Cecil M. Harden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cecil Murray Harden
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana's 6 district
In office January 3, 1949 – January 3, 1959
Preceded by	Noble J. Johnson
Succeeded by	Fred Wampler
Personal details
Born	Cecil Murray ( 1894 -11-21)November 21, 1894 Covington, Indiana, U.S.
Died	December 5, 1984(1984-12-05) (aged 90) Lafayette, Indiana, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Frost Revere Harden
Children	Murray Harden

Cecil Murray Harden (born November 21, 1894 – died December 5, 1984) was an American teacher. She became a Republican politician. She was also a strong supporter of women's rights.

Cecil Harden served five terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. This is part of the U.S. Congress. She represented Indiana's 6th congressional district from 1949 to 1959. She was the only Republican woman from Indiana in Congress for many years. Later, Susan Brooks and Jackie Walorski were elected in 2012.

In Congress, she worked on important committees. She helped look into government spending. She also worked on issues related to the Post Office and Civil Service. In 1957, she worked with Representative Florence Dwyer. They suggested a law to make sure women got equal pay for their work. Harden also encouraged the Republican Party to support women's issues. She helped her home state of Indiana. She got federal money for projects to control floods. She also spoke out against closing a plant in Dana, Indiana.

Harden was active in politics starting in 1932. She held many roles in the Republican Party. She was a national committeewoman for Indiana. She also attended several Republican National Conventions. After Congress, she worked as a special assistant for women's affairs. This was for the U.S. Postmaster General. She also served on a committee for the White House Conference on Aging.

Growing Up in Indiana

Early Life and School Days

Cecil Murray was born on November 21, 1894. Her hometown was Covington, Indiana. This is in Fountain County, Indiana. Her parents were Jennie and Timothy J. Murray. Her father worked in real estate. He was also a leader in the local Democratic Party.

Cecil went to local public schools. She finished Covington High School in 1912. She then went to Indiana University. But she left college to become a teacher. She taught in schools near her hometown of Covington.

On December 22, 1914, Cecil Murray married Frost Revere Harden. He later became a car dealer in Covington. They had one son named Murray Harden. He was born in 1915 and became a doctor.

Starting a Political Career

Getting Involved in Politics

Even though her father was a Democrat, Cecil Harden joined the Republican Party. She first became interested in politics in 1931. This was when President Herbert Hoover made her husband the postmaster in Covington.

Harden became even more active in 1933. This was after President Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office. He replaced her husband with a Democrat as postmaster. This made her want to get more involved.

In 1932, Harden started as a Republican precinct vice chairman. She held this job until 1940. She was very active in Indiana politics in the 1930s and 1940s. In 1938, she became vice chairman of the Fountain County Republican Party. She kept this role until 1950.

National Republican Roles

Harden joined the Republican National Speakers Bureau in 1940. She was chosen as Indiana's Republican National committeewoman in 1944. She served in this role until 1959. She also served again from 1964 to 1972. Harden was a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1948, 1952, 1956, and 1968.

Serving in Congress

Becoming a U.S. Representative

In 1948, a Republican from Indiana named Noble J. Johnson left Congress. He became a federal judge. Cecil Harden won the Republican nomination to run for his seat. This was her first time running for an elected office.

Harden won the election by a very small number of votes. She beat Democrat John James O'Grady. She was elected to the 81st Congress. She served five terms in the U.S. House. She represented Indiana's 6th congressional district. Her time in Congress was from January 3, 1949, to January 3, 1959. She voted for the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

Working on Key Issues

In her first term, Harden was on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. Later, she moved to a committee that looked at how the government spent money. During the 83rd Congress, she led a subcommittee on how different government levels worked together. She also spent six years on the Committee on the Post Office and Civil Service.

While on these committees, Harden visited military bases. She looked for ways to make military buying better. She also suggested that the government use private companies for some work. This was to help save money.

Fighting for Women's Rights

Cecil Harden was a strong supporter of women's rights. She worked with Senator Margaret Chase Smith and Representative Frances Bolton. They asked the Republican Party to include issues important to women in their plans. In 1957, Harden and Representative Florence Dwyer proposed a bill. This bill aimed to give women equal pay for equal work.

Helping Her Home State

Harden also helped the people in her Indiana district. She worked to control floods in the Wabash River valley. She helped get federal money for these projects. She also spoke out in 1956 against the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. They planned to close a plant in Dana, Indiana. This plant was in her district. Harden said that 900 workers would lose their jobs if it closed.

End of Congressional Service

Harden was a supporter of the Eisenhower administration. In 1958, she lost her bid for a sixth term in Congress. She was defeated by Democrat Fred Wampler. Many Republicans lost their seats that year. Her loss was partly due to a recession. This economic downturn affected jobs in her district.

After Congress

Continued Public Service

Even after her last term in Congress ended in January 1959, Harden stayed in Washington, D.C.. In March 1959, she became a special assistant for women's affairs. She worked for U.S. Postmaster General Arthur Summerfield. She stayed in this job until 1961.

Harden continued to be a Republican national committeewoman for Indiana. She served from 1964 to 1972. She was also a delegate to the Republican National Conventions in 1968 and 1972. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon appointed her to a committee. This committee helped plan the White House Conference on Aging. She served on it in 1972–73.

Later Life and Legacy

Retirement and Passing

Cecil Harden lived longer than her husband, Frost Harden. After she retired from politics in the early 1970s, she moved back to Covington, Indiana. She spent her last years in an assisted living facility.

Cecil Harden passed away from cancer on December 5, 1984. She was ninety years old. She died in Lafayette, Indiana. Her burial place is Mount Hope Cemetery in Fountain County.

Remembering Her Work

Her important papers and records are kept at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis. They are called the "Cecil Murray Harden Papers, 1938–1984."

On December 14, 1974, President Gerald R. Ford signed a bill. This bill renamed Mansfield Lake in Parke County, Indiana, in her honor. As a U.S. Representative, she had helped get money for this project. The lake was built as part of a flood control project. It was finished in 1960. Today, Indiana's Department of Natural Resources manages the lake for fun activities.

See also

• Women in the United States House of Representatives