Helen Delich Bentley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's2nd district | |
| In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Clarence Long |
| Succeeded by | Robert Ehrlich |
| Chairwoman of theFederal Maritime Commission | |
| In office 1969–1975 | |
| Nominated by | Richard Nixon |
| Preceded by | John Harllee[1] |
| Succeeded by | Karl Bakke[2][3] |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Helen Delich (1923-11-28)November 28, 1923 Ruth, Nevada, U.S. |
| Died | August 6, 2016(2016-08-06) (aged 92) Timonium, Maryland, U.S. |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Alma mater | University of Missouri |
Helen Bentley (néeDelich; November 28, 1923 – August 6, 2016) was an American politician who was aRepublican member of theUnited States House of Representatives fromMaryland from 1985 to 1995. Before entering politics, she had been a leading maritime reporter and journalist.[4]
Bentley was born in the copper-mining town ofRuth, Nevada.[5] Her parents were immigrantSerbians, and her father was a miner.[4][6] When Bentley was eight years old, her father died ofsilicosis, a common miner's disease, and Bentley took a part-time job in a dress shop while her mother took in boarders to support the family.[6]
While at high school, she had her first experiences of journalism and politics while working on the weekly newspaper ofEly, Nevada, which was published by Republican state legislatorCharles Russell.[4] She won scholarships to study journalism at theUniversity of Missouri, graduating in 1944 after earning aBA degree with honors.[4][7] While at college, she worked on the successfulU.S. Senate campaign of Nevada DemocratJames G. Scrugham, and was appointed his Senate secretary.[6]
After she graduated, Bentley worked for small-town newspapers inFort Wayne, Indiana, andLewiston, Idaho, but she wanted to report hard news for a larger publication; at the time, most female journalists were limited to writing society news.[6] She wrote to all the main East Coast newspapers and, in 1945,The Baltimore Sun offered her a reporting position.[4] She initially reported on labor and union matters, but was subsequently allocated maritime and waterfront news, a significant beat in a city and statewhose port contributed heavily to the economy.[4][8] She became a widely respected maritime reporter, dealing with people from dock workers to state politicians, and also writing for port agencies and shipping companies.[6]
Beginning in 1950, Bentley hosted a local Baltimore TV program onWMAR,The Port That Built a City, presenting maritime and transportation-related news.[9] Later retitledThe Port That Built a City and State, the series was produced by Bentley until 1965 and included then-novellive remotes from the decks of ships in Baltimore harbor during the early years of television.[10]
During theVietnam War, Bentley became aware of the congestion in the port ofSaigon, and traveled there to report on the problems of supplying American troops.President Johnson became aware of her report, and subsequently improvements were made to port facilities inCam Ranh Bay to relieve pressure on Saigon.[4]
In 1969, Bentley was offered a seat on theFederal Maritime Commission. She declined and asked for the position of chair instead. She was appointed and chaired the commission from 1969 to 1975.[6] The position made her the highest-ranking woman inPresident Nixon's administration.[4][8] During her tenure, Bentley advocated for federal support for American shipbuilding yards.[6]
Bentley challengedDemocratic incumbentClarence Long inMaryland's 2nd congressional district in 1980 and 1982. She defeated Long on her third attempt in 1984, and was elected to the99th Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1985, to January 3, 1995.[6]
During her time in office, Bentley advocated forprotectionist trade policies to support U.S. manufacturing and theU.S. Merchant Marine fleet.[4] She also introduced legislation that enabled theChesapeake Bay to be dredged, allowing larger cargo ships to use the port of Baltimore.[4] In the 1990s, she was sympathetic towards Serbians during thecivil war inYugoslavia, and opposed U.S. military involvement in that conflict.[6]
In 1994, Bentley declined to run for reelection to the104th Congress, choosing instead to seek the GOP nomination forgovernor of Maryland. Despite an endorsement from the incumbent governor, DemocratWilliam Donald Schaefer,[11] she was defeated in the Republican primary by the more conservativeEllen Sauerbrey.[8]
When Bentley's successor in Congress,Bob Ehrlich, gave up his seat, she sought to retake the seat in2002.Redistricting had made the district significantly more Democratic by adding a large slice ofBaltimore proper, which Bentley had never represented. She lost toBaltimore County ExecutiveDutch Ruppersberger.[6]
In 1995, Bentley founded Helen Bentley & Associates, Inc., and provided consultancy services on international trade, business and government.[4][12] She also served as a consultant for the Maryland Port Administration and thePort of Baltimore and served on the Board of Trustees for theBaltimore Museum of Industry and the Maritime Industries Academy High School.[8][13]
In 2004, Bentley was inducted into theInternational Maritime Hall of Fame.[4] In 2006, as part of thePort of Baltimore's 300th anniversary celebrations, the port was renamed the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.[12]
Bentley was also inducted into theMaryland Women's Hall of Fame, and was a recipient of the Speaker's Medallion, First Citizen Award, and Governor's International Leadership Award from the state government of Maryland.[16]
Bentley was married to William Roy Bentley, who died in 2003 from a stroke. The couple had no children.
She died of brain cancer in August 2016 at the age of 92, at her home inTimonium, Maryland.[4][8]
Glendening showed up to break bread with the same Schaefer who endorsed Republicans George Bush for president, Helen Delich Bentley for governor and John G. Gary for Anne Arundel County executive.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives fromMaryland's 2nd congressional district 1985–1995 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
