Elizabeth Baldwin Letchworth
Elizabeth Baldwin Letchworth (born July 5, 1959 in Washington, DC) is a small business owner, Republican legislative strategist and consultant and a past elected United States Senate Officer. Letchworth is the first woman to have been elected by the United States Senate to serve as the U.S. Senate Secretary for the Majority for the republicans. She was also elected as the United States Senate Secretary for the Minority.[1] Letchworth is the founder of GradeGov.com, .[2] and provides political information and commentary for several news and current events publications. Letchworth is the chairperson of the Habitat for Humanity-Marion County, Florida affiliate. She also hosts a twice weekly radio show entitled Congress College and serves as a principal in the Washington, DC consulting firm of Congressional Global Strategies.[3]
In office from 1995 to 2001, she was preceded by Howard O. Greene, Jr. and succeeded by David Schiappa.[4]
Personal life
Elizabeth Bolling Baldwin was born to Donald W. and Joan B. Baldwin in Washington DC. While living in the DC area and working in the Senate, Ms. Baldwin married Howard O. Greene, Jr. and was known as Elizabeth B. Greene. She was the widow of Ron Hilton Letchworth until her marriage in 2015 to Raymond Richard Chryst. She currently divides her time between Washington D.C. and Central Florida.
Career
Elizabeth Baldwin Letchworth began her 26-year career in the U.S. Senate in 1975 as a Senate page. From 1976 to 1977 Letchworth (née Baldwin) worked in the leadership office of Senate Republican Leader Hugh Scott (R-PA). Subsequently she moved into the Senate Republican Cloakroom and became the first female Cloakroom assistant. In 1980 Letchworth (née Greene) moved to a newly created office as Director of the Senate Legislative Scheduling office where Letchworth held responsibilities including scheduling officers to preside over daily Senate proceedings as well as scheduling legislation and Executive nominations for then Senate Majority Leader, Howard Baker (R-TN).
In 1994 Senator Bob Dole (R-KS) proposed that Letchworth (née Greene) be elected by the United States Senate to be the first and only women elected to serve as the United States Senate Secretary for the Majority (Republican) On Jan. 4, 1995 Elizabeth was elected Secretary for the Majority pursuant to Senate Resolution 8. (104th Congress, 1st session.) She served in this position until June 2001 when, as a result of the party switching by Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont, the Senate republicans were then casts into the Minority party. Elizabeth was elected the Secretary for the Minority, U.S. Senate on June 6, 2001 by Senate Resolution 105
Letchworth’s career in the U.S. Senate involved all aspects of Senate floor proceedings. These aspects included: authoring Senate rules changes, overseeing the Presidential impeachment proceedings of President William J. Clinton and negotiating and coordinating the first and only 50/50 shared power agreement between the Senate Republicans and Democrats when the U.S. Senate membership ratio was equal for part of the calendar year 2001.
Letchworth uses her previous political experience and current affiliations to help inform and to promote understanding for citizens within the current political climate. She currently is the founder and owner/editor of the website GradeGov.com. [5]
Letchworth was a frequent columnist for the Sunshine State News as well as The Daily Caller.com. Letchworth is the past chairperson of the Habitat for Humanity of Marion County Florida affiliate. (Link: http://www.habitatocala.org) and served as a senior legislative advisor to Covington & Burling in Washington, DC. She serves on various committees as a lay leader for the 1st United Methodist Church in Dunnellon, FL.
References
- "The Congressional Record.3 August 2001, pages S8873-4". Government Printing Office. Retrieved 18 August 2010.
- http://www.gradegov.com. Check
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- "Party Secretaries". United States SenateUS Senate. Retrieved 9 August 2010.
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Sources
- Resolution 8: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c104:4:./temp/~mdbsObSIdu::
- Resolution 105: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c107:1/temp/~jnDmXW::
- U.S. Senate Organizational Chart: https://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/e_one_section_no_teasers/org_chart.htm
- Gradegov.com: http://www.gradegov.com/about.php