Mary Helen Boergers (née Lang; born February 10, 1946) is an American politician and educator. She was appointed to a seat on the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the Maryland General Assembly, legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House ...

in 1981, and served until 1990, when she won election to the

Maryland Senate The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. Composed of 47 senators elected from an equal number of constituent single ...

. During Boergers's political career, she represented the 17th and 18th districts of Maryland. She was highly involved in Maryland politics, especially concerned with issues of education, drugs and crime, environment, labor, and women's concerns.

Early life and education

Mary Helen Lang was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, on February 10, 1946. Her mother was a high school teacher and her father was an auditor for an insurance company. Her family later moved to

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. She attended the College of St. Catherine in

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city a ...

and graduated with her

Bachelors of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

in 1968. After graduating, she moved to

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 ...

to attend

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

, earning a

Masters of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in American History in 1970.

Personal life

She married David Paul Boergers on June 25, 1971. They have two children.

Career

Boergers taught high school history at Rockville High School in

Montgomery County, Maryland Montgomery County is the most populous County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the county's population was 1,062,061, increasing by 9.3% from 2010. The county seat is Rockville, Maryland ...

. She later was a lobbyist for 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 ...

and fund raised for Rep. Michael Barnes. Boergers continued to engage herself in politics, particularly in the areas of education, drugs and crime, environment, labor, and women's concerns. In 1981, Boergers was appointed to the

, representing the 18th district. She replaced David L. Scull who resigned from the role. She was a member of the Ways and Means Committee (1981-1988), House of Delegates (1983-1990), and the Economic Matters Committee (1988-1990). She was the president of Women Legislators of Maryland from 1990 to 1991. In 1990, Boergers was elected to the

seat representing 17th district and served from 1991 to 1994. She ran on a pro-choice platform against a pro-life candidate. Boergers ran for

Governor of Maryland The governor of the State of Maryland is the head of government of Maryland, and is the commander-in-chief of the state's National Guard units. The governor is the highest-ranking official in the state and has a broad range of appointive powers ...

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

. Her running mate was

Barbara Osborn Kreamer Barbara Osborn Kreamer (born December 8, 1948) is an American politician from Aberdeen, Maryland and a former Democratic member of the Maryland House of Delegates. She was the first woman member of the Harford County Council and the first ele ...

; they were the first all-female top ticket in Maryland. Boergers received 9% of the democratic primary votes, losing the primary election to the later elected

Parris Glendening Parris Nelson Glendening (born June 11, 1942) is an American politician and academic who served as the 59th governor of Maryland from 1995 to 2003. He previously served as the county executive of Prince George's County, Maryland from 1982 to 19 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boergers, Mary H. 1946 births Politicians from Hartford, Connecticut St. Catherine University alumni Catholic University of America alumni Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Living people Schoolteachers from Maryland 20th-century American women politicians Women state legislators in Maryland 20th-century American educators American lobbyists National Organization for Women people 20th-century American women educators 20th-century members of the Maryland General Assembly