Evening star., 1953-12-18
Mrs. Isabella 6. Kinq,
Only Arizona Woman
In Congress, Dies
BY the AssoeiGtsd Press

IN congress, DIeS
BY the Assoeictsd Press
TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 18.-Mrs.
Isabella Greenway King, 81, the
only woman ever elected to Con-
gress from Arizona, died of a
heart attack at her home here
today. She had been i'll for a
year.
Elected Democratic national
committeewoman in 1928, Mrs.
King campaigned widely for the
party's national ticket of that
year, urging women to vote for
Alfred E. Smith. In 1882 she
achieved one of her outstanding
political triumphs by a five
minute address to a wrangling
State convention which swung
the gathering to the candidacy
of Franklin D. Roosevelt for the
presidential nomination. It was
the first instructed Democratic
delegation in the States history
and Mrs. Greenway was one of
those who seconded the Roose-
velt nomination at the Chicago
convention.
Back of that triumph were
years of friendship with the
Roosevelt family. Her father,
Tilden r. Selmes, was a friend
Of Theodore. Roosevelt and. for
q time, associated with him in a
ranching venture near Mandan,
S. Oak. She herself had met
Franklin D. Roosevelt and Flea
nor Roosevelt while she was at
tending finishing school in New
York andp she was a bridesmaid
at their wedding when Theodore
Roosevelt gave away" his favor
ite niece to her distant cousin.
Took Douglas House Seat.
She always combatted, how
ever, any idea that her close
friendship for the Roosevelt
family gave her any special priv
ilegeS at the White House. She
especially had to discuss that
question in 1888 when she ran
for the congressional seat va
Gated by Lewis w. Douglas upon
the latter's appointment as di-
rector of the budget. After her
election at the special balloting
of october 3, 1888, she gave en-
phaSiS to her campaign state
ments by opposing some of the
Roosevelt administrations prof.
ects. She was reelected for the
full term in November. 1884.
Mrs. King was born in Boone
County, KY, March %. 1886, the
daughter of Tilden r. and
Martha Flandreau Selmes. At
19 she met and married Robert
Ferguson, a friend of the Roose-
welt family. She was then 10
years old.
In 1909 Mr.. Ferguson's health
failed and on the advice of ply
sicians he, his wife and their
two children, Robert and Martha,
moved to a homestead near Ty-
rome, N. Mex. Mr.. Ferguson died
in 1922 and his widow moved to
Santa Barbara, Calf.
Wed Mining Engineer.
On November 4, 1923, she mar
ried Col. John c. Greenway,
mining engineer, A. E. F. officer
and a close friend of her first
husband. A son, John S., was
born to this union.
Col. Greenway was general
manager of the New Cornelia
Copper Co. at Ajo, Ariz. To-
gether he and his wife virtually
rebuilt the town, making it one
of the States beauty spots and
a model mining camp.
During World War I she
served as chairman of the Wom-
ans Land Army of New Mexico.
After Col. Greenway's death,
Mrs. Greenway married Harry
Orland King of New York, then
president of the Institute of APP
piled Economics. During World
War II she was national chair
man of the American Women's
Volunteer Service and active in
the American Arbitration ASso-
citation.
Operated Big Cattle Ranch.
Mrs. King had a variety of
business interests. She built and
operated hotel at Tucson,
owned the big Xxx cattle ranch
near Williams, Ariz., and from
1922 to 1884 owned the Gilpin
Air Lines of Los Angeles which,
for a time, were under the man
agement of Elliott Roosevelt. son
of the President.
Survivors include her daugh-
ter, Mrs. Charles Breasted; the
two sons, Robert Munro Fergu-
son, New York, and John Selmes
GreenWay, Tucson.
Funeral services will be held at
5 pm. Monday in Grace Episco-
mol Ch11rch hera