Helen Delich Bentley

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Helen Bentley (née Delich; November 28, 1923 – August 6, 2016) was an American politician who was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Maryland from 1985 to 1995. Before entering politics, she had been a leading maritime reporter and journalist.<ref name=":0" />

Early life

Bentley was born in the copper-mining town of Ruth, Nevada.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her parents were immigrant Serbians, and her father was a miner.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref> When Bentley was eight years old, her father died of silicosis, a common miner's disease, and Bentley took a part-time job in a dress shop while her mother took in boarders to support the family.<ref name=":2" />

While at high school, she had her first experiences of journalism and politics while working on the weekly newspaper of Ely, Nevada, which was published by Republican state legislator Charles Russell.<ref name=":0" /> She won scholarships to study journalism at the University of Missouri, graduating in 1944 after earning a BA degree with honors.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> While at college, she worked on the Senate campaign for Democrat James D. Scrugham, and was appointed his Senate secretary.<ref name=":2" />

Career

Journalism

After she graduated, Bentley worked for small-town newspapers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Lewiston, Idaho, but she wanted to report hard news for a larger publication; at the time, most women journalists were limited to writing society news.<ref name=":2" /> She wrote to all the main East Coast newspapers and, in 1945, The Baltimore Sun offered her a reporting position.<ref name=":0" /> She initially reported on labor and union matters, but was subsequently allocated maritime and waterfront news, a significant beat in a city and state whose port contributed heavily to the economy.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> She became a widely respected maritime reporter, dealing with people from dock workers to state politicians, and also writing for port agencies and shipping companies.<ref name=":2" />

Beginning in 1950, Bentley hosted a local Baltimore TV program on WMAR, The Port That Built a City, presenting maritime and transportation-related news.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Later retitled The Port That Built a City and State, the series was produced by Bentley until 1965 and included then-novel live remotes from the decks of ships in Baltimore harbor during the early years of television.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

During the Vietnam War, Bentley became aware of the congestion in the port of Saigon, and traveled there to report on the problems of supplying American troops. President Johnson became aware of her report, and subsequently improvements were made to port facilities in Cam Ranh Bay to relieve pressure on Saigon.<ref name=":0" />

Politics

In 1969, Bentley was offered a seat on the Federal Maritime Commission. She declined and asked for the position of chair instead. She was appointed and chaired the commission from 1969 to 1975.<ref name=":2" /> The position made her the highest-ranking woman in President Nixon's administration.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> During her tenure, Bentley advocated for federal support for American shipbuilding yards.<ref name=":2" />

Congress

Bentley challenged Democratic incumbent Clarence Long in Template:Ushr in 1980 and 1982. She defeated Long on her third attempt in 1984, and was elected to the 99th Congress and to the four succeeding Congresses, serving from January 3, 1985, to January 3, 1995.<ref name=":2" />

During her time in office, Bentley advocated for protectionist trade policies to support U.S. manufacturing and the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet.<ref name=":0" /> She also introduced legislation that enabled the Chesapeake Bay to be dredged, allowing larger cargo ships to use the port of Baltimore.<ref name=":0" /> In the 1990s, she was sympathetic towards Serbians during the civil war in Yugoslavia, and opposed U.S. military involvement in that conflict.<ref name=":2" />

File:Helen Delić Bentli i Dejan Stojanović.jpg

Helen Delich Bentley with Serbian poet and journalist Dejan Stojanović in 1993

In 1994, Bentley declined to run for reelection to the 104th Congress, choosing instead to seek the GOP nomination for governor of Maryland. Despite an endorsement from incumbent governor, Democrat William Donald Schaefer,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> she was defeated in the Republican primary by the more conservative Ellen Sauerbrey.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Post-Congress campaigns

When Bentley's successor in Congress, Bob Ehrlich, gave up his seat, she sought to retake the seat in 2002. Redistricting had made the district significantly more Democratic by adding a large slice of Baltimore proper, which Bentley had never represented. She lost to Baltimore County Executive Dutch Ruppersberger.<ref name=":2" />

Later career

In 1995, Bentley founded Helen Bentley & Associates, Inc., and provided consultancy services on international trade, business and government.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> She also served as a consultant for the Maryland Port Administration and the Port of Baltimore and served on the Board of Trustees for the Baltimore Museum of Industry and the Maritime Industries Academy High School.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Recognition

In 2004, Bentley was inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame.<ref name=":0" /> In 2006, as part of the Port of Baltimore's 300th anniversary celebrations, the port was renamed the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.<ref name=":3" />

Bentley was also inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, and was a recipient of the Speaker's Medallion, First Citizen Award, and Governor's International Leadership Award from the state government of Maryland.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life and death

Bentley was married to William Roy Bentley, who died in 2003 from a stroke. The couple had no children.

She died of brain cancer in August 2016 at the age of 92, at her home in Timonium, Maryland.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":1" />

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

External links

• A Few Good Women... The Honorable Helen Delich Bentley Template:Webarchive
• Template:Find a Grave
• Template:C-SPAN