Frances Farley (August 27, 1923 ~ January 16, 2004) was a Democratic member of the

Utah State Senate The Utah State Senate is the upper house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The Utah Senate is composed of 29 elected members representing an equal number of senate districts. Each senate district is ...

, representing the state's Senate District 1.Frances Yvonne Farley obituary in Salt Lake Tribune
/ref>

Early life and education

Farley was born August 27, 1923, in

Grand Forks, North Dakota Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...

. She received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...

, and then went to

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, and earned a master's degree in marketing.

Political career

After moving to Utah, Farley was elected a delegate to the

1972 Democratic National Convention The 1972 Democratic National Convention was the presidential nominating convention of the Democratic Party for the 1972 presidential election. It was held at Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida, also the host city of the Rep ...

. In 1976, Farley was elected to the

as a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

. At that time, Democrats were the majority party in the Utah Senate. She served in the Utah Senate until 1982. While in the state legislature, Farley was active in opposing deployment of the MX missile in Utah and Nevada. She also advocated for women in Utah. Her protest against the University Club's male-only policy began a movement which led to the end of such policies in private clubs in Utah."Sen. Frances Farley," Deseret News, January 21, 2004
/ref> Farley ran twice for a seat in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

in Utah's 2nd District. The first run was in 1982, against incumbent Rep.

Dan Marriott David Daniel Marriott (born November 2, 1939) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Utah's 2nd congressional district from 1977 to 1985. Early life and education Born in Bingham, Uta ...

(R-Utah). The second run, in 1984, against Lt. Gov. David S. Monson, was very close: Farley lost by only 472 votes."GOP Disappointed With Gains in the House," CQ Almanac, 1984
/ref> Farley returned to the Utah State Senate for one more term in 1986, and retired from the legislature in 1990. She encouraged other women in Utah, including her successor in Utah Senate District 1,

Karen Shepherd Karen Shepherd (born July 5, 1940) is an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995. Early life Shepherd was born in Silver City, New Mexico, where her father, Ralph Felker, worked for the U.S ...

, to run for office. In 1991, Farley was elected to the

Common Cause Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President L ...

National Governing Board. Frances Farley died in 2004 from Alzheimer's Disease.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farley, Frances 1923 births 2004 deaths Democratic Party Utah state senators Women state legislators in Utah University of Utah alumni Women in Utah politics Politicians from Grand Forks, North Dakota 20th-century American legislators 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women