Anne Clark Martindell
Encyclopedia
Anne Clark Martindell was an American
Democratic Party
politician
from New Jersey
, as well as a diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to New Zealand
from 1979 to 1981.
on July 18, 1914 to William and Marjory Clark. After attending boarding school in Maryland
she enrolled at Smith College
in 1932. After one year at Smith, she was forbidden from returning to campus by her father, William Clark
, a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey
who would later be appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
. He forced her to withdraw from the college, fearing that an educated woman would be unmarriageable. Much later in life she would return to Smith and earn a B.A.
degree in 2002, at the age of 87. Smith also honored its oldest graduate with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Following her departure from Smith she returned home to Princeton, New Jersey
and married George Scott, a stockbroker, in 1934. They had three children together, but the marriage fell apart after 13 years. Upon her divorce she met and later married Jackson Martindell, publisher of Marquis Who's Who
, the company that annually produces Who’s Who in America. Together they had a son, Roger. Roger Martindell currently serves on the Princeton Borough Council.
was the national campaign director for Eugene McCarthy
in the 1968 presidential campaign
. She attended the 1968 Democratic National Convention
in Chicago to show support for McCarthy, as well as for New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Robert B. Meyner
, a friend of the family. After the convention, Meyner asked Martindell to become vice chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
. At the end of her four-year appointment, local Democrats encouraged Martindell to run for New Jersey Senate
in 1973 in a traditionally Republican district encompassing parts of Hunterdon
, Mercer
, Middlesex
and Morris
Counties. She managed to beat incumbent State Sen. William E. Schluter
in a year when Republicans battled the specter of the Watergate scandal
and Democrats were buoyed by the landslide victory of Brendan Byrne
as Governor of New Jersey
.
In her four years in the State Senate, Martindell worked primarily on women's issues, education, and the environment. She served as chair of the Education Committee, member of the Appropriations Committee, chair of the Budget Revision Subcommittee for Higher Education, chair of the Joint State Library Committee, member of the Senate Nursing Home Commission, and chair of the Committee to Defeat Casino Gambling. Martindell was a delegate for Jimmy Carter
at the 1976 Democratic National Convention
and was an active campaigner for Carter in New Jersey. When Carter was elected president, Martindell resigned from the New Jersey Senate
in 1977 to take a series of federal appointments. She was succeeded in the Senate by Walter E. Foran
, then serving in the New Jersey General Assembly
.
, surveying natural-disaster reconstruction efforts funded by USAID. Her work garnered the attention of the ambassadorship review board, which recommended her candidacy to Carter for the position of United States Ambassador to New Zealand
. Martindell was nominated for the ambassadorship and served from 1979 to 1981. She was the first woman to serve as ambassador to New Zealand.
On her return from New Zealand, Martindell continued to foster close relations between the two countries, organizing the United States-New Zealand Council in 1986 and serving as the Council's first president.
Martindell's memoir Never Too Late (ISBN 978-1933672502) was published in 2008. She died on June 11, 2008 at the age of 93.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Democratic Party
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, as well as a diplomat who served as United States Ambassador to New Zealand
United States Ambassador to New Zealand
The United States has maintained a consular presence in New Zealand since 1838. The first consul was James Reddy Clendon. Born in England, Clendon was a ship owner and merchant who bought land and settled in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. In 1838 he was appointed by the federal government of the...
from 1979 to 1981.
Early life and family
Anne Clark was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on July 18, 1914 to William and Marjory Clark. After attending boarding school in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
she enrolled at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in 1932. After one year at Smith, she was forbidden from returning to campus by her father, William Clark
William Clark (judge)
William Clark was a United States federal judge.Clark was born on February 1, 1891 in Newark, New Jersey. His father, John William Clark, was president of the Clark Thread Company of Newark. William Clark (February 1, 1891 – October 10, 1957) was a United States federal judge.Clark was born...
, a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
who would later be appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
. He forced her to withdraw from the college, fearing that an educated woman would be unmarriageable. Much later in life she would return to Smith and earn a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 2002, at the age of 87. Smith also honored its oldest graduate with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.
Following her departure from Smith she returned home to Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
and married George Scott, a stockbroker, in 1934. They had three children together, but the marriage fell apart after 13 years. Upon her divorce she met and later married Jackson Martindell, publisher of Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who
Marquis Who's Who, a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc., is the American publisher of a number of directories containing short biographies...
, the company that annually produces Who’s Who in America. Together they had a son, Roger. Roger Martindell currently serves on the Princeton Borough Council.
Political career
Martindell was already in her fifties when she became active in Democratic politics. Her brother Blair ClarkBlair Clark
Ledyard Blair Clark was a liberal journalist and political activist who played key roles both as a journalist and a political operator. He was general manager and vice president of CBS News from 1961 to 1964, and later became editor of The Nation magazine...
was the national campaign director for Eugene McCarthy
Eugene McCarthy
Eugene Joseph "Gene" McCarthy was an American politician, poet, and a long-time member of the United States Congress from Minnesota. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the U.S. Senate from 1959 to 1971.In the 1968 presidential election, McCarthy was the first...
in the 1968 presidential campaign
United States presidential election, 1968
The United States presidential election of 1968 was the 46th quadrennial United States presidential election. Coming four years after Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson won in a historic landslide, it saw Johnson forced out of the race and Republican Richard Nixon elected...
