Evening star., 1956-08-31
Women
WillElect
IkeAgQin'
BY ISABELLE SHELTON


A large women's vote will
help elect President Eisen-
hover this year. lust as it did
in 1882 in the opinion of
Mrs. Peter Gibson, who is
slated to be the new president
of the half million-member
National Federation of Repub-
lican Women.
But solid organization"
rather than 1925 crusading
fervor, will be the key factor
this time, she believes.
There is no doubt that some
of the 1852 fervor will be miss
ing this year, Mrs. Gibson
conceded.
But no amount of fervor
can do the trick without the
basic organization to imple-
ment it, and that's what we
will concentrate on this time"
she declared.
Feet in Two Camps
The attractive 48-year-old
president-to-be was in town
briefly yesterday on her way
to address the Maryland Fed
Grafton of Republican Women
in Baltimore.
She is the only candidate
to head the national organiza-
ton which will elect new off,
GERS at it's biennial convention
opening next Wednesday In
Chicago.
Mrs. Gibson is first vice
president of the federation
now, and also vice chairman
of the Republican State Gen.
trail Committee of Michigan.
This is significant, because
it means she stands with one
foot in the regular Republic
can organization and the
other in the women's fedora
ton.
She is highly regarded in
both groups. which should
tend to mitigate friction
which has sometimes arisen
in the past between top
women in the federation and
In the regular Republican or
ganization.
Catharine Gibson has had
one foot in each group since
she first entered politics 20
years ago in Michigan, using
her family car to drive a
friend around to collect abb
Sentee ballots.
IF there is anything I
should be concerned about it
was the way I bounded those
poor people who were sick or in
the hospital. getting them to
vote" she said refiectively.
She got into politics chiefly
because she was concerned
about a possible drift toward a
one-party government, she
said. Its kind of hard to
even remember that now, but
there was a real danger of it
then" she said.
She also was concerned
about mounting tax rates, and
about some local Michigan
political situations.
Rapid Rise
She Travelled rapidly up the
ladder, in both the regular
organization and the fedora
ton, serving as State fedora
ton president from 1949 to
1852, and taking over as vice
chairman of the State the day
her federation term ended.
She will give up her vice
chairman post whenever the
Michigan G o. P. organiza-
tion meets early next year. The
federation presidency is for
two years.
If she is elected, which seems
a foregone conclusion, she will
stress her favorite subject of
organization. and also train
ing for leadership, she says.
Live On Lake Erie
Mrs. Gibson and her hus-
band. who works for one of the
big auto companies, live in a
Dutch colonial white frame
house at Woodland Beach, just
outside Monroe. Mich.
The house overlooks Lake
Erie, and the Gibsons moved
there from Detroit because
they like the outdoors, she
says.
They have a motor boat and
a small cruiser. which they en-
Joy on the lake whenever pos
sible.
Other than that, her only
hobby is politics." she says.
They have one married daugh-
ter. who lives in Chicago.
Mrs. Gibson will make her
headquarters here If she be-
comes federation president.
She said she would hope to
take a small apartment soon
after her term begins in jan
uary. Her husband, who is "a
good cook" will get along by
himself when she is gone, she
said. One or the other will
commute on weekends when
ever poesihlp