Illinois Hall of Fame: Marguerite Stitt Church

By Mark Rhoads

For all but two years, Marguerite Stitt Church of Evanston was the only female Member of Congress from Illinois from 1951 to 1963. In the last 83 years, only 12 women have represented Illinois in the U.S. House. Three of them are now serving. Eight of the twelve were Republicans and four were Democrats.

In order of election, the women members started with Winifred Sprague Mason Huck (R-Waukegan) in a 1923 special election who served only a few months to fill the vacancy of her father's term. Second was Ruth Hanna McCormick (R-Rockford) elected for one term in 1928 who won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator in 1930 but lost in the fall.  Third was Jesse Sumner (R-Iroquois County) who served from 1939 to 1947. Fourth was Emily Taft Douglas (D-Chicago) who served one term from 1945 to 1947. She was the wife of Marine Corps Lt. Col. Paul H. Douglas who was elected U.S. Senator in 1948 as a Democrat and was defeated 18 years later by Republican Sen. Charles H. Percy in 1966. Fifth was Congresswoman Margueritte Stitt Church (R-Evanston) who succeeded her husband and for whom more details are provided below.

By Mark Rhoads

For all but two years, Marguerite Stitt Church of Evanston was the only female Member of Congress from Illinois from 1951 to 1963. In the last 83 years, only 12 women have represented Illinois in the U.S. House. Three of them are now serving. Eight of the twelve were Republicans and four were Democrats.

In order of election, the women members started with Winifred Sprague Mason Huck (R-Waukegan) in a 1923 special election who served only a few months to fill the vacancy of her father's term. Second was Ruth Hanna McCormick (R-Rockford) elected for one term in 1928 who won the Republican nomination for U.S. Senator in 1930 but lost in the fall.  Third was Jesse Sumner (R-Iroquois County) who served from 1939 to 1947. Fourth was Emily Taft Douglas (D-Chicago) who served one term from 1945 to 1947. She was the wife of Marine Corps Lt. Col. Paul H. Douglas who was elected U.S. Senator in 1948 as a Democrat and was defeated 18 years later by Republican Sen. Charles H. Percy in 1966. Fifth was Congresswoman Margueritte Stitt Church (R-Evanston) who succeeded her husband and for whom more details are provided below.

The sixth Illinois woman to serve in Congress was Edna Oakes Simpson (R-Greene County) who was elected to succeed her husband for one term from 1959 to 1961. Seventh was Charlotte T. Reid (R-Aurora) who served from 1963 to 1971 and then served five years as a member of the FCC.  Charlotte was better known to millions of radio listeners in the 1940s as the singer "Anette King" on the Don McNeal Breakfast Club.  Eighth was Cardiss Collins (D-Chicago) who succeeded her husband George Collins who was killed in a plane crash at Midway Airport in December 1972. Cardiss served from June 1973 to Jan. 1997.  Ninth was Lynn Martin (R-Rockford) who was elected to succeed John Anderson from 1981 to 1991 when she became Secretary of Labor.

The tenth and eleventh women members were Janice Schakowsky (D-Evanston) and Judy Biggert (R-Hinsdale) who were both elected in 1998 and are both still serving. The twelfth woman in Congress from Illinois is Melissa Bean (D-Barrington) who was elected in 2004 and is still serving. 

All of the information below comes from an article by Mur Wolf on the website of Marguerite Church's alma mater, Wellesley College.

Margureritte Stitt was a native of New York City, she attended the St. Agatha School, where she played basketball, and participated in organized forum discussions. She enrolled at Wellesley College in 1910, and majored in psychology, sociology and economics. This Durant Scholar and recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa award was president of the Zeta Alpha Society, a member of the Intersociety Council and an active participant in the Debating Society. She graduated from Wellesley with highest honors in 1914, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree."

She spent the year following her graduation, teaching biblical history at Wellesley College. In the fall of 1915, Marguerite began her graduate studies in political science at Columbia University, and received an M.A. in 1917. She then worked as a psychologist with the State Charities Aid Association, an adoption agency in New York, during World War I.

While visiting a friend in Chicago, she was introduced to her future husband, Ralph E. Church, a Chicago attorney, and Illinois state representative. They married in December, 1918. Ralph Church was elected to the U.S. congress and served from 1935 to 1941, and then from 1943 until his death, in 1950. As a woman with a strong interest in political science, Marguerite considered herself to be fortunate, "in marrying a man actively engaged in legislative work." During his time in office, Marguerite worked closely with her husband on legislative matters, and accompanied him during campaigns. She became president of the Congressional Club, an organization for wives and daughters of legislators, cabinet members, and Supreme Court justices.

Rep. Ralph Church died in 1950, in the middle of a congressional hearing. Republican party leaders encouraged Marguerite to run to fill her late husband's seat. In her acceptance speech following her nomination, she said, "If a man had been nominated and made a mistake, you would have said he is stupid. If I make a mistake, you will say 'she is a woman'. I shall try to never give you reason to say that. I make no apologies for being a woman, nor would I ever seek office on the basis of being a woman."

She served ten years on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, travelling more than 40,000 miles some years. Referring to her extensive travel and international work she said, "I like to think that my district and my country are safer because I went." Her domestic legislative initiatives were wide ranging. She played an instrumental role in the passage of a bill modernizing and streamlining the federal government's budget process, and she authored legislation sharply curtailing the interstate transportation of fireworks.

