Charlotte Giesen

Charlotte Milton Caldwell Giesen (January 27, 1907 – January 28, 1995)[1] was a Virginia politician and news editor. She served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1958 to 1961, becoming the first Republican woman elected to the House.[2][3]

Life and career

Giesen, also known as "Pinkie",[4] was a native of Radford, Virginia and alumna of Radford College, then known as the Women's Division of Virginia Polytechnic Institute,[3] from which she graduated in 1925.[5] In 1954 she became the first woman elected to Radford's city council;[6] her husband, Arthur Rossa Giesen,[1] also served on the city council, and was Mayor of Radford as well.[4] She was elected to the House of Delegates, representing Radford and the surrounding Montgomery County, in 1957;[6] her platform, considered progressive for the day, included reinstating compulsory education, requiring polio vaccinations and the jailing of drunk drivers, and support for open government.[7] Giesen served two terms before being defeated for reelection in 1961, having opposed Virginia's policy of "massive resistance" to desegregation.[6] During her service she served on four committees, those of Federal Relations, Immigration, Printing, and Public Property.[3] In 1962 she was reelected to the Radford City Council,[8] on which she served until 1966.[7] She also served on the Board of Visitors of her alma mater from 1970 until 1978. She was a journalist as well, acting for many years as women's editor of the Radford News Journal and editing the original Montgomery News Messenger.[7] She was on the board of directors of both the Radford Child Care Center and the Radford chapter of the American Red Cross.[3]

Giesen died at her home in Radford[6] and was buried in that city's West View Cemetery.[1] She was a Lutheran.[3] Her son, Pete Giesen, went on to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates as well.[4] Future governor John N. Dalton and his father were her next-door neighbors during her time as a delegate.[9]

Honors and legacy

Giesen received a number of honors both during her political career and after; she was voted Radford Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women's Association, and in 1960 the local chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars elected her Outstanding Woman of the Year.[7] A scholarship in her honor was established by her husband at Radford; it was later amended to honor him as well.[10] She was memorialized after her death with a joint resolution of the House of Delegates and State Senate. It reads:[7]

WHEREAS, Charlotte Milton Caldwell Giesen, a pioneering member of the General Assembly and the Radford City Council, died on January 28, 1995; and
WHEREAS, a graduate of Radford State Teachers College and a member of the Radford College Board of Visitors from 1970 to 1978, Charlotte Giesen became the first woman elected to the Radford City Council in 1954; and
WHEREAS, in 1957, Charlotte Giesen was elected to the House of Delegates, representing the City of Radford and Montgomery County; and
WHEREAS, Charlotte Giesen, won reelection in 1959, running on a platform that included reinstituting compulsory education, requiring inoculations against polio, imposing mandatory jail sentences on drunk drivers, and requiring government to conduct its business in open meetings; and
WHEREAS, many of Charlotte Giesen's public positions were considered progressive at the time, including her opposition to Virginia's policy of "massive resistance" and her championing of the role of women in politics; and
WHEREAS, in 1962, Charlotte Giesen returned to the Radford City Council, serving with distinction from 1962 to 1966; and
WHEREAS, Charlotte Giesen was also the women's editor for the Radford News Journal for many years and was the editor of the original Montgomery News Messenger; and
WHEREAS, among her many honors, Charlotte Giesen was voted Radford Woman of the Year by the Business and Professional Women's Association and was elected Outstanding Citizen in 1960 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars; and
WHEREAS, in an extraordinarily full and active life, Charlotte Giesen served her constituents with vigor and integrity and played a pioneering role in the political history of Radford and the Commonwealth, and leaves a lasting legacy of service, dedication, and accomplishment; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly note with sadness the passing of Charlotte Milton Caldwell Giesen; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Charlotte Giesen as an expression of the high regard in which her memory is held by the members of the General Assembly and the citizens of Virginia.

A taped interview with Giesen is currently held by the Special Collections Library of Virginia Tech.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Charlotte Caldwell Giesen at Find a Grave
  2. ↑ "Firsts in the History of Virginia's Women" (PDF). Virginia Capital Connections Quarterly Magazine. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Legislative profile for the 1960 session at the Virginia House of Delegates website
  4. 1 2 3 "JMU – Department of Political Science". jmu.edu. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "This Month in Radford History". radford.edu. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "DEATHS". Washington Post. 31 January 1995. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO.691: On the Death of Charlotte Milton Caldwell Giesen". Virginia's Legislative Information System. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "The Free Lance-Star – Google News Archive Search". google.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  9. ↑ Frank B. Atkinson (21 July 2006). The Dynamic Dominion: Realignment and the Rise of Two-Party Competition in Virginia, 1945–1980. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 156–. ISBN 978-0-7425-7753-4.
  10. ↑ "Radford University – Arthur R. & Pinkie Giesen Memorial Scholarship". academicworks.com. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "A Guide to the Charlotte C. Giesen Papers, 1987 Giesen, Charlotte C. Papers Ms1987-009". virginia.edu. Retrieved 8 September 2015.
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