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Colleen House

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American politician (1952–2022)

Colleen House
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 99th district
In office
January 1, 1983 – December 31, 1986
Preceded byDonald Van Singel
Succeeded byJoanne G. Emmons
Member of the Michigan House of Representatives
from the 101st district
In office
1974 – December 31, 1976
Preceded byJ. Bob Traxler
Succeeded byJames A. Barcia
Personal details
Born(1952-03-17)March 17, 1952
Bay City, Michigan, U.S.
DiedDecember 24, 2022(2022-12-24) (aged 70)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
  • John Engler ​ ​(m. 1975; div. 1986)​
  • John Gizzi
    ​ ​(m. 2002)​
Alma materMichigan State University (BA)

Colleen House (March 17, 1952 – December 24, 2022) was an American politician who served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, from 1974 to 1976 and 1983 to 1986.

Early life and education

House was born in Bay City, Michigan, on March 17, 1952, to parents James Daniel and Kathleen House.

House graduated from All Saints Central High School in 1969. House earned a B.A. in political science from Michigan State University in 1973.

Career

House was elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in a special election in 1974. House represented the 101st district until December 31, 1976. From 1977-78, she served as director of public affairs for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. In 1980, House helped run the presidential primary campaign of George H.W. Bush in Michigan and his upset victory over front-runner Ronald Reagan helped him to remain in the race until the GOP National Convention, where Reagan tapped him as his vice presidential runningmate. On November 2, 1982, House was again elected to the Michigan House of Representatives where she represented the 99th district from January 12, 1983, to December 31, 1986. In 1986, she became the first woman to run for governor of Michigan, but she lost the Republican primary. But the winner, Wayne County Executive Bill Lucas, subsequently named House as lieutenant governor runningmate—thereby making her the first-ever woman to be nominated by Republicans for Michigan's second-highest office. In November 1986, the Lucas-Engler ticket lost to Democratic Gov. James Blanchard and Lieutenant Governor Martha Griffiths. House came to Washington DC in 1989, where she served as director of intergovernmental affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce and in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). House served as International Political Liaison for the International Republican Institute (IRI) from 1993-2015 where, according to IRI President Lorne Craner, "Colleen oversaw much of our effort to secure Americans to train their counterparts in electoral politics and competing at the polling place. She was inarguably a figure of consequence in the history of IRI."

Personal life and death

In 1975, House married state representative John Engler in Bay City. In 1986, House and Engler divorced. In 2002, House married Newsmax political columnist and White House correspondent, John Gizzi. House was Roman Catholic. Long active at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington, D.C., House was a lector at Masses, trained other parishioners to read portions of the Mass and served as a pontifical lector

House died from complications with dementia at her home in Washington, D.C., on December 24, 2022, at the age of 70.

References

  1. ^ "Legislator Details - Colleen House Engler". Library of Michigan. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  2. "Legislator Details - Colleen House". Library of Michigan. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  3. "Colleen Engler Seeks Divorce". Ludington Daily News. November 7, 1986. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  4. "House Photos and Biographies, 1985-1986" (PDF). Michigan Legislature. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  5. Egan, Paul (December 28, 2022). "Colleen House, GOP activist and first wife of John Engler, dies at age 70". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
Party political offices
Preceded byThomas E. Brennan Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
1986 		Succeeded byConnie Binsfeld
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