Catherine Dean May (May 18, 1914 – May 28, 2004) was a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

from

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

."May, Catherine Dean (1914–)".
'' Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia''. Gale. 2002. She was the first woman elected to Congress in the state of Washington.

Early life, education, and career

May was born as Catherine Dean Barnes in

Yakima, Washington Yakima ( or ) is a city in and the county seat of Yakima County, Washington, United States, and the state's 11th most populous city. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 96,968 and a metropolitan population of 256,728. The ...

, and graduated from Yakima Valley Junior College, in 1934. She earned her B.S. from the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

, Washington in 1936 and her teaching certificate in 1937. She attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, in 1939. She taught English at Chehalis High School from 1937 to 1940 and was women's editor and a news broadcaster in

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, Washington, Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia ...

, in 1941 and 1942. She headed the radio department for a Seattle advertising agency from 1942 to 1943, and a Seattle insurance company from 1943 to 1944. She then became a writer and assistant commentator for the National Broadcasting Company in New York City from 1944 to 1946 before returning to the Northwest to become women's editor at station KIT in Yakima from 1948 to 1957. She worked as an office manager and medical secretary at the Yakima Medical Center in 1957 and 1958 and served as president of Bedell Associates.

Political career

May served as member of the

Washington State House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 dis ...

from 1952 to 1958. She was the first woman from the state of Washington elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1958, May was elected as a Republican to the Eighty-sixth United States Congress. She was subsequently re-elected five times, serving from January 3, 1959, until January 3, 1971. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Washington. While in Congress, May served on the

House Agriculture Committee The United States House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture, or Agriculture Committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. The House Committee on Agriculture has general jurisdiction over federal agricul ...

, ranking member of the House Beauty Shop Committee, and the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. May voted in favor of the

Civil Rights Act of 1960 The Civil Rights Act of 1960 () is a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration polls and introduced penalties for anyone who obstructed someone's attempt to register to vote. It dealt primarily wi ...

, Civil Rights Acts of 1964, and the

Civil Rights Act of 1968 The Civil Rights Act of 1968 () is a Lists of landmark court decisions, landmark law in the United States signed into law by President of the United States, United States President Lyndon B. Johnson during the King assassination riots. Titles ...

. She also voted in favor of the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution but did not vote on the

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights move ...

. Upon her marriage to Donald W. Bedell on November 14, 1970, she was known as Catherine May Bedell. She was an unsuccessful candidate for reelection to the Ninety-second Congress in 1970 and subsequently served on the

United States International Trade Commission The United States International Trade Commission (USITC or I.T.C.) is an agency of the United States federal government that advises the legislative and executive branches on matters of trade. It was created by Congress in 1916 as the U.S. Tari ...

from 1971 to 1975 and again from 1979 through 1980. In 1982, she was a Special Consultant to the President on the 50 States Project. In 2004, she was the president of Bedell Associates in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, California. The city is located in the Colorado Desert arm of the Sonoran Desert, about east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The popula ...

. She died on May 28, 2004, in

Rancho Mirage, California Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is a low-density desert community with resorts, golf courses, and country clubs within the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled along the foothil ...

References

External links

A Few Good Women...The Honorable Catherine May Bedell
{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Catherine Dean 1914 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women politicians American commentators American radio journalists Schoolteachers from Washington (state) 20th-century American women educators Female members of the United States House of Representatives Republican Party members of the Washington House of Representatives News editors International Trade Commission personnel People from Rancho Mirage, California Politicians from Yakima, Washington Radio personalities from Washington (state) Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Washington (state) University of Southern California alumni University of Washington alumni American women editors American women radio journalists Women state legislators in Washington (state) 21st-century American women Yakima Valley College alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Washington State Legislature

Early life, education, and career

Political career

See also

References

External links