Elizabeth Eyre Pellet
Elizabeth Eyre Pellet (née Elizabeth Eyre;[1] January 15, 1887 – April 7, 1976)[2] was an American actress, suffragist, and state legislator who served in the state of Colorado.[3] A Democrat, she represented southern Colorado counties of Dolores, Montezuma, and San Miguel in the Colorado House of Representatives, from 1948 to 1964, and as minority leader, from 1955 to 1956.[4] She was the first woman to serve as Colorado's House minority leader.
Elizabeth Eyre Pellet | |
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Minority Leader of the Colorado House of Representatives | |
In office 1955–1956 | |
Member of the Colorado House of Representatives | |
In office 1948–1964 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Elizabeth Eyre January 15, 1887 South Norwalk, Connecticut |
Died | April 7, 1976 89) | (aged
Political party | Democratic |
Biography
Elizabeth Eyre was born in South Norwalk (now part of Norwalk), Connecticut on January 15, 1887.[2] She acted on Broadway and in a silent film, The Plunderer (1915). In New York she also marched as a suffragist. She was married in 1919 to lawyer Robert Lockwood Pellet (1872–1949).[2]
She moved to Colorado with her husband and they operated mines in Rico, Colorado, where she was elected to the school board.[1] She wrote an autobiography titled, That Pellet Woman! (1965, published by Stein and Day).[5] She worked to gain federal support to save and restore the Rio Grande Southern Railroad.[6]
She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2016.[1]
References
- "Elizabeth Eyre Pellet". Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.
- "The Political Graveyard: Dolores County, Colo., Elizabeth E. Pellet (1887-1976)". The Political Graveyard. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
- "COLORADO LEGISLATORS PAST AND PRESENT - Elizabeth Eyre Pellet". www.leg.state.co.us. Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
- "Women Who Served in the Colorado House of Representatives". Strong Sisters. Colorado Legislative Women’s Caucus. Archived from the original on 2018-12-03.
- Sprague, Marshall (May 16, 1965). "The Lady Went West; " THAT PELLET WOMAN!" By Betty Pellet with Alexander Klein. Illustrated. 379 pp. New York: Stein & Day. $5.95". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- Black, Laurel (November 5, 2015). "Rico woman to be inducted into Colorado Women's Hall of Fame". Telluride Daily Planet. Archived from the original on 2021-12-12.