Given the groundwork and involvement of the League of Women Voters, American Association of University Women and a few other women, it was rewarding that 19 of the 100 delegates elected were women. We note that the number of women elected to serve as delegates to the Convention was bolstered by a Montana Supreme Court decision that sitting legislators or other current state office holders could not run for the Convention. This ruling opened the doors for women to compete; there were no incumbents to challenge.  

Both individual LWV and AAUW members were elected to serve as delegates to the Convention, and once elected, these women delegates’ familiarity with constitutional issues and their various passions for reform made them very influential delegates. Many of them had actual governmental and public experience, having served on city councils, school boards, libraries, planning and health boards and as mayors. Nowhere was that degree of service and acumen better epitomized than in the strong delegation of women from Great Falls. Four of the 11 delegates from Great Falls were women. 

Marian Erdman, a fourth-generation Montanan, after graduating from the UMT headed to Washington, DC, to work for the Interior and Justice Departments, and only after marrying did she return to Great Falls where she immediately fell into work for the Republican Party and city government. She liked to refer to herself as the first “lady” mayor of Great Falls and with her ubiquitous hats, a very apt description. In addition to serving as Mayor of Great Falls, she served two terms on the Great Falls City Council and, at the Convention, served as a member of the Local Government Committee along with fellow Great Falls delegate. 

Virginia Blend, who served as Chair of the Committee. Both were instrumental in increasing the power and authority of local government, advocating for “home rule” and the periodic review of local government. Ms. Blend had been named Woman of the Year in 1970 by the Great Falls Business and Professional Women’s Club. She was also active in the Council for the Ratification of the ERA. Not to rest on the hope that the ERA would be approved by the requisite number of states, Delegate Blend introduced a delegate proposal for the inclusion in the Constitution of a provision “to ban discrimination based on gender.” Some of her words are found in the Individual Dignity provision of Article II, Section 4. 

Arlyne Reichert, clearly one of the most impressive, articulate and respected of all delegates, had served on both the local and state board of LWV.  She was very knowledgeable about a broad range of subjects—taxation, education, school funding and local government —and she was one of the most reform minded delegates. In the Legislative Committee on which she served, she was a strong advocate for a unicameral (one house) legislature. Nebraska was the only state then and now with a unicameral legislature, and the idea seemed a little too revolutionary for most delegates. But Reichert was quick to point out “the Convention itself was sitting as a unicameral body and everyone seemed to agree that it worked just fine.”

It was a testament to her advocacy skills that the delegates voted to present a unicameral legislature as an option to the voters at the ratification effort. 

Margaret Warden, elected at the age of 55, was a librarian who was passionate about libraries. After college, she went to work for the Great Falls Tribune as a newspaper librarian, one of the first newspaper librarians in the Pacific Northwest.  She served on the Great Falls Public Library Board for 20 years. At the Convention she served on the Executive and Public Information Committees, the latter of which had as its primary function, keeping the public apprised of what was happening at the Convention. Given her newspaper background she played a pivotal role with Helena delegate, Betty Babcock, in raising funds and preparing materials for the ratification campaign. And along with Lucile Speer and Mae Nan Robinson Ellingson, she was instrumental in having the proceedings of the Convention transcribed and published for the public. It is now referred to as the Transcript of Proceedings, available in all public libraries.

The next article will highlight the remaining women delegates.