Gladys Noon Spellman (born Gladys Blossom Noon; March 2, 1918 – June 19, 1988) was an American educator who served as the

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 ...

for

Maryland's 5th congressional district Maryland's 5th congressional district comprises all of Charles, St. Mary's, and Calvert counties (a region known as Southern Maryland), as well as portions of Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties. The district is currently represented ...

from January 3, 1975, to February 24, 1981, when her seat was declared vacant after she fell into a coma the previous year. She was a member of the Democratic Partybr>

Early life

Spellman was born Gladys Blossom Noon in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

and attended Eastern High School and Roosevelt High School in

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 ...

She graduated from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

and the graduate school within the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

. Spellman began her career as an elementary school teacher, teaching in

Prince George's County, Maryland Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it ...

, schools. A consummate politician, Spellman was part of the wave of young, new suburban dwellers who moved to Prince George's County from Washington and elsewhere in the years after World War II, and that group remained her constituency throughout her political career.

Teacher and county politician

During the 1950s and 1960s, Spellman was a teacher and president of the PTA for Happy Acres Elementary School (renamed the Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School in 1991),a civic association activist as a young mother and housewife in Cheverly as well as chairwoman of the National Mental Health Study Center. Her activities led to leadership positions in the reform movement that seized control of the Prince George's County government during the 1960s, ousting the old guard Democratic organization that had managed affairs in Prince George's for decades. Spellman was active in the fight for a

home rule Home rule is the government of a colony, dependent country, or region by its own citizens. It is thus the power of a part (administrative division) of a state or an external dependent country to exercise such of the state's powers of governan ...

charter form of government for Prince George's. In 1962, running on a reform slate, she served as a member of the Prince George's County Board of Commissioners from 1962 to 1970. She served two years as chairman, effectively the head of the county's government. After the establishment of the County Council, Spellman served as councilwoman at large from 1971 to 1974. She was appointed by President

Lyndon B. 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 the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

to the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations in 1967 and was awarded the highest honor that could be bestowed by county officials nationwide when she became the first woman elected president of the

National Association of Counties The National Association of Counties (NACo) is an organization that represents County (United States), county governments in the United States.

in 1972.

Congress

Spellman easily won the Democratic primary nomination in September 1974 for Maryland's fifth congressional seat, and went on to defeat the Republican, John B. Burcham, Jr., in the general election. While in Congress, she served on the Committee on Banking, Currency and Housing, the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, and the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service (including serving as chairperson of the Subcommittee on Compensation and Employee Benefits). Almost 40 percent of the work force in her district was employed by the federal government – the highest percentage of any congressional district in the nation. In 1977, Spellman favored legislation to establish a bank to make loans to cooperatives owned by consumers as well as legislation to extend the federal revenue-sharing program. She also voted for the 1975 proposal authorizing $7 billion to loan guarantees for the financially troubled New York City. Spellman also resisted placing restrictions on hiring or promotion of federal employees and opposed

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

's plan to reform the civil service system in 1978.Women in Congress, 1917–1990 I. Submitted to Congress Mrs Lindy Boggs. Washington DC: Diane Publishing.

Honors

In 1979, the ''

Supersisters ''Supersisters'' was a set of 72 trading cards produced and distributed in the United States in 1979 by Supersisters, Inc. They featured famous women from politics, media and entertainment, culture, sports, and other areas of achievement. The ...

'' trading card set was produced and distributed; one of the cards featured Spellman's name and picture. In 1985, Spellman was an inductee to the

Maryland Women's Hall of Fame Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, part of its inaugural class. The

Baltimore–Washington Parkway The Baltimore–Washington Parkway (also referred to as the B–W Parkway) is a controlled-access parkway in the U.S. state of Maryland, running southwest from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. The road begins at an interchange with U.S. Route&n ...

, a scenic north–south highway in Maryland, is dedicated to Spellman, as is Gladys Noon Spellman Elementary School, located in

Cheverly, Maryland Cheverly is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located very close to Washington, D.C., though not bordering it directly. The town was founded in 1918 and incorporated in 1931. Per the 2020 census, the population was 6, ...

Personal life

Spellman lived in

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River, in northern Prince George's County. Its population was 30,060 at the 2020 census. Founded as a mill town i ...

, with husband Reuben Spellman, with whom she had three children: Stephen, Richard, and Dana Spellman O’Neill. She was

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Coma and aftermath

On October 31, 1980, Spellman was judging a Halloween costume contest at the Laurel Mall when she had an incapacitating heart attack. Her heart briefly stopped beating. Five days later, on November 4, she was re-elected to Congress with 80% of the vote against a little-known Republican opponent, but it soon became clear that she would be comatose for the rest of her life. In the first weeks of the

97th Congress The 97th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 198 ...

, the House passed a resolution providing for Spellman's pay as if she had been seated, and for her Congressional office to be supported as if a member of Congress had died or resigned. When it became clear she was permanently incapacitated and unlikely to recover, the House passed an act declaring the 5th District seat vacant. As a result, Spellman's pay and administrative support was scheduled to be terminated upon the election of someone to her seat. It is the only time that medical reasons have resulted in the House of Representatives declaring a seat vacant. Thirty-two candidates from both parties entered the race, including her husband, Reuben. He was defeated for the Democratic nomination by

Steny Hoyer Steny Hamilton Hoyer ( ; born June 14, 1939) is an American politician and retired attorney who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1981. He also served as House Majority Leader from 2007 to 20 ...

, who won the special election on May 19 against the Republican nominee, Bowie mayor Audrey Scott. Hoyer has continued to be re-elected since then, and eventually became

House Majority Leader Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives, also known as floor leaders, are congresspeople who coordinate legislative initiatives and serve as the chief spokespersons for their parties on the House floor. These leaders are el ...

. Spellman never regained consciousness and died in a Maryland nursing home on June 19, 1988, after nearly eight years in a coma. She and her husband are buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spellman, Gladys Noon 1918 births 1988 deaths 20th-century American women politicians Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland Female members of the United States House of Representatives George Washington University alumni Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives Jewish American women in politics Politicians from Prince George's County, Maryland People with disorders of consciousness People with severe brain damage Politicians from New York City Women in Maryland politics 20th-century Maryland politicians 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives