Anne Anstine (March 27, 1924 – May 23, 1997) was an American politician who was a member of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

and Chairwoman of the

Pennsylvania Republican Party The Pennsylvania Republican Party (PAGOP) is the affiliate of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party in the state of Pennsylvania, headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Harrisburg. Its chairman is state senator Greg Rothman. ...

Political career

Anstine joined the

's state committee in 1963. During the mid to late 1970s, she worked on the first campaign for the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

of fellow Republican

John Heinz Henry John Heinz III (October 23, 1938 – April 4, 1991) was an American businessman and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Pennsylvania from 1977 until Merion air disaster, his death in 1991. An he ...

. In 1978, she also served as the recruitment chair of the Pennsylvania Council of Republican Women. During the 1980s, she served as special assistant to the Speaker of the

Pennsylvania House of Representatives The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two-year terms from single member districts. It ...

, H. Jack Seltzer, and was elected to the post of vice president of the Pennsylvania Republican Party. In 1990, she became the chair of the Pennsylvania Republican Party, a position she held until 1996, when she resigned for health reasons. She was subsequently chosen as one of two delegates from Pennsylvania to serve on the

. During the 1994 gubernatorial primary season, she was credited with maintaining broad Republican Party support for

Tom Ridge Thomas Joseph Ridge (born August 26, 1945) is an American politician and author who served in the Presidency of George W. Bush, George W. Bush administration as the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security from 2001 to 2003 and as the U ...

Later years

Anstine spent her later years in

Juniata County, Pennsylvania Juniata County is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 23,509. Its county seat is Mifflintown. The county was created on March 2, 1831, from part of Mifflin County and named for the Juniata ...

, where she owned a farm and farm supply business.

Illness, death and interment

Diagnosed with cancer in 1988, Anstine battled the disease for nine years before she died at her home in

Port Royal Port Royal () was a town located at the end of the Palisadoes, at the mouth of Kingston Harbour, in southeastern Jamaica. Founded in 1494 by the Spanish, it was once the largest and most prosperous city in the Caribbean, functioning as the cen ...

, Juniata County on May 23, 1997."Longtime GOP Leader Anne Anstine Dies," ''The Scranton Times'', May 24, 1997.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anstine, Anne Chairs of the Republican State Committee of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Republicans 1924 births 1997 deaths Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania