41 Facts About Isabella Greenway

Isabella Dinsmore Greenway was an American politician who was the first congresswoman in Arizona history, and the founder of the Arizona Inn of Tucson.

Isabella Greenway was born at the historic Dinsmore Farm in Boone County, Kentucky which was owned by her mother's maternal great aunt Julia Stockton Dinsmore.

Isabella Greenway's father Tilden Selmes was a Yale-educated attorney who originally practiced in St Paul where he met her mother.

In 1901, Patty's sister and brother-in-law, Sarah and Franklin Cutcheon, invited Patty and Isabella Greenway to join them in New York City.

Isabella Greenway attended Miss Chapin's School and Miss Spence's School in New York City, where she met and became lifelong friends with Roosevelt's niece, Eleanor.

Isabella Greenway became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt's cousin, Corinne Robinsion, who would read a Jack London book to Isabella as they drove to balls to make sure they remembered the world's problems.

In 1905, Isabella Greenway was one of Eleanor's bridesmaids when Eleanor Roosevelt married Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Shortly thereafter, while the Roosevelts were on their honeymoon, Isabella Greenway married Robert in a small ceremony.

Robert and Isabella Greenway became the godparents of Franklin and Eleanor's only daughter, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.

Isabella Greenway joined him as he went to a sanatorium in upstate New York.

Ferguson had encouraged Isabella to visit Greenway in Bisbee as a respite from her many responsibilities.

Isabella Greenway continued her many of her husband's plans in his memory.

Isabella Greenway successfully campaigned for a Statue of John Campbell Greenway to be placed in the United States Capitol Building and facilitated its creation.

Isabella Greenway temporarily closed the schools to incentivize citizens into paying their school taxes.

In 1927, Isabella Greenway opened Arizona Hut, a furniture factory employing disabled veterans and their immediate families.

Isabella Greenway lobbied for a dam in the Colorado River.

Isabella Greenway had been asked to run for governor and received a nomination for vice president at the 1924 Democratic National Convention.

Isabella Greenway expanded the committeewoman position's responsibilities, campaigning for Al Smith.

Isabella Greenway promoted women in the Democratic party, leading several to appointments and elections of women to state legislature vacancies and election.

In 1930, Isabella Greenway was urged again to run for governor.

Isabella Greenway appointed Greenway to a commission planning Arizona's exhibit at the Century of Progress exhibition.

Isabella Greenway asked her to consult with copper miners when they were impacted by the depression.

In 1932, Isabella Greenway campaigned heavily for Franklin Roosevelt and was credited with assuring his support from Arizona.

Isabella Greenway made one of the speeches seconding his nomination at the 1932 Democratic National Convention.

Isabella Greenway continued to campaign for Roosevelt in Arizona, even hosting him at her ranch during his tour of western states.

When Congress gave Roosevelt the power to cut many expenditures, including veteran's benefits, Isabella Greenway urged Roosevelt to research the impact of a possible loss of benefits on Arizona.

Isabella Greenway's platform included support of a copper tariff, farm relief, and countering anti-female bias.

Isabella Greenway travelled by plane from town to town to campaign.

Isabella Greenway won in a landslide, with 70 percent of the vote, and was sworn in on January 3,1934.

Isabella Greenway was appointed to the Indian Affairs Committee and the Public Lands Committee.

Isabella Greenway continued to work to revive Arizona's copper mining industry and support veteran's benefits.

Isabella Greenway declined a dinner invitation for her birthday, claiming that work kept her working through the night.

Isabella Greenway's campaign faced controversy when $4 million earmarked for the Verde River Irrigation Project was rescinded, leading homesteaders to hang and burn effigies of Greenway, Harold L Ickes, and Benjamin Baker Moeur.

Isabella Greenway opposed legislation to reduce the pensions of World War I servicemen, funds for which FDR planned to shift to fund economic recovery programs.

Isabella Greenway opposed some provisions of the 1935 Social Security Act, which she believed would be impossible to implement in the long term.

Isabella Greenway claimed that Arizona was in a better situation, as the mines and farms were improving, and noting she wanted to spend more time with family.

In 1940, Isabella Greenway refused to support Roosevelt for another term, as she believed there should be a limit of two presidential terms.

Isabella Greenway was elected to chair the American Women's Voluntary Services and the Arizona Inn was deemed essential to the war efforts in order to provide accommodations near the local air base and naval training schools.

Isabella Greenway died in 1953 in Tucson at the Arizona Inn of heart failure.

Isabella Greenway is buried on the Dinsmore Homestead in Kentucky where she had been born.

In 1981, Isabella Greenway was posthumously inducted into the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame as a member of the inaugural cohort.