Elsie Hillman
| Elsie Hillman | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Republican National Committee from Pennsylvania |
|
|
In office 1975 – June 8, 1996 |
|
| Preceded by | Sally Stauffer |
| Succeeded by | Anne Anstine |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Elsie Hilliard December 9, 1925 Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, US |
| Died | August 4, 2015 (aged 89) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US |
| Resting place | Homewood Cemetery |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Henry Hillman |
| Children | Juliet Lea Hillman Simonds Audrey Hillman Fisher William Talbott Hillman Henry L. Hillman, Jr. |
| Alma mater |
The Ellis School Ethel Walker School Westminster Choir College |
| Known for | philanthropy |
| Religion | Episcopalian |
Elsie Hilliard Hillman (December 9, 1925 – August 4, 2015) was an American civic and political leader, philanthropist and activist with a lifelong interest in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A Republican National Committeewoman for over 20 years, she was instrumental in electing moderate Republicans, including President George H. W. Bush, Senator John Heinz, and Pennsylvania Governors Dick Thornburgh and Tom Ridge. She worked with Democrats and Republicans alike on issues near to her heart: civil rights, women’s rights, and jobs for people in the Pittsburgh region. Known for her down-to-earth nature and sense of humor, Pittsburghers regularly encountered "Elsie" in her signature headband, as she was active as a philanthropist and civic leader in the city and region.
Hillman was born in Fox Chapel, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh, the daughter of Thomas Jones Hilliard and Marianna Talbott Hilliard. She was raised in the Fox Chapel and Hampton Township areas of Allegheny County before her family moved into the City of Pittsburgh. Hillman and her brothers and sister were taught, through their mother’s example, that they had a responsibility to serve others. Marianna Talbott Hilliard’s own work included leading local volunteers in spotting aircraft over Pittsburgh during World War II, serving on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, and heading the citywide effort to raise money to buy mobile kitchens and hospital equipment for war-bombed England. Hillman began her own volunteering by cleaning instruments for surgeries at Eye and Ear Hospital in Pittsburgh, selling War Bonds, and knitting socks for soldiers. During her elementary and upper school years, Hillman attended the Ellis School in Pittsburgh and the Ethel Walker School in Connecticut. After she graduated from high school, Hillman went to Westminster Choir College in Princeton, N.J. to study piano and voice. (Her grandmother, Catherine Hauk Talbott, founded the college, which now is part of Rider University.) By then, she had fallen in love with Henry Hillman, a U.S. Navy pilot stationed at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, N.Y. She and Hillman had met years earlier in Pittsburgh. They were wed in 1945.
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