Ivy Baker Priest
| Ivy Baker Priest | |
|---|---|
| California State Treasurer | |
|
In office 1967–1975 | |
| Governor | Ronald Reagan |
| Preceded by | Bert A. Betts |
| Succeeded by | Jesse M. Unruh |
| 30th Treasurer of the United States | |
|
In office January 28, 1953 – January 29, 1961 | |
| President | Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Preceded by | Georgia Neese Clark |
| Succeeded by | Elizabeth Rudel Smith |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
September 7, 1905 Kimberly, Utah, U.S. |
| Died |
June 23, 1975 (aged 69) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Resting place |
Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park 40°41′52.08″N 111°50′30.12″W / 40.6978000°N 111.8417000°W |
| Spouse(s) |
Roy Fletcher Priest Sidney Stevens |
| Children |
Pat Priest 3 other |
| Religion | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) |
| Signature |
 |
Ivy Baker Priest (September 7, 1905 – June 23, 1975) was Treasurer of the United States from 1953 to 1961 and California State Treasurer from 1967 to 1975.[1]
Biography
Priest was born in Kimberly, Utah on September 7, 1905, to Clara Fernley and Orange D. Baker.[2] Her father worked as a gold miner in Kimberly and later as a copper miner in the town of Bingham Canyon. She was active in politics from high school, when she worked to register voters in a mayoral campaign. She was a delegate to the GOP state convention in 1932, and ran for Congress in Utah on the Republican ticket in 1934, but lost.
On December 7, 1935 in Salt Lake City, Utah, she married Roy Fletcher Priest.[3]
Beginning in 1944 she served for several years as Utah's Republican National Committeewoman, and in 1950 ran for Congress in Utah again and lost for a second time. During Dwight D. Eisenhower's campaign for president, Priest took charge of the women's division of the Republican National Committee and was credited with the successful drive to get out the women's vote, which totaled 52 percent of Eisenhower's victory margin.[2]
She served as Treasurer of the United States under President Eisenhower from January 28, 1953 to January 29, 1961, during which time her signature appeared on all U.S. currency.
In 1967 she became national chairman of the Easter Seals.
On June 20, 1961 in Los Angeles, California, she married Sidney William Stevens.[4][5]
In 1967 she was elected as a Republican to the office of California State Treasurer, serving two terms from 1967 until her death in 1975.
She died of cancer in Santa Monica, California on June 23, 1975.[1] She was buried in the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Utah.
Legacy
She was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[6]
Priest was the mother of Pat Priest, an actress best known for playing Marilyn Munster in the 1960s television show The Munsters.
Quotations
"We women don't care too much about getting our pictures on money as long as we can get our hands on it."
"We seldom stop to think how many people's lives are entwined with our own. It is a form of selfishness to imagine that every individual can operate on his own or can pull out of the general stream and not be missed."
"The World is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning."
“I'm often wrong, but never in doubt.”[7]
References and notes
- 1 2 "Ivy Baker Priest Is Dead. Ex-Treasurer of U.S., 69". Associated Press in the New York Times. June 23, 1975. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
Ivy Baker Priest, who once said her background of poverty qualified her best for the office of Treasurer of the United States, which she held for eight years, has died of cancer at the age of 69. ...
- 1 2 Reeve, W. Paul. "Ivy Baker Priest". History Blazer. Utah State Historical Society (June 1995).
- ↑ He was born on January 3, 1884 and died on June 11, 1959 in Arlington, Virginia. He was buried in the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- ↑ "Mrs. Ivy Baker Priest Wed to S.W. Stevens". New York Times. June 21, 1961. Retrieved December 19, 2013.
Mrs. Ivy Baker Priest, Treasurer of the United States during the Eisenhower administration, was married today to Sidney William Stevens ...
- ↑ His original surname was Silberman. He was born November 3, 1902 and was the son of Samuel and Ida (Blasberg) Silberman. He died on March 2, 1972 and was buried in the Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Salt Lake City, Utah.
- ↑ "Statistical Report 1975". Ensign. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. May 1976. ISBN 0-642-01740-9. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
- ↑ Ivy Baker Priest quotes: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/i-m-often-wrong-but-never-in-doubt/761962.html
External links
- Ivy Baker Priest at Find a Grave
- A film clip "Longines Chronoscope with Ivy Baker Priest" is available at the Internet Archive
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Georgia Neese Clark |
Treasurer of the United States 1953–1961 |
Succeeded by Elizabeth Rudel Smith |
| Preceded by Bert A. Betts |
State Treasurer of California 1967–1975 |
Succeeded by Jesse M. Unruh |
 | ||