Elizabeth Lehman Belen | |
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Member of the Michigan House of Representatives | |
In office 1937 (1937)–1938 (1938) | |
Personal details | |
Born | (1886-12-22)December 22, 1886 Westphalia Township, Michigan |
Died | July 24, 1975(1975-07-24) (aged 88) Meridian Charter Township, Michigan |
Nationality | American |
Political party | Michigan Democratic Party |
Occupation | Politician |
Elizabeth Lehman Belen (December 22, 1886 – July 24, 1975) was an American politician who 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 served as a delegate to the 1940 and 1944 Democratic National Conventions.[2]
Belen was drafted by the Army during the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918.[3] She later founded the Visiting Nurses Service in the 1920s. In 1950, she unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the Michigan Senate.[4] From 1939 to 1943 she was the vice chairman of the Democratic State Central Committee for Michigan. Belen was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.[5]