Katharine Elkus White | |
|---|---|
 Katharine Elkus White, from a 1964 publication of the US Department of State | |
| United States Ambassador to Denmark | |
| In office June 2, 1964 – September 9, 1968 | |
| President | Lyndon B. Johnson |
| Preceded by | William McCormick Blair Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Angier Biddle Duke |
| Treasurer of New Jersey | |
| Acting 1961 | |
| Governor | Robert B. Meyner |
| Preceded by | John Kervick |
| Succeeded by | John Kervick |
| Chair ofNew Jersey Turnpike Authority | |
| In office 1955–1964 | |
| Governor | Robert B. Meyner Richard J. Hughes |
| Mayor of Red Bank, New Jersey | |
| In office January 1, 1951 – January 1, 1957 | |
| Preceded by | Charles English |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1906-11-25)November 25, 1906 |
| Died | April 24, 1985(1985-04-24) (aged 78) |
| Party | Democratic |
| Parent | Abram Isaac Elkus |
| Occupation |
|
Katharine Elkus White (November 25, 1906 – April 24, 1985) was an AmericanDemocratic Party politician and diplomat, who served asMayor of Red Bank, New Jersey from 1951 to 1956, chairwoman of theNew Jersey Highway Authority (1955-1964), andUnited States Ambassador to Denmark (1964-1968).
White was born in 1906, the daughter ofAbram Isaac Elkus and Gertrude Rosalie Hess. Her father was appointed byWoodrow Wilson to be theUnited States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire. She lived inConstantinople while her father was ambassador there from 1916 to 1919. The family later settled inRed Bank, New Jersey.[1]
She graduated fromVassar College in 1928, and on October 3, 1929 married Arthur J. White, a stockbroker who later became the executive secretary of the New York Clothing Manufacturers Exchange. They raised two children in Red Bank (Lawrence Elkus White, b. 1931, and Frances Elkus White, b. 1933).[2][3]
White became involved in local Democratic politics and unsuccessfully ran for Red Bank Borough Council in 1933, losing by thirteen votes.[4] She also ran unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate fromMonmouth County for theState Assembly in 1934,[5] and for Monmouth CountyBoard of Freeholders in 1935.[3]
She was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in1936,1940,1944, and1948. In 1940 she became a member of theNew Jersey Democratic State Committee and would later serve as vice-chair in 1954.[6]
In 1950 she ran for Mayor of Red Bank, as the Democratic candidate in a predominantlyRepublican town. She defeated her Republican opponent, Stanley O. Wilkins, and was sworn in on January 1, 1951 as Red Bank's first female mayor and the first Democrat to serve in more than twenty years.[7][8] She was re-elected twice, remaining Mayor until 1956.[9]
In 1954, GovernorRobert B. Meyner appointed her a commissioner of the New Jersey Highway Authority, which operated theGarden State Parkway. In 1955 she became chairman of the Highway Authority, a position she held for ten years.[9] She was the first woman in the United States to head a toll road body.[1]
In 1960 she ran for the3rd congressional district in theHouse of Representatives, in an unsuccessful bid to unseat incumbentJames C. Auchincloss.[10] In 1961 she was named acting New JerseyState Treasurer.[11]
On March 4, 1964, at aWomen's National Press Club dinner, PresidentLyndon Johnson announced White's appointment asUnited States Ambassador to Denmark. At the same time Johnson also named nine other women to federal posts, pledging an end to "stag Government."[11]
White served as Ambassador until 1968.[12] After her retirement, she returned to Red Bank, where she worked with local and national organizations, including theUnited Negro College Fund. She also served on the Board of Governors ofRutgers University from 1976 to 1980.[9]
White died at theRiverview Medical Center in Red Bank at the age of 78.[9]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | U.S. Ambassador to Denmark 1964–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Chargé d'Affaires |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Minister Resident | ||
| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary | ||
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary | ||
