Susan Engeleiter
16th Administrator of the Small Business Administration
In office
May 1, 1989 – May 1, 1991
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush
Preceded byJames Abdnor
Succeeded byPat Saiki
Minority Leader of the Wisconsin Senate
In office
January 7, 1985 – January 2, 1989
Preceded byJames Harsdorf
Succeeded byMichael G. Ellis
Member of the Wisconsin Senate
from the 33rd district
In office
May 6, 1980 – April 20, 1989
Preceded byRoger Murphy
Succeeded byMargaret Farrow
Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
from the 99th district
In office
January 1975 – January 1979
Preceded byKenneth Merkel
Succeeded byJohn M. Young
Personal details
Born (1952-03-18) March 18, 1952
Brookfield, Wisconsin, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Children3
EducationUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (BA, JD)

Susan Shannon Engeleiter (née Susan Jane Shannon;[1] born March 18, 1952) is an American Republican politician, lawyer, and businesswoman who served as the first female Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration. She previously served nine years in the Wisconsin Senate and four years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing Waukesha County.

Early life and education

Engeleiter was born in Brookfield, Wisconsin to Helen "Jo" Hildebrandt Shannon and Arthur W. Shannon, a Republican fundraiser and later the treasurer of the Republican Party of Wisconsin.[2][3] She graduated from Brookfield Central High School in 1970. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1974 and received a juris doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1981.[4] In 1976, she married Gerald Engeleiter.[5] The couple later divorced.[6]

Political career

Engeleiter was elected to the 99th district of Wisconsin Assembly in 1974. At age 22, she was the youngest woman ever elected to the Wisconsin Legislature.[7] She served in the Assembly until January 1979, having decided against running for re-election in 1978 and instead, sought the congressional seat being vacated by Bob Kasten, who decided to run for Wisconsin governor. Engeleiter lost the primary to then-State Senator Jim Sensenbrenner by 589 votes.[8] In April 1980, Engeleiter was elected in a special election to the Wisconsin State Senate. There she served as Assistant Minority Leader from 1982 to 1984, and as Minority Leader from 1984 to 1989. She was the first woman to serve as Minority Leader.[9]

1988 U.S. Senate campaign

Engeleiter ran for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by William Proxmire in 1988. In the primary election, she defeated state GOP chairman Steve King. King had labeled Engeleiter a moderate, while touting his conservative credentials. Engeleiter faced Democrat Herb Kohl, former chairman of the state Democratic Party, in the November general election. On November 2, 1988, as polls showed Engeleiter and Kohl running neck-to-neck, President Ronald Reagan visited Milwaukee to headline a campaign rally and fundraiser for Engeleiter.[10][11] Engeleiter lost the race to Kohl, by a 52% to 48% margin.

Business career

In January 1989, President George H. W. Bush nominated Engeleiter to be the Administrator of the Small Business Administration. She was confirmed by the U.S. Senate and served in that position until 1991, the first woman to hold the position. During her term as administrator, Engeleiter was also appointed chairwoman of the National Women's Business Council.[12] From 1991 to 1996 she also served on the President's Export Council.[13]

After leaving the SBA, Engeleiter served as Vice-President of Government Affairs at Honeywell from 1992 to 1998. At Honeywell, she handled legislative and regulatory efforts in energy, environmental, and procurement areas. She represented Honeywell on several industry association boards and on United States government agency advisory boards.

Engeleiter has been President of Data Recognition Corporation since 1998 and the company's CEO since 2006.[14] She also serves on the board of the Children's Theater Company,[15] Wisconsin Alumni Association, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.[16]

Electoral history

Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election 1988
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Herb Kohl 1,128,625 52.08
Republican Susan Engeleiter 1,030,440 47.55
Wisconsin U.S. Senate Election 1988 - Republican Primary
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Susan Engeleiter 209,025 57.45
Republican Steve King 148,601 40.84
Wisconsin 9th Congressional District Election 1978 - Republican Primary
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Republican Jim Sensenbrenner 29,584 43.30
Republican Susan Engeleiter 28,995 42.44
Republican Robert C. Brunner 9,746 14.26

References

  1. ↑ "The State: The state of Wisconsin 1977 Blue Book: Biographies and pictures".
  2. ↑ "GOP Conservative to Seek Assembly Post". Waukesha Freeman. April 12, 1974.
  3. ↑ "Arthur W. Shannon Obituary". Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Susan Shannon Engeleiter headed Small Business Association". 150th Anniversary. 1944. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Wisconsin Marriage Index, 1973-1007". Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Gerald Engeleiter obituary". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 30, 2017. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  7. ↑ Conference, National Panhellenic (March 30, 2017). "NPC Women: I Wear a Badge: Susan Shannon Engeleiter, Delta Gamma". NPC Women. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  8. ↑ Susan Shannon Engeleiter, Wisconsin Historical Society
  9. ↑ Reagan Library, President Reagan's Remarks for Senatorial Candidate Susan Engeleiter on November 2, 1988, archived from the original on December 18, 2021, retrieved January 21, 2019
  10. ↑ University of Texas archives
  11. ↑ George, Bush (January 1, 1992). Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George Bush, 1991. Best Books on. ISBN 9781623767570.
  12. ↑ "Susan S. Engeleiter | Bright Star Wisconsin Foundation". www.brightstarwi.org. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  13. ↑ DRC
  14. ↑ "Board of Directors | Children's Theatre Company". www.childrenstheatre.org. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Board of Directors". Wisconsin Alumni Association. Retrieved January 21, 2019.
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