Lynn M. Martin
Lynn Morley Martin (born Judith Lynn Morley; December 26, 1939) is an American businesswoman and former politician who served as the 21st United States secretary of labor from 1991 to 1993, under President George H. W. Bush. A member of the Republican Party, she previously represented Illinois's 16th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1991. Before her election to Congress, Martin served in both chambers of Illinois General Assembly; in the State House of Representatives from 1977 to 1979, as well as the State Senate from 1979 to 1980 .
Lynn M. Martin
Guy Stubblefield
John W. Hallock, Jr.
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Early life and career[edit]
Martin was born in Evanston, Illinois, the daughter of Helen Catherine (Hall) and Lawrence William Morley, an accountant.[1] She attended Taft High School in Chicago from 1952 to 1956. She was later named to Taft's Hall of Fame. In 1960 she graduated from the University of Illinois, where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. After becoming a teacher in the Rockford Public School District, she continued in that job after being elected to public office, serving as a member of the Winnebago County board from 1972 to 1976[2] before being elected to the Illinois House of Representatives (1977–1979), Illinois Senate (1979–1980), and U.S. House of Representatives (1981–1991).
Secretary of Labor[edit]
Martin was tapped to be Secretary of Labor in the George H. W. Bush administration when Elizabeth Dole resigned to become president of the American Red Cross.[10] Martin was confirmed as Secretary of Labor by the Senate on January 22, 1991, by a vote of 94–0.[11][12] During her tenure, Martin promoted programs that would help produce a highly skilled workforce. Martin's signature policy while Secretary was the promotion of her Glass Ceiling Commission. Martin pushed for greater representation of women and minorities in the corporate world and was crusader against sexual harassment in the work place.[13]
At the 1992 Republican National Convention, Secretary Martin was selected to give the nominating address for president to George H. W. Bush.[14]
Post political career[edit]
From 1993 to 1999, Martin was a professor at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, and chair of the Council for the Advancement of Women and advisor to the firm of Deloitte & Touche LLP, for Deloitte's internal human resources and minority advancement matters. She was briefly a fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.[15]
In 1993, Martin was among the finalist to be named as Commissioner of Baseball, but the job ultimately went to Bud Selig.[16]
In 1995, she tested the waters to run for the 1996 Republican presidential nomination, but decided against it after concluding there was insufficient support for her candidacy. She participated in a Republican primary debate in New Hampshire on local television.[17] Arguably, she would have been the most viable woman to run for the Republican presidential nomination in history to that date.[18]
Martin has been a director on the boards of AT&T Corporation, Ryder System Inc., Dreyfus Funds, Constellation Energy Group and Procter & Gamble. She served as chairman of the board of the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
She is briefly mentioned in The Loudest Voice for her connection to future Fox News executive Roger Ailes.
Personal life[edit]
She married John Martin in 1960 and the couple had two daughters. They divorced in 1978. Martin remarried in 1987 to Harry Leinenweber, a U.S. District Court Judge, who died in 2024.[19] She has five stepchildren.[20]
Awards[edit]
Lynn Morley Martin was inducted as a laureate of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois and awarded the Order of Lincoln (the State's highest honor) by Illinois Governor George Ryan in 2000 in the area of government.[21]