Algie Eggertsen Ballif (3 May 1896 – 11 July 1984) was an educational leader and politician in Utah. She served from 1959 to 1961 as a member of the

Utah House of Representatives The Utah House of Representatives is the lower house of the Utah State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. The House is composed of 75 representatives elected from single member constituent districts. Each district cont ...

Early life

Ballif was born to Lars Eggertsen and Annie Nielsen Eggertsen in

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Utah County, Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front, and lies between the cities of Orem, Utah, Orem to the north and Springville, Utah, Springville to the south ...

. Ballif was born with a cleft lip. She was the sister of Virginia Sorenson and

Esther Peterson Esther Eggertsen Peterson (December 9, 1906 – December 20, 1997) was an American consumer and women's advocate. Background The daughter of Danish immigrants, Esther Eggertsen grew up in a family who were members of the Church of Jesus Chr ...

. Her family housed students from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

(BYU) while she was growing up. Algie was forced to drop some of her classes in order to help out with the chores at home, although her parents always emphasized learning and the importance of education She became interested in dance after attending an opera at the Provo Opera House. She practiced around the house when no one was home, but was able to enroll in dance classes while studying at BYU. Her journal entries show that Ballif was "concerned with the state of art and matters of the heart." In 1916, Ballif received an assignment from the President of BYU, George Brimhall, to go on a teaching mission at Ricks Academy. She taught many subjects, including gym, theology, expression and English. While at Ricks Academy, she met George S. Ballif at a school dance, whom she would later marry. She returned to Provo, Utah in 1917 and graduated from BYU in 1918. In the summer of 1920, Ballif moved to Berkeley, California with her father to attend a 12-week dance program. She participated in plays and took classes. These experiences provided her with new ideas to implement in her teaching career at BYU. She married George S. Ballif (1894–1977) on 24 December 1920 in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

. He, too, graduated from BYU and received a scholarship to

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

. Algie stayed in Provo and worked to help finance his studies. In 1924, George later transferred schools and received a law degree from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

School of Law. He was a city attorney for Provo and later District Attorney. The couple had 4 children: Algene, Joan, George, and Ann "Grethe". Their daughter Ann Greta Ballif was the wife of Chase N. Peterson who served as president of the University of Utah.

Career

Teaching

Algie Ballif began her teaching career after graduating from Brigham Young University. She began working at

American Fork High School American Fork High School is a public high school in American Fork, Utah, United States. Its mascot is the Caveman, chosen as a tribute to Timpanogos Cave. The school is perhaps best known for its award-winning marching band and cross countr ...

from 1918–1919. Due to a flu epidemic she was forced to take care of her family. After the epidemic, President George Brimhall offered her a teaching position at BYU. She taught a variety of subjects: speech, English, physical education, dance, and the

Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, first published in 1830 by Joseph Smith as ''The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi''. The book is one of ...

. She developed many dance and physical education classes, especially for women at BYU. There was some tension between Ballif and administration over what clothing was appropriate to wear on campus. She taught and developed curriculum until 1923, when she moved to

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California *George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer to ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

to be with her husband during his last year of law school.

Politician

Ballif was elected the president of the state women's branch of the American Legion Convention that was held in Provo in 1930. As president, she attended the National Convention of

American Legion Auxiliary The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) is a separate entity from the American Legion that shares the same values. It is composed of spouses, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, granddaughters, grandsons, and brothers, & sisters of American war vetera ...

, where she gave a ten-minute talk. In 1932, she became the national chairperson of the organization. She was criticized for taking such responsibilities while having young children at home. In 1935, she was elected to the Provo school board, despite running against two men. She served for five five-year terms, from 1935–1958. While serving on the board, she also served as the president of the Utah School Boards Association for two terms. Ballif served for 23 years on the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

Board of Regents. She began the university's first dance program. Ballif was also associated with the Democratic Party in Utah; she became vice-chair and then chair of the Utah Democratic Party. The part asked her to run for the state senate in 1958. She served from 1959 to 1961 as a member of the

. While serving in state legislature, Ballil became involved with

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

's campaign and election. She met

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

, who was appointed chairperson of the United States Commission on the Status of Women; Ballif's sister Esther Peterson was appointed vice chairperson. Algie was asked by Eleanor Roosevelt to serve on the Education Subcommittee. This job required her to go to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

once a month. In 1963, she ran for the state senate, but lost. She also served on the Utah State Status of Women Commission. In 1965 she was asked to join the Commission of Public Welfare of the State of Utah; she later became the director of its Division of Family Services. Ballif was appointed to the fifteen-member Commission for the Study of the Health Facilities in the United States in 1967, President

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after assassination of John F. Kennedy, the assassination of John F. Ken ...

Other Accomplishments

Ballif served on the Provo Stake Board of Relief Society in charge of literary lessons for ten years. In 1958, she was named Utah's Man of the Year in Education. She played an active role in her community and was a part of many local and state organizations like the

(BYU) Alumni Association, BYU Emeritus Club, Friends of the BYU Library, PTA, Federated Women's Clubs, Women's Legislative Council, Sorosis, and the American Legion Auxiliary.

Later life

Ballif suffered from macular degeneration. She retired from the Welfare Commission in 1974, ending her government employment. She continued to attend forums, political rallies and other actives. She fought for universal healthcare, elderly rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. Throughout her life, she was a member of the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded durin ...

. She became blind and partially deaf. Her husband George died in October 1977. After his death, she suffered a series of strokes. She died 11 July 1984. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, James E. Faust, Marvin J. Ashton and Dallin H. Oaks spoke at her funeral.

References

External links

Collections relating to Algie Ballif
in the L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library,

* * * * Simon P. Eggertsen, Sr., House {{DEFAULTSORT:Ballif, Algie Eggertsen 1896 births 1984 deaths Politicians from Provo, Utah Brigham Young University alumni Democratic Party members of the Utah House of Representatives Women state legislators in Utah Women in Utah politics Latter Day Saints from Utah 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century members of the Utah Legislature