Edith Green
Encyclopedia
Edith Louise Starrett Green (January 17, 1910 – April 21, 1987) was an American politician and educator in the state of Oregon
. A native of South Dakota
, she was raised in Oregon and completed her education at the University of Oregon
and Stanford University
. She was a school teacher and an advocate of education before entering politics in 1952 when she lost a bid to become Oregon Secretary of State
. A Democrat
, she then ran for Congress
in 1954 and became the second congresswoman from Oregon. Green served ten terms in the House
, holding office from 1955 to 1974.
. Her family moved to Oregon in 1916, where she attended schools in Salem
, attending Willamette University
from 1927 to 1929. She became a schoolteacher in 1929, married Arthur N. Green in 1930, and left school to begin a family.
In 1939, Green went back to school and earned a bachelor's degree
from the University of Oregon
and did graduate study at Stanford University
. She became a radio commentator and writer in the 1940s, but her interest in educational issues led her to become a lobbyist for the Oregon Education Association
.
, Green first ran for political office in 1952 as the Democratic candidate for Oregon Secretary of State
. She was defeated in a close race by incumbent Earl T. Newbry
. In 1954
, she was elected as the representative for Oregon's 3rd congressional district
, defeating Republican
nominee (and future Oregon governor
) Tom McCall
. Green was the second woman (after Nan Wood Honeyman
) to be elected to the House from Oregon, and one of only 17 women in the House at the time of her election.
In her ten terms in the House, Green focused on women's issues, education and social reforms. In 1955, Green proposed the Equal Pay Act
, to ensure that men and women were paid equally for equal work. The bill was signed into law eight years later. Other significant legislation that she introduced included the Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act
of 1956, which reformed the mental health care system of the then Alaska Territory
; the Library Service Bill, which provided access to libraries for rural communities; the Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963, which Lyndon Johnson called "the greatest step forward in the field since the passage of the Land-Grant Act
of 1862," and the Higher Education Act of 1965
and 1967. Green's commitment to education earned her the moniker "Mrs. Education."
Green also provided significant input to the National Defense Education Act
of 1958, intended to keep the United States ahead of the Soviet Union
during the space race
after the launch of Sputnik 1
.
Green is probably most noted for her work helping to develop the legislation that was to become Title IX
, now-called the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. The law prohibited sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions. In the late 1960s, after noting that while programs existed to keep boys in school but no similar programs existed for girls, Green sought to correct this inequity. She helped to introduce a higher education bill that contained provisions regarding gender equity in education. The hearings on this bill, working together with fellow Representative Patsy Mink
and Senator Birch Bayh
, eventually resulted in the passage of Title IX in 1972.
Senator Mark Hatfield
called Green "the most powerful woman ever to serve in the Congress." Adlai Stevenson selected her to second his nomination at the 1956 Democratic National Convention
, and she headed the state primary campaigns for John F. Kennedy
, Robert F. Kennedy
, and Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson
.
Green herself was considered a contender for U.S. Senate several times, most notably in 1966 against eventual winner Hatfield, but she declined each time to turn her House seniority for junior status in the Senate.
. She returned to Portland and became a professor of government at Warner Pacific College
. She was appointed to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education
in 1979. Later living in Wilsonville
, she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan
to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships
in 1981. Edith Green died on April 21, 1987 in Tualatin
and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Ashland. The Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal Building
in Downtown Portland is named in her honor along with fellow Congressperson Wendell Wyatt
, whom she served alongside of during part of her tenure in Congress.
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. A native of South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, she was raised in Oregon and completed her education at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. She was a school teacher and an advocate of education before entering politics in 1952 when she lost a bid to become Oregon Secretary of State
Oregon Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor. The duties of office are: auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, she then ran for Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
in 1954 and became the second congresswoman from Oregon. Green served ten terms in the House
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
, holding office from 1955 to 1974.
Early life
She was born Edith Louise Starrett in Trent, South DakotaTrent, South Dakota
Trent is a town in Moody County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 232 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Trent is located at , along the Big Sioux River....
. Her family moved to Oregon in 1916, where she attended schools in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, attending Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
from 1927 to 1929. She became a schoolteacher in 1929, married Arthur N. Green in 1930, and left school to begin a family.
In 1939, Green went back to school and earned a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
and did graduate study at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. She became a radio commentator and writer in the 1940s, but her interest in educational issues led her to become a lobbyist for the Oregon Education Association
Oregon Education Association
The Oregon Education Association is the largest public education employees' union in the U.S. state of Oregon, representing more than 46,000 teachers and classified personnel. It has local affiliates in each of the state's 199 public school districts, and 8 community colleges...
.
Political career
A DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Green first ran for political office in 1952 as the Democratic candidate for Oregon Secretary of State
Oregon Secretary of State
The Secretary of State of Oregon, an elected constitutional officer within the executive branch of government of the U.S. state of Oregon, is first in line of succession to the Governor. The duties of office are: auditor of public accounts, chief elections officer, and administrator of public...
. She was defeated in a close race by incumbent Earl T. Newbry
Earl T. Newbry
Earl T. Newbry was an American businessman and politician from the state of Oregon. A native of Colorado, he served as the twenty-fifth Secretary of State of Oregon after appointment by Oregon Governor John Hubert Hall...
. In 1954
United States House elections, 1954
The U.S. House election, 1954 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1954 which occurred in the middle of President Dwight Eisenhower's first term...
, she was elected as the representative for Oregon's 3rd congressional district
Oregon's 3rd congressional district
Oregon's 3rd congressional district covers most of Multnomah County, including Portland east of the Willamette River, Gresham, and Troutdale. It also includes the northern part of Clackamas County, including Milwaukie. Parts of northwest Portland also lie within the district...
, defeating Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nominee (and future Oregon governor
Governor of Oregon
The Governor of Oregon is the top executive of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. territorial governments....
) Tom McCall
Tom McCall
Thomas Lawson McCall was an American politician and journalist in the state of Oregon. A Republican, he was the 30th Governor of Oregon from 1967 to 1975. A native of Massachusetts, he grew up there and in Central Oregon before attending the University of Oregon...
. Green was the second woman (after Nan Wood Honeyman
Nan Wood Honeyman
Nan Wood Honeyman was an American politician from the state of Oregon. A native of New York, she was the daughter of author and attorney Charles Erskine Scott Wood. After growing up in Oregon, she served in the Oregon House of Representatives and the Oregon State Senate...
) to be elected to the House from Oregon, and one of only 17 women in the House at the time of her election.
In her ten terms in the House, Green focused on women's issues, education and social reforms. In 1955, Green proposed the Equal Pay Act
Equal Pay Act of 1963
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 is a United States federal law amending the Fair Labor Standards Act, aimed at abolishing wage disparity based on sex . It was signed into law on June 10, 1963 by John F. Kennedy as part of his New Frontier Program...
, to ensure that men and women were paid equally for equal work. The bill was signed into law eight years later. Other significant legislation that she introduced included the Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act
Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act
The Alaska Mental Health Enabling Act of 1956 was an Act of Congress passed to improve mental health care in the United States territory of Alaska. It became the focus of a major political controversy after opponents nicknamed it the "Siberia Bill" and denounced it as being part of a communist...
of 1956, which reformed the mental health care system of the then Alaska Territory
Alaska Territory
The Territory of Alaska was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 24, 1912, until January 3, 1959, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Alaska...
; the Library Service Bill, which provided access to libraries for rural communities; the Higher Education Facilities Act of 1963, which Lyndon Johnson called "the greatest step forward in the field since the passage of the Land-Grant Act
Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
The Morrill Land-Grant Acts are United States statutes that allowed for the creation of land-grant colleges, including the Morrill Act of 1862 and the Morrill Act of 1890 -Passage of original bill:...
of 1862," and the Higher Education Act of 1965
Higher Education Act of 1965
The Higher Education Act of 1965 was legislation signed into United States law on November 8, 1965, as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society domestic agenda. Johnson chose Texas State University–San Marcos as the signing site...
and 1967. Green's commitment to education earned her the moniker "Mrs. Education."
Green also provided significant input to the National Defense Education Act
National Defense Education Act
The National Defense Education Act , signed into law on September 2, 1958, provided funding to United States education institutions at all levels. The act authorized funding for four years, increasing funding per year: for example, funding increased on eight program titles from 183 million dollars...
of 1958, intended to keep the United States ahead of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during the space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
after the launch of Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1
Sputnik 1 ) was the first artificial satellite to be put into Earth's orbit. It was launched into an elliptical low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union on 4 October 1957. The unanticipated announcement of Sputnik 1s success precipitated the Sputnik crisis in the United States and ignited the Space...
