Directory of the United States Congress.Federal government of the United States.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromWashington's 4th congressional district 1959–1971 | Succeeded by |
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| National | |
| People | |
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