Early Years:
Gracie Pfost, pronounced post, earned the title not only of first female member of Congress (she shunned the title congresswoman) in Idaho but also the first woman to ever win national political office in Idaho. Pfost was born in Arkansas and came to Boise County when she was a child. At 18 she married Jack Pfost, a lumberjack and mechanic who proudly stood by her and worked as her unpaid assistant throughout her political career. Attending Link’s Business College in Boise, she studied bookkeeping and secretary and went to work in 1929 as a deputy in the Canyon county auditor-recorder’s office.
Living through the difficult years of the depression, Pfost developed a strong enthusiasm for President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s reforms during the social and economic injustices she saw during the Depression Era. Holding the Democratic president in such high esteem, Pfost joined and worked in the Democratic Party with fervor.
Running for her first political office of county treasurer, Pfost lost to Canyon County’s automatic republican majority in 1938. Without losing her momentum, she ran again in two years and won by a hairsbreadth majority. Having obtained the position of county treasurer, she diligently worked and maintained her position for four more terms and earned the respect and loyalty of her constituents.
Member of Congress:
Despite the power of the Republican Party not only in her region of Northern Idaho but also in the Nation, Pfost gained recognition as a Democrat consistently winning over Republican regions. Idaho’s congressional seat had been Democratic through most of the 1930’s and 40’s before Pfost decided to make her bid. She ran against Dr. John T. Wood in 1950 for the congressional seat but lost by 783 votes. Two years later she ran once more and, despite the Presidential Republican ticket winning by a landslide, defeated Dr. Wood by the slight margin of 581 votes on the 1952 ticket.
Stepping into office, Pfost focused her attention in natural resources and rural development legislation which were perfectly typified in the Hells Canyon dam controversy. The dam itself wasn’t the cause of contention, but rather who would build and manage it. Should the dam be federally built, or should three smaller private power companies build the dam? Pfost was such a strong proponent of the federally built dam that she earned the nickname “Hell’s Belle” that would stay with her throughout her political career.
As her congressional career continued, Pfost earned the respect of a vast majority of her constituents. Known for her personable approach and unending public appearances, she became nearly invincible in the First District in Idaho.
She proved her invincibility through the 1950s through a number of elections. In 1954 she took on Erwin Schwiebert, a political scientist from the College of Idaho, and defeated him in a vast majority of 8,931 votes. In the next election of 1956 the Republicans nominated Louise Shadduck, a rising star in GOP politics in Idaho. This election marked the first time two women faced each other in a Congressional election in Idaho. Pfost defeated Schadduck in an even larger majority of 11,786 votes. In a desperate attempt to finally unseat Pfost, the Republican Party nominated Bert Curtis, one of their ‘biggest guns.’ Curtis had been a chief proponent of a large dam on the Clearwater River and had created a name for himself as “a man who gets things done.” Pfost defeated him by 23,697 votes. Having been firmly trounced by Pfost, the Republican Party nominated a sacrificial lamb in 1960 who was defeated by 23,697 votes in the end.
Senate Race:
Gracie Pfost could have probably served as a member of congress for Idaho for the rest of her life. However, in 1962 Senator Dworshak died and left his Senatorial seat vacant. Against the advice of her political mentors and peers, she decided to make a bid for the Senate seat. The campaign was rushed and hindered by her loss of her husband and most valued political advisor. Pfost lost the election by some 5,000 votes in the end.
Cancer, in the end, was what finally slowed down and ended Pfost’s energetic political career. She died in Bethesda, MD on August 11th 1965 at the age of 59. Her life and career were cut tragically short, but her influence and inspirational work continue to influence men and women throughout Idaho.
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All information was discovered through the Special Collections and Archives at Boise State University. For more information visit their online collection or their offices located in the Albertson's Library on BSU's campus.
