Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis (March 22, 1917 – July 3, 1971) was a
Republican Party activist from the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
who was appointed the 33rd
Treasurer of the United States
The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage produc ...
, having served from May 8, 1969, until her death. She was the only treasurer to marry while in office.
Biography
Elston Kabis was born in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in th ...
, to Reginald Hastings Andrews and the former Mabel Aston. She was attending
Maryville College
Maryville College is a private liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The college is one of the ...
in
Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville is a city in and the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, and is a suburb of Knoxville. Its population was 31,907 at the 2020 census.
It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area and a short distance from popular tourist desti ...
, when she married Russell Ransom Elston (1911–1975) in 1936. The couple
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
d in 1960. During the 1940s and 1950s, Elston worked in the legal department at the
Du Pont Company in
Wilmington,
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
. After 1946, she also operated a
nursery farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
in
Middletown.
[Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis biographical information, ''Who's Who in America, 1970–1971'', p. 662]
Elston Kabis became active in Republican politics beginning with the
Eisenhower administration
Dwight D. Eisenhower's tenure as the 34th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1953, and ended on January 20, 1961. Eisenhower, a Republican from Kansas, took office following a landslide victory ov ...
. She worked in the Delaware office of the
Farmers Home Administration
The Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) was a U.S. government agency established in August 1946 to replace the Farm Security Administration. It superseded the Resettlement Administration during the Great Depression and operated until 2006. FmHA mi ...
from 1956 to 1959. She was a delegate to the
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention (RNC) is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1856 by the United States Republican Party. They are administered by the Republican National Committee. The goal of the Repu ...
s in 1956 and 1960, serving on the rules and platform committees. She was also a member of the Delaware Republican State Central Committee from 1954 to 1958.
Considered a
moderate
Moderate is an ideological category which designates a rejection of radical or extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religion. A moderate is considered someone occupying any mainstream position avoiding extreme views. In American ...
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
, Elston endorsed
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...
for
president
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
in 1964 but thereafter announced that she preferred
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), sometimes referred to by his nickname Rocky, was an American businessman and politician who served as the 41st vice president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. A member of t ...
of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, considered the most
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
of serious Republican candidates. However, she supported Nixon's nomination at the convention in
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...
, and was rewarded with an appointment to the office of
Treasurer of the United States
The treasurer of the United States is an officer in the United States Department of the Treasury who serves as custodian and trustee of the federal government's collateral assets and the supervisor of the department's currency and coinage produc ...
, the fifth consecutive woman to hold the position.
[Donald T. Critchlow, ''Phyllis Schlafly and Grassroots Conservatism'', Princeton University Press, 2005, pp. 138–59]
Elston Kabis joined the
GOP
The Republican Party, also referred to as the GOP ("Grand Old Party"), is one of the Two-party system, two Major party, major contemporary political parties in the United States. The GOP was founded in 1854 by Abolitionism in the United Stat ...
women's auxiliary group, the
National Federation of Republican Women
The National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) is the women's wing of the Republican Party in the United States.
Overview
Founded in 1938 by Joyce Porter Arneill and Marion Martin, it is a grassroots political organization with more than 1, ...
, in 1954 and was elected president at the NFRW convention in 1962, a post that she held from 1963 to 1968. The most publicized of all NFRW elections was held in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, in 1967 to choose a successor to Elston. Normally the first vice president, then conservative
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Stewart Schlafly (; born Phyllis McAlpin Stewart; August 15, 1924 – September 5, 2016) was an American attorney, conservative activist, author, and anti-feminist spokesperson for the national conservative movement. She held paleocons ...
, would have been unopposed for the top position. When Schlafly sought to move up to the presidency, however, Elston worked covertly against her, and Schlafly lost to
Gladys O'Donnell
Gladys may refer to:
* Gladys (given name), people with the given name Gladys
* ''Gladys'' (album), a 2013 album by Leslie Clio
* ''Gladys'' (film), 1999 film written and directed by Vojtěch Jasný
* Gladys, Virginia, United States
* ''Gladys t ...
, a favorite of the Republican moderates, who drew the active support of Governors Nelson Rockefeller,
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller (May 1, 1912 – February 22, 1973) was an American politician and philanthropist. Rockefeller was the fourth son and fifth child of American financer John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. He is one of the g ...
of
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
, and
George Romney of
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
.
Elston Kabis was also active in the
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...
as well as the
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
Church.
Elston Kabis died of a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...
in
Sheffield, Massachusetts, at 54 while visiting her father's grave.
In her honor, the NFRW established an internship program for young women.
Name change
Following her appointment as treasurer by U.S. President
Richard M. Nixon as Dorothy Andrews Elston, she married Walter L. Kabis (1914–2009), a World War II Pacific Navy veteran on the
USS ''England'' (DE-635) and a school principal from Wilmington, Delaware, in 1970 and changed her name to Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis.
She became the first (and so far only) treasurer to have their name changed while in office, an event significant because the signature of the Treasurer of the United States appears on U.S. paper currency.
As Elston, Kabis signature appeared on the series 1969
one-dollar bill. The resulting change in Kabis' signature appeared first on the Series 1969A note, so designated to show a different name as treasurer, even though it was the same person.
Richard Nixon: Statement Announcing Nomination of Romana A. Banuelos as Treasurer of the United States
The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara, California with 23,196 undergraduate ...
, 2007. Accessed July 23, 2007.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabis, Dorothy
1917 births
1971 deaths
Treasurers of the United States
People from Wilmington, Delaware
Delaware Republicans
Methodists from Delaware
Politicians from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
American horticulture businesspeople
Farmers from Delaware
Women in Delaware politics
American women farmers
20th-century American businesspeople
20th-century American businesswomen
20th-century American politicians
People from Middletown, Delaware