Helen Stevenson Meyner

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Helen Day Stevenson Meyner, also known as Helen S. Meyner (March 5, 1929; Queens County, New York – November 2, 1997; Captiva Island, Florida) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from New Jersey from 1975 to 1979.

Helen Stevenson Meyner was the daughter of Olympic gold-medalist and ambassador William Stevenson, wife of New Jersey Governor Robert B. Meyner, and distant cousin of Democratic candidate for President Adlai Stevenson.

In 1972, Meyner ran as the Democratic nominee for Representative from New Jersey's newly redistricted 13th Congressional District that included her home in Phillipsburg, New Jersey and included portions of Morris County, New Jersey and Sussex County, New Jersey. She lost in the Republican-leaning district, to the Republican candidate, Joseph J. Maraziti. In 1974, with the Watergate scandal leading to Democratic congressional gains throughout the country, Meyner ran for the seat again, this time beating Maraziti. She won a second term in the 1976 elections in a close race against William E. Schluter, but lost her bid for a third term in 1978 to Republican James A. Courter.^[1]

Meyner's work before entering politics included a career as a print and television journalist and work for the American Red Cross.

[edit] References

^ Halbfinger, David M. "Ex-Rep. Helen S. Meyner, 69; Born Into Democratic Politics", The New York Times, November 3, 1997. Accessed December 30, 2007. "In 1972, Democratic Party leaders asked her to run for Congress from the Meyner family home in Phillipsburg, in the heavily Republican 13th Congressional District in Sussex and Morris Counties."