Jacque Batt (née Fallis, January 31, 1926 – September 7, 2014) was an American First Lady. She was the First Lady of Idaho while her husband

Phil Batt Philip Eugene Batt (born March 4, 1927) is an American politician who served as the 29th governor of Idaho from 1995 to 1999. Batt had previously served as the 35th lieutenant governor of Idaho, Chair of the Idaho Republican Party, and as a memb ...

was

Governor of Idaho 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 ...

from January 2, 1995 to January 4, 1999. She was instrumental in founding the Pink Tea in 1998, an organization that raised money for free mammograms for women in need.

Biography

Jacque Elaine Fallis was born to Gordon and Mary Fallis on January 31, 1926. She had two brothers, Bill and Bob Fallis. She met Phil Batt at the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho. It is the state's land-grant and primary research university,, and the lead university in the Idaho Space Grant Consortium. The Universit ...

, and eloped with him on January 9, 1948 in

Potlatch, Idaho Potlatch is a city in the northwest United States, located in north central Idaho in Latah County, about east of the border with Washington. On the Palouse north of Moscow, it is served by State Highway 6, and bordered on the northeast by the sm ...

. She was a member of the

Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta Delta (), also known as Tri Delta, is an international women's fraternity founded on November 27, 1888 at Boston University by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond, Isabel Morgan Breed, and Florence Isabelle Stewart. Tri Delta part ...

sorority Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradua ...

at the University of Idaho. She was active in Republican party organizations, serving as president of the Canyon County Republican Women's Club in 1971, and was also active in Legisladies, an organization for the wives of Idaho legislators, serving as its president in 1977. She worked with her successor Patricia Kempthorne to found the Pink Tea in 1998, an organization that raised money for free mammograms for women in need. She also worked as a volunteer phoning mothers to remind them about their children's immunizations. She was known for her humble attitude to the role of First Lady, being reported to take the household washing to a laundromat. Batt was active in the Ninety-Nines, a women's airplane pilot organization, which she joined in 1963. Batt served as the secretary of the Idaho chapter in 1966, and later as Idaho Chapter Chairman. She competed in the Idaho Air Race with the Ninety-Nines, and flew into Mexico and Canada. She also donated to the organization. She had three children with Phil: William, Rebecca, and Leslie Ann. Batt died September 7, 2014 and was survived by her husband, whom she had been married to for 66 years. When Batt died, Idaho Governor

Butch Otter Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2006, and reelected in 2010, and 2014. Otter ...

released the following statement: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jacque Batt. We will never forget the enduring strength of her 66-year marriage to Governor Phil Batt and her grace as Idaho’s First Lady. She was a deeply caring and compassionate woman who left us all better for having known her. Our thoughts and prayers are with Governor Batt, his family and all those who knew and loved Jacque."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batt, Jacque First Ladies and Gentlemen of Idaho Idaho Republicans 1926 births 2014 deaths University of Idaho alumni