Leonor Sullivan
Leonor Sullivan | |
|---|---|
 Portrait by Irving Resnikoff (1974) | |
| Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus | |
| In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1975 | |
| Leader | John McCormack Carl Albert |
| Preceded by | Edna Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Patsy Mink |
| In office January 3, 1959 – January 7, 1964 | |
| Leader | Sam Rayburn John McCormack |
| Preceded by | Edna Kelly |
| Succeeded by | Edna Kelly |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri's 3rd district | |
| In office January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Phil Welch |
| Succeeded by | Dick Gephardt |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Leonor Kretzer August 21, 1902 St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | September 1, 1988 (aged 86) Sappington, Missouri, U.S. |
| Resting place | Calvary Cemetery |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Education | Washington University |
Leonor Kretzer Sullivan (August 21, 1902 – September 1, 1988) was an American politician who was a U.S. Representative from Missouri from 1953 to 1977. A Democrat, she was the first woman in Congress from Missouri.
Biography
[edit]_and_Leonor_Kretzer_Sullivan_(1902%E2%80%931988)_at_Calvary_Cemetery,_St._Louis.jpg)
Born Leonor Kretzer in St. Louis, Missouri, three of her grandparents were German immigrants.[1] Sullivan attended Washington University in St. Louis and was a teacher and director at St. Louis Comptometer school. She was married to John B. Sullivan, who served four terms in Congress, and she served as his administrative aide. Following her husband's death in 1951, she served as an aide to Congressman Leonard Irving until she left to run for Congress herself in 1952. She was re-elected eleven times. In Congress, she served for many years as Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus.
Sullivan helped create the food stamp program,[2] which was opposed by Agriculture Secretary Ezra Taft Benson and became law in the 1960s during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations.
Sullivan did not sign the 1956 Southern Manifesto, and voted in favor of the Civil Rights Acts of 1957,[3] 1960,[4] 1964,[5] and 1968,[6] as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.[7][8]
Sullivan was one of very few members of Congress, and the only woman member of Congress, to vote against the Equal Rights Amendment for women in the early 1970s. Sullivan opposed abortion and called for the passage of the Human Life Amendment[9]
She did not seek re-election in 1976, and was succeeded by Dick Gephardt.
In 1979, the Supersisters trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Sullivan's name and picture.[10]
She died at St. Anthony's Medical Center on September 1, 1988, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Louis.[11]
The former Wharf Street in front of the Gateway Arch in Downtown St. Louis was renamed Leonor K. Sullivan Boulevard in her honor.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "United States Census, 1920", FamilySearch, retrieved March 15, 2018
- ^ Taylor, B. Kimberly (2002). "Sullivan, Leonor Kretzer". Women in World History, Vol. 15: Sul-Vica. Waterford, CT: Yorkin Publications. pp. 4–5. ISBN 0-7876-4074-3.
- ^ "HR 6127. Civil Rights Act of 1957". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "HR 8601. Passage".
- ^ "H.R. 7152. Passage".
- ^ "To Pass H.R. 2516, a Bill to Establish Penalties for Interference with Civil Rights. Interference with a Person Engaged in One of the 8 Activities Protected Under This Bill Must be Racially Motivated to Incur the Bill's Penalties".
- ^ "S.J. Res. 29. Constitutional Amendment to Ban the Use of Poll Tax as a Requirement for Voting in Federal Elections". GovTrack.us.
- ^ "To Pass H.R. 6400, the 1965 Voting Rights Act".
- ^ McDonagh, Eileen L. (1996). Breaking the Abortion Deadlock: From Choice to Consent. p. 168.
- ^ Wulf, Steve (March 23, 2015). "Supersisters: Original Roster". Espn.go.com. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ Mannies, Jo; Koenig, Robert L. (September 2, 1988). "Former Congresswoman Leonor Sullivan Dies at 86". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 1, 16. Retrieved October 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- United States Congress. "Leonor Sullivan (id: S001057)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- "Sullivan, Leonor Kretzer". U.S. House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
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Italics indicates acting chairman | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- 1902 births
- 1988 deaths
- 20th-century American women politicians
- 20th-century Missouri politicians
- American people of German descent
- Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri
- Female United States representatives
- Politicians from St. Louis
- Washington University in St. Louis alumni
- Women in Missouri politics
- 20th-century United States representatives