Marjorie Holt, the first woman elected to congress from Maryland, died Jan. 6 at 97. She passed away in her Severna Park home.
She died from old age, said her daughter, Victoria Holt.
Holt was elected to Maryland’s 4th District in 1972. Her district served Anne Arundel and southern Prince George’s County, until her retirement from Congress in 1987.
During her time in office she:
1974 – sponsored a bill that prohibited the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare from using racial quotas to decide school’s federal funding
1976 – was the editor of the book “The Case Against the Reckless Congress”
1979 – rallied for a constitutional amendment that outlawed racial balance busing
A Baltimore Sun article reports Governor Hogan said:
[She] helped to chip away at the glass ceiling, paving the way for the next generation of women leaders from Maryland.
Holt said in an interview with the Severna Park Voice (2015):
To me, politics is about caring about people and helping them understand what’s possible. You have to care about people — that’s what’s really important.
