"Isabella Greenway" (31 cents)

Isabella Greenway was the first female member of Congress from Arizona and the subject of a well written biography by Washington writer Kristie Miller. I had never heard of Ms. Greenway, who was a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. She knew the Roosevelt family by happenstance. Her parents had moved to North Dakota, and had met Roosevelt when he was a young man exploring the North Dakota badlands, near Mandan (now a national park where TR is idolized). Isabella's mother and TR became (platonic) friends and the relationship stayed. This friendship brought the family to Washington when TR was in the White House, led to a close relationship between Isabella and Eleanor and an invitation to her wedding to cousin Franklin, and so forth. Isabella married twice; both husbands' had their hearts and interest in the west. Isabella experienced poverty, isolation, financial success and activism. She became heavily involved in copper mining interests in the west, Democratic party politics, Depression relief work, and the establishment of the well known Arizona Inn in Tucson. She served in Congress two terms. I am not giving her justice in this short paragraph; she was a very accomplished person who led a very interesting life. The book is worth reading.