Nan Honeyman (née Wood; July 15, 1881 – December 10, 1970) was an American politician from the state of

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. A native of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, she was the daughter of author and attorney

Charles Erskine Scott Wood Charles Erskine Scott Wood (February 20, 1852January 22, 1944), also known as C. E. S. Wood, was an American author, civil liberties advocate, artist, soldier, attorney, and Georgist. He is best known as the author of the 1927 satirical bestselle ...

. After growing up in Oregon, she served in the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

and the

Oregon State Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the State legislature (United States), statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. Ther ...

. Between these offices, Honeyman became the first woman elected to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

from Oregon in 1936.

Early years

She was born Nan Wood in

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...

, in 1881 to the noted

libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

author

(died 1944) and Nanny Moale Wood (died 1933).Wood v. Honeyman, 178 Or. 484, 169 P.2d 131 (1946). She moved with her parents three years later to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, where she graduated from St. Helens Hall (later incorporated in the

Oregon Episcopal School Oregon Episcopal School (OES) is an American independent, coeducational, College-preparatory school, college preparatory, day and Boarding school, boarding school in the Raleigh Hills area of Portland, Oregon. It was preceded by St. Helen's Hall, ...

) in 1898. Nan was one of five children: her siblings were Berwick Bruce, Elisa, Erskine, and William Maxwell. Her education continued later at the

Finch School Finch College was an undergraduate women's college in Manhattan, New York City. The Finch School opened as a private secondary school for girls in 1900 and became a liberal arts college in 1952. It closed in 1976. Founding Finch was founded 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 ...

, where she began a lifelong friendship with

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

Political life

She married David Honeyman in 1907, with whom she raised three children and was active in civic and humanitarian organizations before becoming involved in politics. Honeyman served as a delegate to the state constitutional convention in 1933, which ratified the

Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution The Twenty-first Amendment (Amendment XXI) to the United States Constitution repealed the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which had mandated nationwide Prohibition in the United States, prohibition on alcohol. The Twent ...

, repealing

prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic b ...

. She was a member of the

from 1935 to 1937 and served as a delegate to the Democratic national conventions in 1936 and 1940.

Congress

Honeyman was elected as a

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 ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, 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 Artic ...

, representing

Oregon's 3rd congressional district Oregon's 3rd congressional district covers most of Multnomah County, including Gresham, Troutdale, and most of Portland east of the Willamette River (parts of Northwest and Southwest Portland lie in the 1st and 5th districts). It also in ...

and served from 1937 to 1939, the first congresswoman from Oregon. While in Congress, Honeyman was a strong supporter of the

New Deal The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...

and the completion of the

Bonneville Dam Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Ore ...

. However, her bids for reelection in 1938 and election in 1940 were unsuccessful.

Federal roles

She held the position of senior representative of the Pacific Coast

Office of Price Administration The Office of Price Administration (OPA) was established within the Office for Emergency Management of the United States government by Executive Order 8875 on August 28, 1941. The functions of the OPA were originally to control money ( price con ...

from 1941 to 1942. During the same period, the

Multnomah County Multnomah County is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 815,428. Multnomah County is part of the Portland metropolitan area. The state's smallest and most populous county, it ...

Commissioners appointed Honeyman to the

Oregon Senate The Oregon State Senate is the upper house of the statewide legislature for the US state of Oregon. Along with the lower chamber Oregon House of Representatives it makes up the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 30 members of the state Sena ...

in 1941 to fill a vacancy, and she served until her resignation in 1942. She was U.S. Collector of Customs in

from 1942 to 1953.

Lawsuit

In 1942, her father and several other relatives sued Honeyman and her husband over her husband's mismanagement of several family trusts. The court determined David Honeyman had misappropriated in excess of $100,000 of trust funds while Nan was left blameless. In 1946, the case was finally resolved after the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest State court (United States), state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.

affirmed the lower court's ruling, which came after Honeyman's father died in 1944.

Death and burial

Honeyman died in

Woodacre, California Woodacre is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Marin County, California, United States. The population was 1,410 at the 2020 census. Geography The community is located at in the eastern half of the San Geronimo Valley ...

, on December 10, 1970, and was buried at River View Cemetery in Portland.Political Graveyard: River View Cemetery
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References

* ''This article incorporates material from the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

Biographical Directory of the United States Congress The ''Biographical Directory of the United States Congress'' (Bioguide) is a biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress and its predecessor, the Continental Congress. Also included are Delegates fr ...

.''

External links

*
Nan Wood Honeyman
at Oregon Encyclopedia {{DEFAULTSORT:Honeyman, Nan Wood 1881 births 1970 deaths People from West Point, New York Democratic Party members of the Oregon House of Representatives Democratic Party Oregon state senators Female members of the United States House of Representatives Burials at River View Cemetery (Portland, Oregon) Women state legislators in Oregon People from Woodacre, California 20th-century American women politicians Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Oregon Oregon Episcopal School alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives 20th-century members of the Oregon Legislative Assembly