Polly Rosenbaum
Encyclopedia
Edwynne Cutler "Polly" Rosenbaum (September 4, 1899–December 27, 2003) was a teacher
and politician
who was Arizona
's longest-serving state legislator, representing Gila County
in the Arizona House of Representatives
for 45 years.
, Iowa
, in 1899. She moved to Colorado
as a child and attended the University of Colorado
, where she graduated in 1922 with a bachelor's degree
in history and political science. She taught school in Iowa, Colorado, and in Lusk, Wyoming
, and undertook graduate study at the University of Southern California
, which awarded her a master's degree
in education in 1929. In 1929 she moved to Hayden, Arizona
, a mining
town, to take a teaching job. She supplemented her teacher's pay by working as a secretary
for the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company.
Polly Cutler's secretarial work took her to the Arizona State Capitol
in Phoenix
, where she met Representative William "Rosey" Rosenbaum, whom she married in 1939. Rosey Rosenbaum, who represented Gila County, later became Speaker of the House.
When the legislative seat came up for election in 1950, Rosenbaum ran for the seat in her own right and won. A Democrat
, she was to win a total of 22 election
s to two-year terms. She retired from the legislature at the age of 95 after losing the November 1994 election to a political newcomer who benefited from redistricting
(which had resulted in her district including parts of eight counties
) and an anti-incumbency
mood. Several weeks after her election loss, former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater
, an Arizona Republican
, told the Los Angeles Times
: "People in this state still can't believe she was defeated.... She's so damn good that everybody wanted to see her stay in the Legislature as long as she wanted--and I have a hunch that was where she planned to spend her life."
As a legislator, Rosenbaum was particularly noted for her efforts on behalf of Arizona's rural areas and her support for education
, libraries
, museum
s, and historic preservation
. She was chairman of the House Administration Committee for 16 years and later was chairman of the House Education Committee. As Education Committee chairman, she is credited with passing legislation in 1964 to provide education for homebound children in Arizona.
Rosenbaum was also noted for her commitment to the interests of women. She once said of Arizona's women: "The women really won the West, not the men. The women are the ones who got the libraries and worked for the schools." Although she voted against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment
to the U.S. Constitution, in 1968 she was one of a group of eight women members of the Arizona House who combed through the Arizona Constitution
to eliminate language that discriminated on the basis of gender. She also is credited with getting spittoon
s removed from the House chambers and barring the wearing of miniskirt
s by its female pages.
. As a volunteer at the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
, she led guided tours for school groups and was known for her habit of running up the stairs. She remained active for the rest of her life. After her death, the Arizona Republic said of her in an editorial-page remembrance: "Right up to the end, she kept on giving speeches, serving on committees and even trying to get rose bushes planted in front of the Capitol again."
Rosenbaum died from congestive heart failure
at age 104 on December 27, 2003.
's Business and Professional Woman of the Year in 1960 and the Gila County Woman of the Year in 1974. In 1982 her colleagues in the state legislature passed a resolution giving her the title "First Lady of the Arizona Legislature." In 1983 she received the First Legislative Award of Arizona Library Friends. Northern Arizona University
, the University of Phoenix
, and Arizona State University
awarded her honorary degree
s. In 2006 she was named to the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.
She is the namesake of two state government buildings in Phoenix
. The Polly Rosenbaum Building is an historic building that houses the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
. The Polly Rosenbaum State Archives and History Building, completed in 2008 and dedicated in 2009, is the home of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records.
In 1999, the year of her 100th birthday, the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records established the Polly Rosenbaum Award in her honor, recognizing her support for libraries, museums, and archives, and the preservation of the state's cultural history. Known as the "Polly" Award, this award honors elected or appointed officials who "cherish Arizona’s rich cultural resources and support the work of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records." It is presented each year on February 14, Arizona Statehood Day. The Polly Rosenbaum Writing Contest is conducted each year by the Arizona Educational Foundation, stimulating and recognizing creative writing
by students in grades 7 through 12.
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who was Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
's longest-serving state legislator, representing Gila County
Gila County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*76.8% White*0.4% Black*14.8% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.0% Two or more races*5.4% Other races*17.9% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
in the Arizona House of Representatives
Arizona House of Representatives
The Arizona House of Representatives is the lower house of the Arizona Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. Its members are elected to two-year terms with a term limit of four consecutive terms...
for 45 years.
Life and career before entering the state legislature
Polly Rosenbaum was born Edwynne Cutler in OllieOllie, Iowa
Ollie is a city in Keokuk County, Iowa, United States. The population was 224 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Ollie is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, in 1899. She moved to Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
as a child and attended the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, where she graduated in 1922 with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in history and political science. She taught school in Iowa, Colorado, and in Lusk, Wyoming
Lusk, Wyoming
Lusk is a town in Niobrara County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 1,447 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Niobrara County. The town was laid out in June 1886 by engineers working on the Wyoming Central Railway. It was named after Frank S...
, and undertook graduate study at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, which awarded her a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in education in 1929. In 1929 she moved to Hayden, Arizona
Hayden, Arizona
Hayden is a town in Gila and Pinal counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 843...
, a mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
town, to take a teaching job. She supplemented her teacher's pay by working as a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
for the Inspiration Consolidated Copper Company.
Polly Cutler's secretarial work took her to the Arizona State Capitol
Arizona State Capitol
The Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, formerly housed the Territorial and State Legislatures, as well as various executive offices...
in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, where she met Representative William "Rosey" Rosenbaum, whom she married in 1939. Rosey Rosenbaum, who represented Gila County, later became Speaker of the House.
