Marjorie Bell Chambers (March 11, 1923 – August 25, 2006) was an American educator, historian, and politician. She was the first woman to run for Lieutenant Governor of New Mexico, a national president of the

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...

, and the president of two colleges ( Colorado Women's College and Colby-Sawyer College).

Biography

Chambers was born on March 11, 1923, to Kenneth and Katherine Bell (née Totman) 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 ...

. After surviving

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

during childhood, she married physicist William H. Chambers in 1945. She and William relocated their family to New Mexico in 1950 when William became employed at the

Los Alamos National Laboratory Los Alamos National Laboratory (often shortened as Los Alamos and LANL) is one of the sixteen research and development Laboratory, laboratories of the United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, United States Department of Energy ...

. The couple had four children and continued to live and work mostly in New Mexico for the remainder of their lives.

Death and legacy

Chambers died in August 2006, after a long illness. The New Mexico state chapter of the American Association of University Women created the AAUW-NM Ingenious Ideas Award inspired by Chambers and fellow long-time mentor Gloria Cordova. The University of New Mexico Foundation created the Endowed Faculty Award for Excellence in History in honor of Chambers and her husband, William.

Academic career

Chambers received her B.A. in history and political science from

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a Private college, private Women's colleges in the United States, women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the h ...

in 1943 and her

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

from

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

in 1948. She then earned her Ph.D. from the

University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...

in 1974. Chambers was one of 60 women who gathered in (ironically) the men's Residence Hall at LANL on September 13, 1950, to found the Los Alamos branch of the

. She served as president of that branch, of the New Mexico Division, and finally as national President of the Association from 1975 to 1979.

Political career

Chambers served as an adviser to four presidents and 10 governors of New Mexico in multiple appointed positions and commissions. She chaired the National Advisory Council on Women's Educational Programs under President

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was the 38th president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, Ford assumed the p ...

and the Committee for Women under President Jimmy Carter. Chambers was elected to the Los Alamos County Council in 1974 and won the Republican nomination in 1982 for

New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District New Mexico's 3rd congressional district serves the northern half of New Mexico, including the state's Capital, Santa Fe. The district has a significant Native American presence, encompassing most of the New Mexico portion of the Navajo Nation, ...

seat, losing to

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (November 15, 1947 – September 1, 2023) was an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the List of governors of New Mexico, 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was U.S. ambassador to ...

. In 1986, she became the first woman in New Mexico to seek a party's nomination for Lieutenant Governor but lost to Jack L. Stahl.

Published works

*Chambers, Marjorie Bell. “Technically Sweet Los Alamos: the Development of a Federally Sponsored Scientific Community.” University of New Mexico, 1974. *Chambers, Marjorie Bell. “The AAUW-IFUW Relationship: An Emerging Issue in Progress.” ''Graduate Woman'', vol. 73, no. 2, 1979, pp. 24–27. *Chambers, Marjorie, and William H. Chambers." Conference Proceedings: The Cold War and Its Implications: Locally, Nationally, and Internationally": the Second Los Alamos International History Conference, Los Alamos, New Mexico, August 9–12, 1998. Los Alamos, N.M.: Los Alamos Historical Society, 1998. Print. *Chambers, Marjorie, and Linda K. Aldrich. ''Los Alamos, New Mexico: a Survey to 1949''. Los Alamos, N.M: Los Alamos Historical Society, 1999. Print. *Chambers, Marjorie. ''The Battle for Civil Rights, or, How Los Alamos Became a County''. Los Alamos, N.M: Los Alamos Historical Society, 1999. Print.

Awards and distinctions

*1977: Doctor of Laws ''honoris causa'',

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a Public university, public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, United States. It was established in 1892 as a private normal school and became a state institution in 1895. CMU is one of the eigh ...

*2003: Governor's Award for Outstanding Women (New Mexico) *2003: Lifetime Achievement from New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women

Notes and references

External links

William H. and Marjorie Bell Chambers Endowed Faculty Award for Excellence in HistoryAAUW-NM Ingenious Ideas AwardC-SPAN panel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Marjorie Bell Women in New Mexico politics American women historians Academics from New Mexico Educators from New York City 20th-century American women educators 1923 births 2006 deaths University of New Mexico alumni 20th-century American women Mount Holyoke College alumni Historians from New York City 21st-century American women