.
Green is probably most noted for her work helping to develop the legislation that was to become Title IX
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a United States law, enacted on June 23, 1972, that amended Title IX of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 2002 it was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, in honor of its principal author Congresswoman Mink, but is most...
, now-called the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. The law prohibited sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions. In the late 1960s, after noting that while programs existed to keep boys in school but no similar programs existed for girls, Green sought to correct this inequity. She helped to introduce a higher education bill that contained provisions regarding gender equity in education. The hearings on this bill, working together with fellow Representative Patsy Mink
Patsy Mink
Patsy Matsu Takemoto Mink was an American politician from the U.S. state of Hawaii. Mink was a third generation Japanese American and member of the Democratic Party. She also was the Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs.Mink served in the U.S...
and Senator Birch Bayh
Birch Bayh
Birch Evans Bayh II is a former United States Senator from Indiana, having served from 1963 to 1981. He was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president in the 1976 election, but lost to Jimmy Carter. He is the father of former Indiana Governor and former U.S. Senator Evan Bayh.-Life...
, eventually resulted in the passage of Title IX in 1972.
Senator Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
called Green "the most powerful woman ever to serve in the Congress." Adlai Stevenson selected her to second his nomination at the 1956 Democratic National Convention
1956 Democratic National Convention
The 1956 National Convention of the Democratic Party nominated former Governor Adlai Stevenson of Illinois for President and Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee for Vice President. It was held in the International Amphitheatre on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois August 13–17 1956. Unsuccessful...
, and she headed the state primary campaigns for John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, Robert F. Kennedy
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
, and Henry M. "Scoop" Jackson
Henry M. Jackson
Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson was a U.S. Congressman and Senator from the state of Washington from 1941 until his death...
.
Green herself was considered a contender for U.S. Senate several times, most notably in 1966 against eventual winner Hatfield, but she declined each time to turn her House seniority for junior status in the Senate.
After Congress
Green did not seek an eleventh term in 1974, and resigned on December 31, 1974, just before her final term expired; she was succeeded by Robert B. DuncanRobert B. Duncan
Robert Blackford Duncan was an American politician from the state of Oregon. A Democrat, he served multiple terms in the Oregon Legislative Assembly and as a U.S. congressman from Oregon. In the Oregon House of Representatives he served as speaker for four years, and in the U.S. House he...
. She returned to Portland and became a professor of government at Warner Pacific College
Warner Pacific College
Warner Pacific College is an urban, Christian liberal arts college located in Southeast Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1937, the college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities...
. She was appointed to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education
Oregon State Board of Higher Education
The Oregon State Board of Higher Education is the statutory governing board for the Oregon University System. The board is composed of eleven members appointed by the Governor of Oregon and confirmed by the Oregon State Senate...
in 1979. Later living in Wilsonville
Wilsonville, Oregon
Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County. Originally founded as Boones Landing due to the Boones Ferry which crossed the Willamette River at the location, the community became Wilsonville in...
, she was appointed by President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
to the President's Commission on White House Fellowships
White House Fellows
The White House Fellows program was established by President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson in October 1964. President Johnson articulated that the mission of the program was "to give the Fellows first hand, high-level experience with the workings of the federal government and to increase...
in 1981. Edith Green died on April 21, 1987 in Tualatin
Tualatin, Oregon
Tualatin is a city located primarily in Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. A small portion of the city is also located in neighboring Clackamas County. It is a southwestern suburb in the Portland Metropolitan Area that is located south of Tigard...
and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Ashland. The Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal Building
Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal Building
The Edith Green – Wendell Wyatt Federal Building is a high rise structure in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1975, the 18 story-tower is owned by the Federal Government. The international style office building has more than of space...
in Downtown Portland is named in her honor along with fellow Congressperson Wendell Wyatt
Wendell Wyatt
Wendell Wyatt was a Republican United States Representative from Oregon's 1st congressional district who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1964 until 1975.- Life before Congress :...
, whom she served alongside of during part of her tenure in Congress.