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Elizabeth Lehman Belen

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Elizabeth Lehman Belen
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the Ingham County 1st district
In office
1937 (1937) – 1938 (1938)
Personal details
Born(1886-12-22)December 22, 1886
Westphalia Township, Michigan
DiedJuly 24, 1975(1975-07-24) (aged 88)
Meridian Charter Township, Michigan
PartyDemocratic
OccupationPolitician

Elizabeth Lehman Belen (December 22, 1886 – July 24, 1975) was an American politician, businesswoman, and nurse. She served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1937 to 1938.[1] She was the first Democratic woman elected to the Michigan Legislature. She was a delegate to the 1940 and 1944 Democratic National Conventions.[2] Belen was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.[3]

Early life and education

Lehman was born in Westphalia Township, Michigan, the daughter of Joseph Lehman and Theresia Miller Lehman. Her father was born in Germany. She graduated from St. Mary's School of Nursing in Grand Rapids.[4]

Career

Community work

Belen was drafted by the Army during the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918.[5][6][7] She founded the Visiting Nurses Service in the 1920s, organized a soup kitchen[8] and a job registry for nurses,[9] and was head surgical nurse at St. Lawrence Hospital. Belen was founder and chair of Michigan's Eleanor Roosevelt League of Women in 1932.[10][11] She and her husband co-owned a flower shop, Belen's Flowers, in Lansing, beginning in 1936.[12][13] She also served on the boards of the Lansing Women's Home and the Lansing Symphony Association.[6]

In state government

Belen served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1937 to 1938.[1] She was the second woman elected to the Michigan Legislature, after Cora Reynolds Anderson, and the first Democratic woman seated in the chamber.[2][14] From 1939 to 1943 she was the vice chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee for Michigan.[6]

In 1941 Belen was appointed to head the workers' compensation commission of the state's Department of Labor.[6] She was a delegate to the 1940 and 1944 Democratic National Conventions.[2] In 1948, she was president of the National Order of Women Legislators.[9] In 1950, Belen unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Michigan Senate. In 1958 she was appointed to a statewide commission on aging.[9]

Personal life and legacy

Lehman married businessman Christopher F. Belen in 1909. They had three children. Their son, Frederick C. Belen,[15][16] was the appointed Deputy Postmaster General from 1964 to 1968.[17] Their older daughter, Lucile Belen, served on the Lansing City Council for forty years.[18] Her husband died in 1960,[19] and their younger daughter died in 1964. Belen died in 1975, at the age of 88, in Michigan.[20]

A gallery at the Michigan Women's Historical Center in Lansing was dedicated to Belen in 1987.[9] She was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.[3][12]

References

  1. "Legislator Details: Elizabeth Lehman Belen". Michigan Legislative Biography. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  2. "Elizabeth Lehman Belen Obituary". Lansing State Journal. July 25, 1975. p. 10. Retrieved December 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "A Woman's Place is Under the Dome" (PDF). Michigan State Capitol. 2021. pp. 6–7. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 21, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  4. "Elizabeth Belen Dies". Lansing State Journal. July 25, 1975. p. 10. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Elizabeth Lehman Belen". Michigan Women Forward. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  6. Redfern, Virginia (July 9, 1974). "'Grand Old Lady' Recalls Politics, Depression Days". Lansing State Journal. pp. D1, D2. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "First Aid for Flu Folks is Offered; Central Agency for Volunteer Help Gets Into Action Its First Day". Lansing State Journal. December 9, 1918. p. 2. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Volunteer Cooks Are Being Sought; Central Dietary Kitchen is Suggested to Meet Contagion Need". Lansing State Journal. December 10, 1918. p. 1. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  9. Golembiewski, Chris (July 13, 1987). "Gallery to hail local pioneer". Lansing State Journal. p. 9. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "Eleanor Roosevelt League of Women Growing; Now Embraces Many Counties". Lansing State Journal. January 1, 1936. p. 76. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Mrs. Belen to Address Women's Roosevelt Club". The Grand Rapids Press. October 6, 1934. p. 4. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "Elizabeth Lehman Belen". Historical Society of Greater Lansing. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  13. Kaplan, Leo V. (April 8, 2026). "Floral-themed cafe honors historic building's past". City Pulse. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  14. "But One Woman in House Before; Mrs. Elizabeth Belen Among Pioneers of Sex in Michigan Legislature". Lansing State Journal. November 4, 1936. p. 3. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. Saxon, Wolfgang (October 15, 1999). "Frederick Christopher Belen, 95; Helped Automate Postal System". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  16. "Frederick Belen Dies at 85". The Washington Post. October 14, 1999. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  17. "Remarks at the Swearing In of Frederick C. Belen as Deputy Postmaster General and William McMillan as Assistant Postmaster General". The American Presidency Project. March 4, 1964. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  18. "Lucile Belen". Historical Society of Greater Lansing. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  19. "Rites Held for Florist; City, State Dignitaries Among Hundreds at Belen Funeral". Lansing State Journal. September 22, 1960. p. 13. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. "Elizabeth Belen, 89, Lawmaker in 1930s". Detroit Free Press. July 26, 1975. p. 29. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.