Widely respected by colleagues and leaders on both sides of the aisle, she was appointed by President Kennedy to be a United Nations delegate, even though she had been a vocal critic of certain policies of his administration.

She remained interested and active in politics, following her retirement from Congress at the age of 70, having served for 12 years, and having voted on 6,292 bills and resolutions. Amazingly, she missed only 4 roll call votes during her tenure in Congress.

Marguerite Church was granted honorary degrees from Russell Sage College, Lake Forest College, Northwestern University, and National-Louis's College of Education. She was a member of the National Board of Directors of the Girls Scouts of America, a member of the American delegation to United Nations Assembly in 1961 and an honorary director of Northwestern University's Memorial Hospital.

Marguerite Stitt Church died on May 26, 1990 at her home in Evanston, IL. In her memory, her daughter, Marjory Church Barnum, Wellesley Class of 1950, and granddaughter, Courtenay R. Wood, Wellesley Class of 1976, established the Marguerite Stitt Church Summer Internship in Washington Stipend.

From Wellesley College Person of the Week article written by Mur Wolf

The sixth Illinois woman to serve in Congress was Edna Oakes Simpson (R-Greene County) who was elected to succeed her husband for one term from 1959 to 1961. Seventh was Charlotte T. Reid (R-Aurora) who served from 1963 to 1971 and then served five years as a member of the FCC.  Charlotte was better known to millions of radio listeners in the 1940s as the singer "Anette King" on the Don McNeal Breakfast Club.  Eighth was Cardiss Collins (D-Chicago) who succeeded her husband George Collins who was killed in a plane crash at Midway Airport in December 1972. Cardiss served from June 1973 to Jan. 1997.  Ninth was Lynn Martin (R-Rockford) who was elected to succeed John Anderson from 1981 to 1991 when she became Secretary of Labor.

The tenth and eleventh women members were Janice Schakowsky (D-Evanston) and Judy Biggert (R-Hinsdale) who were both elected in 1998 and are both still serving. The twelfth woman in Congress from Illinois is Melissa Bean (D-Barrington) who was elected in 2004 and is still serving. 

All of the information below comes from an article by Mur Wolf on the website of Marguerite Church's alma mater, Wellesley College.

Margureritte Stitt was a native of New York City, she attended the St. Agatha School, where she played basketball, and participated in organized forum discussions. She enrolled at Wellesley College in 1910, and majored in psychology, sociology and economics. This Durant Scholar and recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa award was president of the Zeta Alpha Society, a member of the Intersociety Council and an active participant in the Debating Society. She graduated from Wellesley with highest honors in 1914, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree."

She spent the year following her graduation, teaching biblical history at Wellesley College. In the fall of 1915, Marguerite began her graduate studies in political science at Columbia University, and received an M.A. in 1917. She then worked as a psychologist with the State Charities Aid Association, an adoption agency in New York, during World War I.

While visiting a friend in Chicago, she was introduced to her future husband, Ralph E. Church, a Chicago attorney, and Illinois state representative. They married in December, 1918. Ralph Church was elected to the U.S. congress and served from 1935 to 1941, and then from 1943 until his death, in 1950. As a woman with a strong interest in political science, Marguerite considered herself to be fortunate, "in marrying a man actively engaged in legislative work." During his time in office, Marguerite worked closely with her husband on legislative matters, and accompanied him during campaigns. She became president of the Congressional Club, an organization for wives and daughters of legislators, cabinet members, and Supreme Court justices.

Rep. Ralph Church died in 1950, in the middle of a congressional hearing. Republican party leaders encouraged Marguerite to run to fill her late husband's seat. In her acceptance speech following her nomination, she said, "If a man had been nominated and made a mistake, you would have said he is stupid. If I make a mistake, you will say 'she is a woman'. I shall try to never give you reason to say that. I make no apologies for being a woman, nor would I ever seek office on the basis of being a woman."

She served ten years on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, travelling more than 40,000 miles some years. Referring to her extensive travel and international work she said, "I like to think that my district and my country are safer because I went." Her domestic legislative initiatives were wide ranging. She played an instrumental role in the passage of a bill modernizing and streamlining the federal government's budget process, and she authored legislation sharply curtailing the interstate transportation of fireworks.

Widely respected by colleagues and leaders on both sides of the aisle, she was appointed by President Kennedy to be a United Nations delegate, even though she had been a vocal critic of certain policies of his administration.

She remained interested and active in politics, following her retirement from Congress at the age of 70, having served for 12 years, and having voted on 6,292 bills and resolutions. Amazingly, she missed only 4 roll call votes during her tenure in Congress.

Marguerite Church was granted honorary degrees from Russell Sage College, Lake Forest College, Northwestern University, and National-Louis's College of Education. She was a member of the National Board of Directors of the Girls Scouts of America, a member of the American delegation to United Nations Assembly in 1961 and an honorary director of Northwestern University's Memorial Hospital.

Marguerite Stitt Church died on May 26, 1990 at her home in Evanston, IL. In her memory, her daughter, Marjory Church Barnum, Wellesley Class of 1950, and granddaughter, Courtenay R. Wood, Wellesley Class of 1976, established the Marguerite Stitt Church Summer Internship in Washington Stipend.

From Wellesley College Person of the Week article written by Mur Wolf