Margaret Lowenthal
| Margaret Louise Welsh Lowenthal | |
|---|---|
| Louisiana State Representative for District 35 (Calcasieu Parish) | |
|
In office March 1980 – March 1988 |
|
| Preceded by | Harry Hollins |
| Succeeded by | Vic Stelly |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 9, 1929 |
| Died | July 19, 2003 (aged 74) Houston, Texas |
| Resting place | Big Woods Cemetery in Edgerly in Calcasieu Parish |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Joseph Lowenthal |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence |
Lake Charles Calcasieu Parish |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation | Businesswoman, radio and television announcer |
Margaret Louise Welsh Lowenthal, listed on her grave marker as Margaret L. Welsh (July 9, 1929 – July 19, 2003), was the first woman to represent Calcasieu Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives, with service in District 35 from 1980 to 1988. She ran unsuccessfully in 1986 for the United States House of Representatives for Louisiana's 7th congressional district, since disbanded.
Lowenthal, a long-term resident of Lake Charles, Louisiana, attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge but graduated with degrees in English and speech from Baptist-affiliated Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She worked as a radio and television announcer, owned a public relations agency, worked as a private counselor, and served on the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury until her election in 1979 to the state House of Representatives.
As a legislator, she authored numerous bills relating to the environment, the arts, health, education, family violence, taxation, juvenile delinquency, forced heirship, utilities, and women's issues. In 1983. she was named "Legislator of the Year" by the Louisiana Arts Council. She pushed for extra funds when Sam Houston High School in Lake Charles burned.
In 1985, Representative Lowenthal got into a public dispute with her fellow Democrat, Victor Bussie, the long-term president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO. While addressing the Lake Charles Optimist Club at its regular luncheon meeting, Lowenthal claimed that she had been told by an unidentified representative of Boeing that the firm had considered locating a manufacturing facility in Louisiana, but ultimately chose Mississippi because of Louisiana's unstable political climate and its longstanding problems with public education. Lowenthal said that she was told further by the Boeing representative that, "'As long as you have a man named Victor Bussie sitting in Baton Rouge, calling the shots for labor, we don't need to be in your state.'" Her remarks were telecast over Lake Charles television.
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