Mary Louise Smith (Republican Party leader)
| Mary Smith | |
|---|---|
| Chairman of the Republican National Committee | |
|
In office September 16, 1974 – January 15, 1977 |
|
| Leader | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | George H. W. Bush |
| Succeeded by | Bill Brock |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
October 6, 1914 Eddyville, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | August 22, 1997 (aged 82) Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Alma mater | University of Iowa |
Mary Louise Smith (October 6, 1914 – August 22, 1997), a U.S. political organizer and women's rights activist, was the second woman to become chairman of a major political party in the United States (the first was Jean Westwood).
Born Mary Louise Epperson in Eddyville, Iowa, she married medical student Elmer M. Smith while both were studying at the University of Iowa. She graduated in 1935 with a degree in social work administration and worked for the Iowa Employment Relief Administration in Iowa City.
After moving to Eagle Grove she became active in civic life and Republican Party politics. She became membership chair of the Iowa Council of Republican Women in 1961 and was elected vice-chairwoman of the Wright County Republican Central Committee the following year. She was elected national committeewoman for Iowa in 1964, a post she held for the next twenty years.
In 1974, during the wake of the Watergate scandal, President Gerald Ford named her the first female chairwoman of the Republican National Committee. She held that post until 1977, and in that role became the first woman of her party, and second woman of a major party, to organize a presidential nominating convention, the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City. In 1977, she was inducted in the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame. In 1978, she served as Co-Manager of the Committee for Governor Ray in the successful fourth re-election campaign of Iowa Governor Robert D. Ray.
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