Eileen Foley
| Eileen Foley | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire | |
|
In office 1988–1997 |
|
| Preceded by | Mary Keenan |
| Succeeded by | Evelyn Sirrell |
| Mayor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire | |
|
In office 1984–1985 |
|
| Succeeded by | Mary Keenan |
| Mayor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire | |
|
In office 1968–1971 |
|
| Preceded by | Timothy "Ted" Connors |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Helen Dondero February 27, 1918 Portsmouth, New Hampshire |
| Died | February 22, 2016 (aged 97) |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | John J. Foley (1948–1994; his death) |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Syracuse University |
Helen "Eileen" Dondero Foley (February 27, 1918 – February 22, 2016) was an American politician. Foley served as the Mayor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, eight terms from 1968–1971, 1984–1985, and 1988–1997. She remains the longest serving mayor in the city's history. Foley also represented the 24th District in the New Hampshire Senate for seven terms, including one term as the Democratic Party Minority Leader.
Foley followed her mother, Mary Carey Dondero, into politics. Mary Carey Dondero, the first woman to become mayor of Portsmouth, held that office from 1945 to 1947. Portraits of Foley and her mother now hang side-by-side in Portsmouth City Hall. Portsmouth's city council chambers have also been renamed in Eileen Foley's honor.
Foley was born Helen "Eileen" Dondero on February 27, 1918, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. She was one of four daughters of Charles and Mary Carey Dondero. Her father, Charles, was the first male baby of Italian descent to be born in Portsmouth. Her mother, Mary Carey Dondero, was of Irish descent. Her grandparents, who had emigrated from Italy in 1883, owned and operated the Dondero's Fruit and Vegetable Store on Congress Street in Portsmouth. Eileen Foley and her sisters were raised in an apartment above the family's produce store.
On August 17, 1923, Foley, who was five years old at the time, cut the silk ribbon at the dedication ceremony for the Memorial Bridge, which connects Portsmouth with neighboring Kittery, Maine, over the Piscataqua River. The Newsreel Company captured her ribbon cutting on film. She then rode across the new bridge with New Hampshire Governor Fred H. Brown and Maine Governor Percival Proctor Baxter as thousands waited to cross the span, which had cost two million dollars to construct.
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