Martha Elizabeth Keys (; born August 10, 1930) is an American retired politician who served in the
U.S. House of Representatives from
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...
from 1975 to 1979.
Early life and education
Born in
Hutchinson, Kansas
Hutchinson is the largest city and county seat in Reno County, Kansas, United States, and located on the Arkansas River. It has been home to salt mines since 1887, thus its nickname of "Salt City", but locals call it "Hutch". As of the 2020 ...
, Keys graduated from Paseo High School in
Kansas City, Missouri in 1945. She attended
Olivet College
Olivet College is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Olivet, Michigan. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. It was founded in 1844 by missionaries from Oberlin College, and it followed Oberlin in becom ...
from 1946 to 1947 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the
University of Missouri–Kansas City
The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) is a public research university in Kansas City, Missouri. UMKC is part of the University of Missouri System and one of only two member universities with a medical school. As of 2020, the university ...
in 1951.
Career
Keys was a Democratic campaigner in 1964 and 1968. She ran the McGovern presidential campaign in Kansas in 1972. When
Bill Roy retired from the U.S. Congress she was persuaded to run for the seat by her brother-in-law, Senator
Gary Hart, a Colorado Democrat.
She was elected a
Democrat to the
United States House of Representatives
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 ...
from
Manhattan, Kansas
Manhattan is a city and county seat of Riley County, Kansas, United States, although the city extends into Pottawatomie County. It is located in northeastern Kansas at the junction of the Kansas River and Big Blue River. As of the 2020 c ...
in 1974 and served two terms before being defeated for reelection in 1978. While serving in the House of Representatives, Keys and her husband divorced, and she was remarried to fellow Congressman
Andrew Jacobs Jr. They separated in 1981 and eventually divorced.
She then served as a special adviser to the
Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from February 1979 to May 1980 and as an assistant secretary of education from June 1980 to January 1981. In 1982, Keys was elected to the
Common Cause National Governing Board. Afterwards, she worked as a consultant and as director of the Center for a New Democracy from 1985 to 1986.
Personal life
She married Sam Keys, a university professor and, later, dean of the College of Education at
Kansas State University. Keys's sister, Lee, was married to former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate Gary Hart until her death in 2021.
See also
*
Women in the United States House of Representatives
Women have served in the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber, since the 1916 election of Republican Jeannette Rankin from Montana, the first woman in Con ...
References
External links
Women in Congress: Martha Keys*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Keys, Martha Elizabeth
1930 births
Living people
Female members of the United States House of Representatives
University of Missouri alumni
Politicians from Hutchinson, Kansas
Politicians from Manhattan, Kansas
Women in Kansas politics
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Kansas
21st-century American women