Helen Delich Bentley

Helen Delich Bentley (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.[4]

Helen Delich Bentley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 2nd district
In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1995
Preceded by	Clarence Long
Succeeded by	Robert Ehrlich
Chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Commission
In office 1969–1975
Nominated by	Richard Nixon
Preceded by	John Harllee[1]
Succeeded by	Karl Bakke[2][3]
Personal details
Born	Helen Delich (1923-11-28)November 28, 1923 Ruth, Nevada, U.S.
Died	August 6, 2016(2016-08-06) (aged 92) Timonium, Maryland, U.S.
Nationality	American
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	William Roy Bentley (d. 2003)
Alma mater	University of Missouri

Early life

Bentley was born in the copper-mining town of Ruth, Nevada.[5] Her parents were immigrant Serbians, and her father was a miner.[4][6] 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.[6]

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.[4] She won scholarships to study journalism at the University of Missouri, graduating in 1944 after earning a BA degree with honors.[4][7] While at college, she worked on the Senate campaign for Democrat James D. Scrugham, and was appointed his Senate secretary.[6]

Career

Journalism

Following her graduation, 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.[6] She wrote to all the main East Coast newspapers and eventually, in 1945, The Baltimore Sun offered her a reporting position.[4] She initially reported on labor and union matters, but was subsequently allocated maritime and waterfront news.[4][8] 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.[6]

Beginning in 1950 Bentley hosted a local Baltimore TV program on WMAR, The Port That Built a City, presenting maritime and transportation-related news.[9] 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.[10]

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.[4]

Politics

In 1969, Bentley was offered a seat on the Federal Maritime Commission. However, she declined and asked for the position of chair instead. She was appointed and chaired the commission from 1969 to 1975.[6] The position made her the highest-ranking woman in President Nixon's administration.[4][8] During her tenure, Bentley advocated for federal support for American shipbuilding yards.[6]

Bentley challenged Democratic incumbent Clarence Long in Maryland's 2nd congressional district 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.[6]

During her time in office, Bentley was a strong advocate for protectionist trade policies in support of U.S. manufacturing and the U.S. Merchant Marine fleet.[4] She also introduced legislation which enabled Chesapeake Bay to be dredged, allowing larger cargo ships to access the port of Baltimore.[4] In the 1990s, she was sympathetic towards Serbians during the civil war in Yugoslavia, and opposed U.S. military involvement in that conflict.[6]

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

Bentley was not a candidate for reelection to the 104th Congress in 1994, but was an unsuccessful candidate for nomination for Governor of Maryland. Despite an endorsement from the incumbent Democratic governor William Donald Schaefer,[11] she was defeated in the Republican primary by the more conservative Ellen Sauerbrey.[8]

When her successor in Congress, Bob Ehrlich, gave up his seat, Bentley sought to take the seat back in 2002. However, the district had been made significantly more Democratic in redistricting and included a large slice of Baltimore City, an area Bentley had never represented. She lost to Baltimore County Executive Dutch Ruppersberger.[6]

In 1995, Bentley founded Helen Bentley & Associates, Inc., and provided consultancy services on international trade, business and government.[4][12] She was also a consultant for the Maryland Port Administration and the Port of Baltimore, and served on the Board of Trustees for both the Baltimore Museum of Industry and the Maritime Industries Academy High School.[8][13]

