Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis (March 22, 1917 - July 3, 1971) was a Republican Party
activist from the U.S. state
of Delaware
who was appointed the 33rd Treasurer of the United States
, having served from May 8, 1969, until her death.
, to Reginald Hastings Andrews and the former Mabel Aston. She was attending Maryville College
in Maryville, Tennessee
when she married Russell Ransom Elston (1911-1975) in 1936. The couple divorce
d in 1960. During the 1940s and 1950s, Elston worked in the legal department at the Du Pont Company in Wilmington
, Delaware
. After 1946, she also operated a nursery
farm
in Middletown
.
Elston Kabis became active in Republican politics beginning with the Eisenhower
administration. She worked in the Delaware office of the Farmers Home Administration
from 1956-1959. She was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
s in 1956 and 1960, serving on the rules and platform committees. She was also a member of the Delaware Republican State Central Committee from 1954 to 1958.
Considered a moderate
conservative, Elston endorsed Barry Goldwater
for President
in 1964 but thereafter announced that she preferred Governor
Nelson Rockefeller
of New York
, considered the most liberal
of serious Republican candidates. However, she supported Nixon's nomination at the convention in Miami Beach, Florida
, and was rewarded with an appointment to the office of Treasurer of the United States
, the fifth consecutive woman to hold the position.
Elston Kabis joined the GOP
women's auxiliary group, the National Federation of Republican Women
, in 1954 and was elected president at the national NFRW convention in 1962, a post that she held from 1963-1968. The most publicized of all NFRW elections was held in Washington, D.C.
in 1967 to choose a successor to Elston. Normally the First Vice President, then conservative Phyllis Schlafly
, would have been unopposed for the top position. When Schlafly sought to move up to the presidency, however, Elston worked covertly against her, and Schlafly lost to Gladys O'Donnell, a favorite of the Republican moderates, who drew the active support of Governors Nelson Rockefeller, Winthrop Rockefeller
of Arkansas
, and George Romney
of Michigan
. Elston Kabis was also active in the League of Women Voters
as well as the Methodist Church.
Elston Kabis died of a heart attack in Sheffield, Massachusetts
at the age of 54 while visiting her father's grave. In her honor, the NFRW established an internship program for young women.
The resulting change in Kabis' signature appeared first on the Series 1969A one-dollar bill.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
activist from the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
who was appointed the 33rd Treasurer of the United States
Treasurer of the United States
The Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
, having served from May 8, 1969, until her death.
Biography
Elston Kabis was born in Wilkes-Barre, PennsylvaniaWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
, to Reginald Hastings Andrews and the former Mabel Aston. She was attending Maryville College
Maryville College
Maryville College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee, near Knoxville. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The College is one of the fifty oldest colleges in the...
in Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville, Tennessee
Maryville is the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. The city is located south of Knoxville. Maryville's population was 27,258 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. Maryville has received a number of accolades for its...
when she married Russell Ransom Elston (1911-1975) in 1936. The couple divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d in 1960. During the 1940s and 1950s, Elston worked in the legal department at the Du Pont Company in Wilmington
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
, Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
. After 1946, she also operated a nursery
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
in Middletown
Middletown, Delaware
Middletown is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 18,871.-Geography:Middletown is located at with an elevation of ....
.
Elston Kabis became active in Republican politics beginning with the Eisenhower
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
administration. She worked in the Delaware office of the Farmers Home Administration
Farm Security Administration
Initially created as the Resettlement Administration in 1935 as part of the New Deal in the United States, the Farm Security Administration was an effort during the Depression to combat American rural poverty...
from 1956-1959. She was a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
s in 1956 and 1960, serving on the rules and platform committees. She was also a member of the Delaware Republican State Central Committee from 1954 to 1958.
Considered a moderate
Moderate
In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical. In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword....
conservative, Elston endorsed Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater
Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...
for President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
in 1964 but thereafter announced that she preferred Governor
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Rockefeller
Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller was the 41st Vice President of the United States , serving under President Gerald Ford, and the 49th Governor of New York , as well as serving the Roosevelt, Truman and Eisenhower administrations in a variety of positions...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, considered the most liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
of serious Republican candidates. However, she supported Nixon's nomination at the convention in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
, and was rewarded with an appointment to the office of Treasurer of the United States
Treasurer of the United States
The Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
, the fifth consecutive woman to hold the position.
Elston Kabis joined the GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
women's auxiliary group, the National Federation of Republican Women
National Federation of Republican Women
The National Federation of Republican Women is the women's wing of the Republican Party in the United States. Founded in 1938, it is a grassroots political organization with more than 1,600 local clubs in the 50 states and in the U.S. territories...
, in 1954 and was elected president at the national NFRW convention in 1962, a post that she held from 1963-1968. The most publicized of all NFRW elections was held in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1967 to choose a successor to Elston. Normally the First Vice President, then conservative Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis Schlafly
Phyllis McAlpin Stewart Schlafly is a Constitutional lawyer and an American politically conservative activist and author who founded the Eagle Forum. She is known for her opposition to modern feminism ideas and for her campaign against the proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
, would have been unopposed for the top position. When Schlafly sought to move up to the presidency, however, Elston worked covertly against her, and Schlafly lost to Gladys O'Donnell, a favorite of the Republican moderates, who drew the active support of Governors Nelson Rockefeller, Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller
Winthrop Rockefeller was a politician and philanthropist who served as the first Republican Governor of Arkansas since Reconstruction. He was a third-generation member of the Rockefeller family.-Early life:...
of Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, and George Romney
George W. Romney
George Wilcken Romney was an American businessman and Republican Party politician. He was chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation from 1954 to 1962, the 43rd Governor of Michigan from 1963 to 1969, and the United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1969 to 1973...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Elston Kabis was also active in the League of Women Voters
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters is an American political organization founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt during the last meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association approximately six months before the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution gave women the right to vote...
as well as the Methodist Church.
Elston Kabis died of a heart attack in Sheffield, Massachusetts
Sheffield, Massachusetts
Not to be confused with the city of Sheffield in the UK, or Sheffield, Vermont.Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,257 at the 2010 census. Sheffield is home to...
at the age of 54 while visiting her father's grave. In her honor, the NFRW established an internship program for young women.
Name change
Following her appointment as Treasurer by U.S. President Richard M. Nixon as Dorothy Andrews Elston, she married Walter L. Kabis (1914-2009), a WWII Pacific Navy veteran on the USS England (DE-635) and a school principal from Wilmington, Delaware in 1970 and changed her name to Dorothy Andrews Elston Kabis. She became the first (and so far only) treasurer to have their name changed while in office, an event significant because the signature of the Treasurer of the United States appears on U.S. paper currency.The resulting change in Kabis' signature appeared first on the Series 1969A one-dollar bill.