Jane Perkins Maroney (July 29, 1923 – December 28, 2021) was an American politician who was a member of the Delaware General Assembly, representing House District 10 in the Delaware House of Representatives as a member of the Republican Party.[1] She was noted for her use of both legislative and personal time to advance legislation on child care.[2][3] She also spent time on HIV/AIDS prevention and unwanted pregnancies.[4]
On July 9, 1923, Jane Perkins was born in Boston, Massachusetts,[5] to parents Mary (Boland) Perkins and John Perkins.[6] She was one of four children.[7] Perkins attended the Gibbs College until 1942, after which she graduated from Radcliffe College in 1944. She worked for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1951 to 1956.[5] In 1972, she was a volunteer for a US Senate election campaign.
Maroney's experience, both political and non-political, before running for a state representative seat was listed as "five years in business, five years in government in Washington and Europe, head of management training and research in Delaware civic and philanthropic organizations."[8] She was elected to the Delaware House of Representatives to represent district 10 in 1979 and served until 1998.[5] Initially, her political concerns were revising Delaware's tax base away from an above-average reliance on income taxes, and increasing the rate of use of the House committee system.[8] For the 1990 election, she listed healthcare, land use, and education as her three primary concerns.[9] During her 1994 re-election against Dennis E. Williams, she won 71% to 29%.[10]
on July 7, 1956, she married Dr. John Maroney, in Washington, D.C., and moved to Wilmington, Delaware.[11] She died there on December 28, 2021, at the age of 98.[12]
In 1993, the University of Delaware awarded her its Medal of Merit, which was consolidated with the university's Medal of Distinction in 1995.[13]
Maroney is a member of the Hall of Fame of Delaware Women[14] and was inducted in 1996.[4]