Helen Boosalis
Encyclopedia
Helen G. Boosalis was a Nebraska
Democratic Party
politician.
Helen Boosalis was born as Helen Geankoplis in Minneapolis, Minnesota
to Greek immigrant parents, where she grew up working in her father's Minneapolis restaurant.
In 1945 she married Michael Gus "Mike" Boosalis, a World War II
veteran and graduate of the University of Minnesota
. Their daughter, Mary Beth, was born three years later. In 1951, the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska
, where her husband had accepted a job at the University of Nebraska.
Shortly after completing her tenure as Mayor in 1983, Boosalis was appointed as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aging in the Cabinet of then-Governor Bob Kerrey
, she served in that post until she announced her candidacy for Governor of Nebraska in the 1986 election. Boosalis received a plurality of the vote in the crowded Democratic primary with 43.8% of the votes. She lost to the Republican candidate, State Treasurer Kay A. Orr
in the general election with Boosalis receiving 47.1% of the vote and Orr getting 53.9%. This election was the first state gubernatorial election in U.S. history where the candidates of both major national parties were women.
.
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
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.
Helen Boosalis was born as Helen Geankoplis in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
to Greek immigrant parents, where she grew up working in her father's Minneapolis restaurant.
In 1945 she married Michael Gus "Mike" Boosalis, a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran and graduate of the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
. Their daughter, Mary Beth, was born three years later. In 1951, the family moved to Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, where her husband had accepted a job at the University of Nebraska.
Political career
In 1959 Helen Boosalis was elected to the Lincoln City Council, scoring an upset victory over an incumbent, and was subsequently reelected three times. She won another upset victory over incumbent Sam Schwartzkopf to become the city's first woman mayor in 1975. From 1981 to 1982, she served as the first female President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.Shortly after completing her tenure as Mayor in 1983, Boosalis was appointed as Director of the Nebraska Department of Aging in the Cabinet of then-Governor Bob Kerrey
Bob Kerrey
Joseph Robert "Bob" Kerrey was the 35th Governor of Nebraska from 1983 to 1987 and a U.S. Senator from Nebraska . Having served in the Vietnam War, earning the Medal of Honor for his actions, he moved into politics. He was an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1992...
, she served in that post until she announced her candidacy for Governor of Nebraska in the 1986 election. Boosalis received a plurality of the vote in the crowded Democratic primary with 43.8% of the votes. She lost to the Republican candidate, State Treasurer Kay A. Orr
Kay A. Orr
Kay Orr , is a United States Republican Party politician from the state of Nebraska. She served as the 36th Governor of Nebraska from 1987 to 1991.-Background and political roots:...
in the general election with Boosalis receiving 47.1% of the vote and Orr getting 53.9%. This election was the first state gubernatorial election in U.S. history where the candidates of both major national parties were women.
Post-politics
Following her electoral defeat, Boosalis was an active member of several state and national organizations, most notably serving as Chairwoman of Board of Directors of the American Association of Retired PersonsAARP
AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons, is the United States-based non-governmental organization and interest group, founded in 1958 by Ethel Percy Andrus, PhD, a retired educator from California, and based in Washington, D.C. According to its mission statement, it is "a...
.