Betty Babcock

Betty Lee Babcock (March 11, 1922 – August 4, 2013) was an American businesswoman, politician, and the wife of the Governor of Montana Tim M. Babcock. She served as the First Lady of Montana from 1962 to 1969, as a delegate to the 1972 Montana Constitutional Convention, and as a member of Montana House of Representatives from 1975 to 1977.

Born in Aplington, Iowa, Betty moved to Montana at a young age. She went to Dawson Community College. On September 21, 1941, she married Tim M. Babcock, who joined her father's trucking business which later became: Babcock & Lee. She managed a hotel, restaurant, and convention center. In 1962, Tim Babcock, then Lieutenant Governor of Montana, became governor upon the death of Donald Nutter. Betty Babcock was elected to and served in the Montana Constitutional Convention of 1972, one of 100 delegates drafting a new Montana Constitution. Beginning in 1975, she served in the Montana House of Representatives as a Republican. In 1978, Babcock and her husband wrote: 'Challenges: Above & Beyond.'

Babcock died in Helena, Montana on August 4, 2013 at the age of 91.[1][2] Governor Steve Bullock ordered all U.S. and state flags in Montana to fly at half staff until August 8 in her memory.[3]