Catherine Dean May (May 18, 1914 – May 28, 2004) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

."May, Catherine Dean (1914–)".
'' Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Gale. 2002. Retrieved January 7, 2013 from

HighBeam Research HighBeam Research was a paid search engine and full text online archive owned by Gale, a subsidiary of Cengage, for thousands of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines, and encyclopedias in English. It was headquar ...

She was the first woman elected to Congress in the state of Washington.

Early life, education, and career

May was born as Catherine Dean Barnes in

Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, and the state's 11th-largest city by population. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The uninco ...

and graduated from Yakima Valley Junior College, in 1934. She earned her B.S. from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington in 1936 and her teaching certificate in 1937. She attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

in 1939. She taught English at Chehalis High School from 1937 to 1940 and was women's editor and a news broadcaster in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

in 1941 and 1942. She headed the radio department for a Seattle advertising agency from 1942 to 1943, and a Seattle insurance company from 1943 to 1944. She then became a writer and assistant commentator for the National Broadcasting Company in New York City from 1944 to 1946 before returning to the Northwest to become women's editor at station KIT in Yakima from 1948 to 1957. She worked as an office manager and medical secretary at the Yakima Medical Center in 1957 and 1958 and served as president of Bedell Associates.

Political career

May served as member of the

Washington State House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 dis ...

from 1952 to 1958. She was the first woman from the state of Washington elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1958, May was elected as a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

to the

Eighty-sixth United States Congress The 86th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1959 ...

. She was subsequently re-elected five times, serving from January 3, 1959 until January 3, 1971. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Washington. While in Congress, May served on the

House Agriculture Committee The U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agriculture policy and oversight of s ...

, ranking member of the House Beauty Shop Committee, and the

Joint Committee on Atomic Energy The Joint Committee on Atomic Energy (JCAE) was a United States congressional committee that was tasked with exclusive jurisdiction over "all bills, resolutions, and other matters" related to civilian and military aspects of nuclear power from 1946 ...

. Upon her marriage to Donald W. Bedell on November 14, 1970, she was known as Catherine May Bedell. She was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninety-second Congress in 1970 and subsequently served on the

United States International Trade Commission The United States International Trade Commission (USITC or I.T.C.) is an agency of the United States federal government that advises the legislative and executive branches on matters of trade. It is an independent, bipartisan entity that analyze ...

from 1971 to 1975 and again from 1979 through 1980. In 1982, she was a Special Consultant to the President on the 50 States Project. In 2004, she was the president of Bedell Associates in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has bee ...

. She died on May 28, 2004 in

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The population was 17,218 at the 2010 census, up from 13,249 at the 2000 census, but the seasonal (part-time) population can exceed 20,000. Incorporated in 1973 and located ...

References

External links

A Few Good Women...The Honorable Catherine May Bedell
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Catherine Dean 1914 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American educators 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians American commentators American radio journalists Schoolteachers from Washington (state) 20th-century American women educators Female members of the United States House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives News editors International Trade Commission personnel People from Rancho Mirage, California Politicians from Yakima, Washington Radio personalities from Washington (state) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state) University of Southern California alumni University of Washington alumni American women editors American women radio journalists Women state legislators in Washington (state) 21st-century American women

Early life, education, and career

Political career

See also

References

External links