Mary Foust | |
|---|---|
| Auditor ofKentucky | |
| In office January 1970 – January 5, 1976 | |
| Governor | Louie Nunn Wendell Ford Julian Carroll |
| Preceded by | James Thompson |
| Succeeded by | George L. Atkins |
| In office January 2, 1956 – January 4, 1960 | |
| Governor | Happy Chandler Bert Combs |
| Preceded by | Herbert Tinsley |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Schneider |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1909-10-15)October 15, 1909 New Albany, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 1999(1999-12-17) (aged 90) Shelbyville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (Before 1978) Republican (1978–1999) |
| Education | Georgetown College (BA) University of Louisville (JD) |
Mary Louise Foust (October 15, 1909 – December 17, 1999) served three terms as theKentucky Auditor of Public Accounts and was the first woman to run forGovernor of Kentucky. She was also the first woman in the state to be a licensed attorney and acertified public accountant.[1]
Foust was born inNew Albany, Indiana toBaptist minister Rev. David T. Foust and Mary Margaret (Rippel) Foust. She would have a younger brother named David Rippel Foust. Her family moved toShelbyville, Kentucky where she graduated high school. She received her degrees fromGeorgetown College and theUniversity of Louisville School of Law and began working for the state in 1938 as a filing clerk in the Department of Revenue.[1]
She was first elected as Auditor of Public Accounts as aDemocrat in 1955 and served a four-year term. She was the first woman elected to that position.[2] In 1963 she ran as acandidate for governor, again being the first woman to do so.[1] She came in third in the Democratic primary behind eventual governorNed Breathitt andHappy Chandler.[3] In 1969, she was elected to finish the term ofClyde Conley, who had died. She was re-elected for a full term from 1972 to 1976.[1] She ran for governor again in 1975 but lost in theDemocratic primary to eventual winnerJulian Carroll.[4]
Foust had always been known as a political maverick and she became very critical ofWendell Ford and Julian Carroll.[1] In the late 1970s she switched parties to become aRepublican.
She ran for theUnited States House of Representatives in 1978 but dropped out of the race in favor ofLarry Hopkins.[5] 1n 1979 she won the Republican nomination to again run for state auditor but lost in the general election toJames B. Graham.[6] In 1980 she won the Republican nomination for theUnited States Senate race but lost in the general election to Wendell Ford.[7]
When not in office, Foust practiced law in Shelbyville andLexington. As a CPA, she worked with Bittner and Clark inSan Francisco,United States Steel Corporation in New Albany, and Humphrey Robinson and Company inLouisville. She was licensed to practice law before the United States Supreme Court.[1]
Foust died in Shelbyville. She was the thirteenth person to lie in state in theKentucky Capitol Rotunda. She is buried inFloyds Knobs, Indiana.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Auditor ofKentucky 1955–1959 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Auditor ofKentucky 1969–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by John W. Greene | Democratic nominee forKentucky Auditor of Public Accounts 1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Richard "Dick" T. Combs | Republican nominee forKentucky Auditor of Public Accounts 1979 | Succeeded by Ronald B. Halleck |
| Preceded by | Republican nominee forU.S. Senator fromKentucky (Class 3) 1980 | Succeeded by |