American politician (1890?1978)
Mary Eliza Watters Risteau
(April 24, 1890 ? July 24, 1978) was an
American politician
who was the first woman elected to both the
Maryland House of Delegates
and the
Maryland State Senate
.
[1]
[2]
Early life
[
edit
]
Mary Eliza Watters Risteau was born in
Towson, Maryland
on April 24, 1890, to Elizabeth (nee Watters) and William M. Risteau.
[3]
[4]
She graduated from
Towson High School
in 1907.
[3]
[2]
[5]
In 1912, she graduated from
Towson University
(then the Maryland State Normal School).
[4]
She completed a special advanced course of study in Mathematics at
Johns Hopkins University
in 1917 before serving as a schoolteacher.
[2]
In 1938, Risteau received her
L.L.B.
Degree from the
University of Baltimore School of Law
.
[2]
[6]
In 1917, she moved to Eden Manor, the Watters family dairy farm, a property her mother inherited in
Jarrettsville
.
[4]
[6]
Political career
[
edit
]
In 1921, Risteau, a
Democrat
, became the first woman elected to the
Maryland House of Delegates
and served four terms (1922-1926 and 1931?1935) followed by an election to the
Maryland Senate
in 1935 for a single term.
[1]
[2]
[7]
[8]
She ran for the Senate first in 1926 but lost to A. G. Ensor.
[8]
[9]
She served on several committees while in the Senate, including the Committee on Education and the Committee on Agriculture, during her time in the General Assembly, and she was a strong sponsor of women's rights.
[2]
She sided with the "wet forces" and served on the Senate Temperance Committee and spoke out against
Prohibition
.
[2]
[10]
In 1944, she ran against incumbent
Harry Streett Baldwin
for
Maryland's 2nd congressional district
.
[11]
Concurrent to her role as a legislator, she served as the first woman on the Maryland State Board of Education for 16 years.
[2]
[3]
She was appointed to this position by
Governor
Albert Ritchie
in 1922.
[2]
Risteau was also a clerk of the Circuit Court for
Harford County
; she was appointed as the first woman clerk in 1938 and served for one year.
[2]
[10]
[3]
In 1939, she was appointed as the first woman State Commissioner of Loans in Maryland.
[2]
[10]
[4]
[3]
In 1951, she was elected one final time to the House of Delegates, where she served for another four years.
[2]
[12]
Awards and legacy
[
edit
]
In 1987, she was posthumously inducted into Towson High School's Alumni Hall of Fame.
[5]
In 1988, she was posthumously inducted into
Maryland Women's Hall of Fame
.
[12]
The Mary E. W. Risteau Multi Services Center, a
district court
building in
Bel Air, Maryland
was named in her honor.
[6]
[13]
[14]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Risteau never married.
[4]
She was known as "Miss Mary" by contemporaries.
[4]
Death
[
edit
]
She died on July 24, 1978, at her dairy farm in Jarrettsville at the age of 88.
[10]
She is buried at William Watters Memorial Church Cemetery in Jarrettsville.
[14]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Forgotten Fight (Virtual Exhibit) ? 1921/1935"
.
mdhs.org
. Maryland Historical Society.
Archived
from the original on May 8, 2021
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
"Women Wielding Power-Maryland"
.
National Women's History Museum
. Archived from
the original
on September 6, 2015
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Maryland Commission for Women.
"Mary Riseau"
.
msa.maryland.gov
. Maryland State Archives
. Retrieved
March 22,
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Seiden, Matthew (July 25, 1978).
"Mary Risteau, first woman in legislature"
.
The Baltimore Sun
. p. C3
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
"Towson High School - Alumni Hall of Fame"
.
Towson High School
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
c
Sturgill, Erika Queensbury (March 9, 2016).
"Mary E.W. Risteau was Harford's political trailblazer"
.
Cecil Daily
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
.
- ^
"Historical List, Senate, Harford County (1838-1966)"
.
Maryland Manual On-Line
.
Maryland State Archives
. September 30, 1999
. Retrieved
November 30,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"Election of Miss Risteau Again Makes State History"
.
The Baltimore Sun
. November 7, 1934. p. 3
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"Goldsborough Wins By Vote of 5 to 1"
.
The Baltimore Sun
. September 16, 1926. p. 3
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Seiden, Matthew (July 25, 1978).
"Miss Risteau, legislator, dies at 88"
.
The Baltimore Sun
. p. C1
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
"First Md. Woman Legislator Seeks Congressional Seat"
.
The News Journal
. Wilmington, DE. March 15, 1944. p. 10
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
– via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
a
b
"Mary E.W. Risteau (1890-1978)"
.
Maryland State Archives
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
.
- ^
"HARFORD COUNTY, MARYLAND - DISTRICT COURT"
.
Maryland Manual On-Line
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
"Mary Eliza Watters Risteau (1890 - 1978)"
.
mdwomensheritagecenter.org
. Retrieved
May 8,
2021
.
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