Electoral record

Election results[14][15]
Year	Office	Election		Candidate	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%		Opponent	Party	Votes	%
1980	Representative for Maryland's 2nd District	General		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	89,961	42.6%		Clarence Long	Democratic	121,017	57.4%
1982	Representative for Maryland's 2nd District	General		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	75,062	47.4%		Clarence Long	Democratic	83,318	52.6%
1984	Representative for Maryland's 2nd District	General		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	111,517	51.4%		Clarence Long	Democratic	105,571	48.6%		N/A	Other	1	0.0%
1986	Representative for Maryland's 2nd District	General		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	96,745	58.7%		Kathleen Kennedy Townsend	Democratic	68,200	41.3%		N/A	Write-in	1	0.0%
1988	Representative for Maryland's 2nd District	General		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	157,956	71.5%		Joseph Bartenfelder	Democratic	63,114	28.5%
1990	Representative for Maryland's 2nd District	General		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	115,398	74.4%		Ronald P. Bowers	Democratic	39,785	25.6%
1992	Representative for Maryland's 2nd District	General		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	165,443	65.1%		Michael Hickey Jr.	Democratic	88,658	34.9%
1994	Governor of Maryland	Republican Primary		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	89,821	37.9%		Ellen Sauerbrey	Republican	123,676	52.2%		William S. Shepard	Republican	23,505	9.9%
2002	Representative for Maryland's 2nd District	General		Helen Delich Bentley	Republican	88,954	45.7%		Dutch Ruppersberger	Democratic	105,718	54.3%

Recognition

In 2004, Bentley was inducted into the International Maritime Hall of Fame.[4] In 2006, as part of the port of Baltimore's 300th anniversary celebrations, the port was renamed the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore.[12]

Bentley was also a member of the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Speaker's Medallion, First Citizen Award and Governor's International Leadership Award from the state government of Maryland.[16]

Personal life

Bentley was married to William Roy Bentley, who died in 2003 from a stroke. The couple had no children. She died at the age of 92, at her home in Timonium, Maryland, from brain cancer.[4][8]

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives

References

1. Saxon, Wolfgang (February 14, 2005). "John Harllee, 91, Rear Admiral, Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
2. "The Houston Port Bureau Reports" (PDF). Port of Houston Magazine. December 1975. p. 18. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
3. "Business Briefs". The New York Times. May 18, 1976. p. 64. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
4. Dresser, Michael (August 6, 2016). "Helen Delich Bentley, congresswoman who was a staunch advocate of the port of Baltimore, dies". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
5. "Famous American Serbs". Baba Mim. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
6. Langer, Emily (August 6, 2016). "Helen Delich Bentley, journalist-turned-politician who promoted Baltimore port, dies at 92". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
7. "Maryland Voters Guide: District 2 U.S. Congress". The Washington Post. 2002. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
8. "Former U.S. Rep. Helen Bentley dead at 92". WBAL-TV. August 6, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
9. Shapiro, M. Sigmund (Fall 1999). "The Saga of Samuel Shapiro & Company". Generations. Jewish Museum of Maryland. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
10. Rasmussen, Frederick N. (July 23, 2011). "Lawrence H. Taylor—One of the pioneering broadcast engineer's duties was maintaining WMAR-TV's transmitter (obit.)". Baltimore Sun. p. 14.
11. Defilippo, Frank A. (June 19, 1998). "Schaefer's endorsement of governor no mystery". Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved June 9, 2009. Glendening showed up to break bread with the same Schaefer who endorsed Republicans George Bush for president, Helen Delich Bentley for governor and John G. Gary for Anne Arundel County executive.
12. "Former U.S. Rep. Helen Bentley in hospice care". WBAL-TV. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
13. "Baltimore Museum of Industry Board of Trustees". Baltimore Museum of Industry. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
14. United States House of Representatives. "Election Statistics". History, Art & Archives. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
15. Maryland State Board of Elections. "1994 Gubernatorial Election". Maryland Elections by Year. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
16. "Baltimore Sun's Business and Civic Hall of Fame honoree: Helen Delich Bentley". The Baltimore Sun. June 10, 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2016.

External links

• United States Congress. "Helen Delich Bentley (id: B000392)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
• A Few Good Women... The Honorable Helen Delich Bentley
• Helen Delich Bentley at Find a Grave
• Appearances on C-SPAN

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Clarence Long	Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 2nd congressional district 1985–1995	Succeeded by Robert Ehrlich