Dorothy F. Carpenter (; March 13, 1933 – April 2, 2011) was an American politician. She was a Republican member of the

Iowa House of Representatives The Iowa House of Representatives is the lower house of the Iowa General Assembly, the upper house being the Iowa Senate. There are 100 seats in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing 100 single-member districts across the state, formed ...

from 1980 to 1994.

Early life

Carpenter was born on March 13, 1933, in

Ismay, Montana Ismay is a town in Custer County, Montana, United States. There is a post office at Ismay, and a church, and no other businesses or services. The population was 17 at the 2020 census. The town is the least-populous incorporated municipality in ...

. Her parents were Daniel A. Fulton and Mary Ann Fulton (née George). She grew up on a ranch assisting her father. She attended Custer County High School in

Miles City, Montana Miles City is a city in and the county seat of Custer County, Montana, United States. The population was 8,354 at the 2020 census. History After the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, the U.S. Army created forts in eastern Montana, inclu ...

, where she graduated in 1951. She received a bachelor's of arts degree in history from

Grinnell College Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...

Grinnell, Iowa Grinnell ( ) is a city in Poweshiek County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,564 at the time of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. It is best known for being the home of Grinnell College, as well as being the location of the ...

, in 1955. While at the college, she met Thomas Ward Carpenter who she married the same year. The couple moved to

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, where Carpenter taught elementary school from 1955 to 1957 while her husband was in the military. They moved to

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's List of cities in Iowa, fifth-most populous c ...

, in 1958 while Tom attended law school and then to

West Des Moines West Des Moines is a city in Iowa, United States. Most of the city is in Polk County, some of it is in Dallas County, and small portions extend into Warren and Madison Counties. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 68,723. West Des ...

. They had two children: Mary Ione and James Thonas. Carpenter was active in the community, serving as a member of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

of Metro Des Moines,

Common Cause Common Cause is a watchdog group based in Washington, D.C., with chapters in 35 states. It was founded in 1970 by John W. Gardner, a Republican, who was the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the administration of President Lyndon ...

, Planned Parenthood of Iowa, and the Iowa Women's Political Caucus of the

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

(NOW). She also joined the West Des Moines Human Rights Commission and the Terrace Hill Society Board. She was on the board of directors for the

Planned Parenthood Federation of America The Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. (PPFA), or simply Planned Parenthood, is an American nonprofit organization

from 1977 to 1980.

Political career

Carpenter was first elected as a representative of the

in 1980. She was a Republican representing the 66th district. She was re-elected in 1983 as the representative for the 82nd district and again in 1993 as the representative for the 74th district. She served for 14 years, retiring from politics in 1994. She was appointed as the assistant minority floor leader from 1980 to 1988. She was a member of the Ways and Means, State Government, Education and House Administration and Rule committees and chair of the State Government and Ethics Committee from 1992 to 1994.

Later life

In 2006, Carpenter changed her party affiliation from Republican to

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

due to differing views on abortion. She died on April 2, 2011, at the age of 78.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carpenter, Dorothy 1933 births 2011 deaths People from Custer County, Montana Grinnell College alumni 20th-century American women politicians Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives Iowa Democrats 20th-century members of the Iowa General Assembly