Career in Arizona legislature
When her husband died unexpectedly in 1949 after 22 years in the legislature, Polly Rosenbaum was appointed to fill the remainder of her husband's term, taking office on January 12, 1949.When the legislative seat came up for election in 1950, Rosenbaum ran for the seat in her own right and won. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, she was to win a total of 22 election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
s to two-year terms. She retired from the legislature at the age of 95 after losing the November 1994 election to a political newcomer who benefited from redistricting
Redistricting
Redistricting is the process of drawing United States electoral district boundaries, often in response to population changes determined by the results of the decennial census. In 36 states, the state legislature has primary responsibility for creating a redistricting plan, in many cases subject to...
(which had resulted in her district including parts of eight counties
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...
) and an anti-incumbency
Anti-incumbency
An anti-incumbent vote is one exercised against elected officials currently in power. It allows the voters to register their discontent with sitting government officials, particularly when protesting against certain actions taken by the government or the elected officials in question.-See...
mood. Several weeks after her election loss, former U.S. Senator 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...
, an Arizona Republican
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...
, told the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
: "People in this state still can't believe she was defeated.... She's so damn good that everybody wanted to see her stay in the Legislature as long as she wanted--and I have a hunch that was where she planned to spend her life."
As a legislator, Rosenbaum was particularly noted for her efforts on behalf of Arizona's rural areas and her support for education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, libraries
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
s, and historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
. She was chairman of the House Administration Committee for 16 years and later was chairman of the House Education Committee. As Education Committee chairman, she is credited with passing legislation in 1964 to provide education for homebound children in Arizona.
Rosenbaum was also noted for her commitment to the interests of women. She once said of Arizona's women: "The women really won the West, not the men. The women are the ones who got the libraries and worked for the schools." Although she voted against ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment
Equal Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and, in 1923, it was introduced in the Congress for the first time...
to the U.S. Constitution, in 1968 she was one of a group of eight women members of the Arizona House who combed through the Arizona Constitution
Arizona Constitution
The Constitution of the State of Arizona is the governing document and framework for the U.S. state of Arizona. The current constitution is the first and only adopted by the state of Arizona.-History:...
to eliminate language that discriminated on the basis of gender. She also is credited with getting spittoon
Spittoon
A spittoon is a receptacle made for spitting into, especially by users of chewing and dipping tobacco. It is also known as a cuspidor , although that term is also used for a type of spitting sink used in dentistry."Spittoon" can also be slang American English...
s removed from the House chambers and barring the wearing of miniskirt
Miniskirt
A miniskirt, sometimes hyphenated as mini-skirt, is a skirt with a hemline well above the knees – generally no longer than below the buttocks; and a minidress is a dress with a similar meaning...
s by its female pages.
Later life and death
At the time of her departure from the Arizona legislature at age 95, Rosenbaum was still known for her high energy level, almost always climbing the stairs to her third-floor office instead of using the elevatorElevator
An elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
. As a volunteer at the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
The Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, is a museum focused on minerals and mining. Operated by the Arizona Historical Society, a state government agency, its exhibits include more than 3,000 minerals, rocks, fossils, and artifacts related to the mining industry.- History :The...
, she led guided tours for school groups and was known for her habit of running up the stairs. She remained active for the rest of her life. After her death, the Arizona Republic said of her in an editorial-page remembrance: "Right up to the end, she kept on giving speeches, serving on committees and even trying to get rose bushes planted in front of the Capitol again."
Rosenbaum died from congestive heart failure
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...
at age 104 on December 27, 2003.
Honors, awards, and legacy
Rosenbaum was the recipient of many honors and awards during her long life, as well as some posthumous honors. She was GlobeGlobe, Arizona
Globe has an arid climate, characterized by hot summers and moderate to warm winters. Globe's arid climate is somewhat tempered by its elevation, however, leading to slightly cooler temperatures and slightly more precipitation than Phoenix or Yuma....
's Business and Professional Woman of the Year in 1960 and the Gila County Woman of the Year in 1974. In 1982 her colleagues in the state legislature passed a resolution giving her the title "First Lady of the Arizona Legislature." In 1983 she received the First Legislative Award of Arizona Library Friends. Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 39 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.As of...
, the University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution of higher learning. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo Group Inc. which is publicly traded , an S&P 500 corporation based in Phoenix, Arizona...
, and Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
awarded her honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
s. In 2006 she was named to the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.
She is the namesake of two state government buildings in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. The Polly Rosenbaum Building is an historic building that houses the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum
The Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, is a museum focused on minerals and mining. Operated by the Arizona Historical Society, a state government agency, its exhibits include more than 3,000 minerals, rocks, fossils, and artifacts related to the mining industry.- History :The...
. The Polly Rosenbaum State Archives and History Building, completed in 2008 and dedicated in 2009, is the home of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records.
In 1999, the year of her 100th birthday, the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records established the Polly Rosenbaum Award in her honor, recognizing her support for libraries, museums, and archives, and the preservation of the state's cultural history. Known as the "Polly" Award, this award honors elected or appointed officials who "cherish Arizona’s rich cultural resources and support the work of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records." It is presented each year on February 14, Arizona Statehood Day. The Polly Rosenbaum Writing Contest is conducted each year by the Arizona Educational Foundation, stimulating and recognizing creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
by students in grades 7 through 12.