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Martha Keys
Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromKansas's2nd district
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1979
Preceded by	William R. Roy
Succeeded by	James E. Jeffries
Personal details
Born	Martha Elizabeth Ludwig (1930-08-10)August 10, 1930 Hutchinson, Kansas, U.S.
Died	December 19, 2024(2024-12-19) (aged 94) Locust Grove, Virginia, U.S.
Party	Democratic
Spouses	Sam Keys ​ ​ (m. 1949; div. 1975)​ Andrew Jacobs, Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1976; sep. 1981)​
Children	4
Relatives	Gary Hart (brother-in-law)
Education	University of Missouri–Kansas City (BA)

Martha Elizabeth Keys (née Ludwig; August 10, 1930 – December 19, 2024) was an American politician who served in theU.S. House of Representatives fromKansas from 1975 to 1979.

Keys was born inHutchinson, Kansas, the daughter of Clara Krey and S.T. Ludwig.^[1] Keys graduated from Paseo High School inKansas City, Missouri, in 1945. She attendedOlivet College from 1946 to 1947 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at theUniversity of Missouri–Kansas City in 1951.

Keys was a Democratic campaigner in 1964 and 1968. She ran the McGovern presidential campaign in Kansas in 1972. WhenBill Roy retired from the U.S. Congress, her brother-in-law SenatorGary Hart, a Colorado Democrat, persuaded her to run for the seat.

She was elected aDemocrat to theUnited States House of Representatives fromManhattan, Kansas in 1974 and served two terms before being defeated for reelection in 1978. While serving in the House of Representatives, Keys and her husband divorced, and she was remarried to fellow CongressmanAndrew Jacobs Jr. They separated in 1981 and eventually divorced.^[2]

She then served as a special adviser to theSecretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from February 1979 to May 1980 and as an assistant secretary of education from June 1980 to January 1981. In 1982, Keys was elected to theCommon Cause National Governing Board. Afterwards, she worked as a consultant and as director of the Center for a New Democracy from 1985 to 1986.

She married Sam Keys, a university professor and, later, dean of the College of Education atKansas State University. Keys's sister, Lee, was married to former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart until her death in 2021.^[3] Keys died in Locust Grove, Virginia, on December 19, 2024, at the age of 94.^[4][5]

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

• United States Congress."Martha Keys (id: K000162)".Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• Women in Congress: Martha Keys
• Appearances onC-SPAN

• 1930 births
• 2024 deaths
• Female United States representatives
• University of Missouri alumni
• Politicians from Hutchinson, Kansas
• Politicians from Manhattan, Kansas
• Women in Kansas politics
• Democratic Party United States representatives from Kansas
• 21st-century American women
• 20th-century United States representatives

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