. She attended the 1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
in Chicago to show support for McCarthy, as well as for New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Robert B. Meyner
Robert B. Meyner
Robert Baumle Meyner of Phillipsburg, New Jersey was an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 44th Governor of New Jersey, from 1954 to 1962...
, a friend of the family. After the convention, Meyner asked Martindell to become vice chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee
New Jersey Democratic State Committee
The New Jersey Democratic State Committee is the New Jersey state affiliate of the United States Democratic Party.New Jersey Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski is the Chairman and Camden Mayor Dana Redd is the Vice-Chairwoman. They were elected on January 27, 2010.-Party structure:The NJDSC is the...
. At the end of her four-year appointment, local Democrats encouraged Martindell to run for New Jersey Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
in 1973 in a traditionally Republican district encompassing parts of Hunterdon
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
Hunterdon County is a county located in the western section of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 128,349. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Flemington....
, Mercer
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
, Middlesex
Mercer County, New Jersey
As of the census of 2000, there were 350,761 people, 125,807 households, and 86,303 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,552 people per square mile . There were 133,280 housing units at an average density of 590 per square mile...
and Morris
Morris County, New Jersey
Morris County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey, about west of New York City. According to the United States 2010 Census, the population was 492,276. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Morristown....
Counties. She managed to beat incumbent State Sen. William E. Schluter
William E. Schluter
William Everett "Bill" Schluter is an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature....
in a year when Republicans battled the specter of the Watergate scandal
Watergate scandal
The Watergate scandal was a political scandal during the 1970s in the United States resulting from the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C., and the Nixon administration's attempted cover-up of its involvement...
and Democrats were buoyed by the landslide victory of Brendan Byrne
Brendan Byrne
Brendan Thomas Byrne is an American Democratic Party politician from New Jersey, who served as the 47th Governor of New Jersey, from 1974 to 1982.-Early life and education:...
as Governor of New Jersey
Governor of New Jersey
The Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
.
In her four years in the State Senate, Martindell worked primarily on women's issues, education, and the environment. She served as chair of the Education Committee, member of the Appropriations Committee, chair of the Budget Revision Subcommittee for Higher Education, chair of the Joint State Library Committee, member of the Senate Nursing Home Commission, and chair of the Committee to Defeat Casino Gambling. Martindell was a delegate for Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
at the 1976 Democratic National Convention
1976 Democratic National Convention
The 1976 Democratic National Convention met at Madison Square Garden in New York City, from July 12 to July 15, 1976. The assembled United States Democratic Party delegates at the convention nominated Governor Jimmy Carter of Georgia for President and Senator Walter Mondale of Minnesota for Vice...
and was an active campaigner for Carter in New Jersey. When Carter was elected president, Martindell resigned from the New Jersey Senate
New Jersey Senate
The New Jersey Senate was established as the upper house of the New Jersey Legislature by the Constitution of 1844, replacing the Legislative Council. From 1844 until 1965 New Jersey's counties elected one Senator, each. Under the 1844 Constitution the term of office was three years. The 1947...
in 1977 to take a series of federal appointments. She was succeeded in the Senate by Walter E. Foran
Walter E. Foran
Walter Edge "Moose" Foran was an American Republican Party politician from New Jersey, who served in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Arthur F. Foran, who served in the New Jersey Senate.-Biography:Foran was born in Flemington, New Jersey, the...
, then serving in the New Jersey General Assembly
New Jersey General Assembly
The New Jersey General Assembly is the lower house of the New Jersey Legislature.Since the election of 1967 , the Assembly has consisted of 80 members. Two members are elected from each of New Jersey's 40 legislative districts for a term of two years, each representing districts with average...
.
Diplomatic career
Martindell was first appointed to the Commission to Review Ambassadorial Appointments and later became director of the Office of Foreign Disaster AssistanceOffice of Foreign Disaster Assistance
The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance is an organizational unit within the U.S. Agency for International Development that has delegated responsible for directing and coordinating U.S. Government relief assistance overseas. Within USAID, OFDA resides within Bureau of Democracy, Conflict,...
, surveying natural-disaster reconstruction efforts funded by USAID. Her work garnered the attention of the ambassadorship review board, which recommended her candidacy to Carter for the position of United States Ambassador to New Zealand
United States Ambassador to New Zealand
The United States has maintained a consular presence in New Zealand since 1838. The first consul was James Reddy Clendon. Born in England, Clendon was a ship owner and merchant who bought land and settled in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. In 1838 he was appointed by the federal government of the...
. Martindell was nominated for the ambassadorship and served from 1979 to 1981. She was the first woman to serve as ambassador to New Zealand.
On her return from New Zealand, Martindell continued to foster close relations between the two countries, organizing the United States-New Zealand Council in 1986 and serving as the Council's first president.
Martindell's memoir Never Too Late (ISBN 978-1933672502) was published in 2008. She died on June 11, 2008 at the age of 93.
External links
- Anne Martindell Papers at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University
- Biographical information for Anne Clark Martindell from The Political GraveyardThe Political GraveyardThe Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 224,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information.-History:...
- Smith College Tribute to Anne Martindell '32 and '02
- Anne Martindell Papers, Princeton University LibraryPrinceton University LibraryPrinceton University Library is the main library system of Princeton University. With holdings of more than 7 million books, 6 million microforms, and 37,000 linear feet of manuscripts, it is headquartered in the Harvey S...
- Martindell combined gentility and a commitment to the voiceless from PolitickerNJ.com