Vesta M. Roy
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Vesta M. Roy (; March 26, 1925February 9, 2002) was 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 ...
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
politician. She was the first woman to serve as both the
President of the New Hampshire Senate The position of President of the New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 m ...
and acting
governor of New Hampshire The governor of New Hampshire is the head of government of New Hampshire. The governor is elected during the biennial state general election in November of even-numbered years. New Hampshire is one of only two states, along with bordering Verm ...
. She began her brief time as acting governor when the sitting governor fell ill and died prior to the end of his term.


Early life

Vesta M. Roy was born
Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
on March 26, 1925. She graduated from
Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
.


Career

After initially being rejected in the United States for being too young, Roy crossed the border and served the
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...
from 1943 to 1945 during World War II, and was named Leading Air Woman. She then took a job with
Prudential Insurance Company Prudential Financial, Inc. is an American Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, retirement planning, investment management, and other products and services to both retail and institutional customers thr ...
as a Special Agent. In 1974, She also became the first woman to serve as Rockingham County Commissioner. Roy became a member of the New Hampshire House from 1972 to 1973 as a member of the Republican Party. She was a delegate to the New Hampshire Constitutional Convention. Roy served as a state senator from 1978 until 1986. Roy became
President of the New Hampshire Senate The position of President of the New Hampshire Senate The New Hampshire Senate has been meeting since 1784. It is the upper house of the New Hampshire General Court, alongside the lower New Hampshire House of Representatives. It consists of 24 m ...
in December 1982, becoming the first woman in New Hampshire's history to hold that title. When Governor
Hugh Gallen Hugh J. Gallen (July 30, 1924 – December 29, 1982) was an American Car dealership, automobile dealer and Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician from Littleton, New Hampshire. After serving in the New Hampshire House of Represe ...
became ill, Roy performed the duties of governor. Gallen died on December 29, 1982, leaving Roy to serve as
Acting Governor An acting governor is a person who acts in the role of governor. In Commonwealth jurisdictions where the governor is a vice-regal position, the role of "acting governor" may be filled by a lieutenant governor (as in most Australian states) or an ...
of the state for seven days from 1982 to 1983. Roy did not formally take the oath of office to become governor because doing so would have required her to give up her Senate seat. The governor-elect,
John H. Sununu John Henry Sununu (born July 2, 1939) is an American politician who was the 75th governor of New Hampshire from 1983 to 1989 and later White House Chief of Staff under President George H. W. Bush. Born in Cuba to an American father and a Salva ...
, was sworn in on January 6, 1983, ending Roy's brief term. Roy was named 1983 New Hampshire Woman of the Year. She served as an adviser to the New Hampshire campaigns of Republican presidential candidates
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
,
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
, and
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
.


Personal life and death

She was married to optometrist Dr. Albert Roy, with whom she had five children. She had eight grandchildren. She died on February 9, 2002, at her home in Kenmore,
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 * '' ...
, at the age of 76 and was buried at Saint Joseph's Cemetery in East Chelmsford,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
.


See also

*
List of female governors in the United States As of November 2022, 45 women have served or are serving as the governor of a U.S. state (two acting governors due to vacancies) and three women have served or are serving as the governor of an unincorporated U.S. territory. Two women have ser ...


References


External links


The Vesta Roy Excellence in Public Service Series
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roy, Vesta 1925 births 2002 deaths 20th-century American politicians Republican Party governors of New Hampshire Republican Party New Hampshire state senators Politicians from Dearborn, Michigan People from Kenmore, New York Presidents of the New Hampshire Senate Women state governors of the United States Women state legislators in New Hampshire 20th-century American women politicians New York (state) Republicans