Helen Louise Froelich Holt (August 16, 1913 – July 12, 2015) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

scientist, educator, and politician. She served as the

Secretary of State of West Virginia The Secretary of State of West Virginia is an elected office within the U.S. state of West Virginia state government. The secretary of state is responsible for overseeing the state's election process, including voter registration and election re ...

from 1957 to 1959 and also served in the

West Virginia House of Delegates The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates. Organization Regular sessions begin with ...

from 1955 to 1957. Holt was the first woman to hold a statewide-office in the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. She later worked with the

Federal Housing Administration The Federal Housing Administration (FHA), also known as the Office of Housing within the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is a United States government agency founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, created in part ...

and its successor, the

Department of Housing and Urban Development The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. It is headed by the Secretary of Housing and Urb ...

, to improve long-term care facilities for the elderly. Helen Holt was married to

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Rush Holt Sr. Rush Dew Holt Sr. (June 19, 1905 – February 8, 1955) was an American politician who was a United States Senator from West Virginia (1935–1941) and a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates (1931–1935, 1942–1950, 1954& ...

from 1941 until his death in 1955 and was the mother of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

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 ...

Rush Holt Jr. Rush Dew Holt Jr. (born October 15, 1948) is an American scientist and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2015. He is a member of the Democratic Party and son of former West Virginia U.S. Senator Rush D. Holt Sr. ...

Early life

Holt was born Helen Louise Froelich on August 16, 1913 in rural

Gridley, Illinois Gridley is a village in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,456 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village of Gridley was founded in 1869 and named after Ge ...

, the daughter of Gridley Mayor William E. and Edna M. (''née'' Gingerich) Froelich. Her parents were second generation immigrants from Germany. They were especially patriotic Americans, and her father served as mayor in their small town for more than 20 years. Holt was valedictorian of her high school and the only woman from her class who went on to college. She studied at Stephens College and the

Marine Biological Laboratory The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is an international center for research and education in biological and environmental science. Founded in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, in 1888, the MBL is a private, nonprofit institution that was independent ...

before earning her bachelor's and master's degrees in zoology at

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

. Holt was among just 4% of American women who completed a four-year college degree at that time. She taught biology at the National Park College in

Forest Glen Park, Maryland Forest Glen Park is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland and a residential neighborhood within the Silver Spring census-designated place. The community is adjacent to Rock Creek, Rock Creek Regional Park, and to the Uni ...

and Greenbrier College in

Lewisburg, West Virginia Lewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County. Geography Lewisburg is located approximately one mile north of the Greenbrier River ...

. In 1940, ''Life'' magazine published a glamour shot of her in a spread about the country's prettiest school teachers. The photograph caught the attention of U.S. Senator Rush Holt, and the two were married in 1941. Following her marriage, she moved to

Weston, West Virginia Weston is a city in Lewis County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,943 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lewis County, and home to the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia and the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum ...

and became a close advisor to her husband as well as serving as an officer for the

General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), founded in 1890 during the Progressive Movement, is a federation of over 3,000 women's clubs in the United States which promote civic improvements through volunteer service. Many of its activities ...

Political career

Following Rush's death from cancer in 1955, Helen was appointed by Governor William C. Marland to fill Rush's seat in the

. 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 ...

, she served the remaining two years of his term until choosing not to stand for election and instead to run as 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 ...

. Holt continued to serve as a professor at Greenbrier until 1957 when she was appointed by Republican governor

Cecil Underwood Cecil Harland Underwood (November 5, 1922 – November 24, 2008) was an American Republican Party politician from West Virginia, known for the length of his career. He was the 25th and 32nd Governor of West Virginia from 1957 to 1961, and from ...

to serve as

in 1957 following the death of

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 ...

Daniel Pitt O'Brien Daniel Pitt O'Brien (August 31, 1900 – November 29, 1957) was Secretary of State of West Virginia 1948–1957. O'Brien was born at Buckhannon, Upshur County, West Virginia. His father was judge and politician William S. O'Brien and his mothe ...

. Her appointment made her the first woman to hold a statewide-office in West Virginia. She was one of only 37 women to have held office nationwide at the time, while just two other states from the Appalachian region (Kentucky and Alabama) had female Secretaries of State. She served until January 1959 when she was defeated in the November 1958 general election by Democrat Joe F. Burdett. After her defeat, Holt was appointed in 1959 to be Assistant Commissioner of Public Institutions, a position that oversaw women's prisons and

nursing home A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of elderly or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as skilled nursing facility (SNF) or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms have slightly different meanings to in ...

s in the state. President

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

, whom she had met while serving in the West Virginia State legislature, appointed Holt to the

as special assistant to the commissioner for a program overseeing nursing homes in 1960. In her role as special assistant, Holt helped to reform long-term care facilities and provided insured mortgages to build more than 1,000 nursing homes nationwide. Under seven different U.S. presidents, Holt worked to develop the expansive nursing home and housing system for the elderly that is still in use today. She served in the

's successor, the

until the 1980s. While Holt did not consider herself a feminist and was critical of "women's lib," she nevertheless served on the boards of various women's clubs and organizations, helped advance the careers of other women, and was a role model for women leaders.

Personal life

Holt married the former U.S. Senator

on June 19, 1941. Rush was the youngest person ever elected to the Senate at the age of 29 in 1934. She remained married to him until his death from cancer on February 8, 1955. At the time of his death, Rush was serving in the first month of a term in the West Virginia House of Delegates. Holt had three children, including the

Congressman A Member of Congress (MOC) is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The term member of parliament (MP) is an equivalen ...

from

New Jersey's 12th congressional district New Jersey's 12th congressional district is represented by Democrat Bonnie Watson Coleman, who has served in Congress since 2015. The district is known for its research centers and educational institutions such as Princeton University, Rider ...

Holt never remarried and in 2013, she was a resident of

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, ...

She received an

honorary degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

from

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

in 2013 and turned 100 in August of that year. Holt died in Boca Raton, Florida, of heart failure on July 12, 2015, aged 101, a month shy of her 102nd birthday. Her story has been written, by commission from Holt herself, by author Patricia Daly-Lipe as ''Helen Holt -Memoir of a Servant Leader''.

References

External links

West Virginia & Regional History Center The West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC), is the largest archival collection housing documents and manuscripts involving West Virginia and the surrounding central Appalachian region. Because of name changes over the years, it is some ...

Helen Holt, PapersWest Virginia Secretaries of State 1901-2000

Interview of Helen Holt by West Virginia Secretary of State Natalie Tennant
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holt, Helen F. 1913 births 2015 deaths American centenarians American people of German descent Educators from Illinois Educators from West Virginia Members of the West Virginia House of Delegates Northwestern University alumni Stephens College alumni People from McLean County, Illinois People from Lewisburg, West Virginia People from Forest Glen, Maryland Politicians from Washington, D.C. People from Weston, West Virginia Secretaries of State of West Virginia Spouses of West Virginia politicians United States Department of Housing and Urban Development officials Washington, D.C., Republicans West Virginia Republicans Women in West Virginia politics Women state legislators in West Virginia Women centenarians National Park Seminary faculty American women academics 21st-century American women 20th-century West Virginia politicians