Statement by Jennifer
Edith Klein was born in 1915 in Wallace, Idaho. She had a very accomplished life and realized so many outstanding things for Idaho, women, children and policy. In 1947, Edith passed the Idaho bar and was the 17th woman to practice law in Idaho. She went on to serve on the Idaho legislature and then the senate. Edith married Sandy Klein, a journalist in 1949. Together they lived in Washington DC and New York where both of them were involved with political and governmental outfits. They returned to Idaho and Sandy took the position of editor of the Idaho Statesman and Edith joined a (mostly male) law firm. It was while working there she decided to run for the House of Representatives. Edith Klein was responsible for passing major laws relating to children and women‘s rights, including equal pay, minimum wage, community property laws, divorce, domestic violence, education laws and passage of the Uniform Probate Code in 1971.
I found a personal interest in Edith Klein for many reasons. Some outside of all of her amazing political achievements. I am a swimmer, and Edith was a “hell diver” at the University of Idaho. I also have spent time in the Art Troutner house on Warm Springs Avenue he built for the Klein’s that has a pool in the middle of it. Apparently she swam every day. She paved the way for women in business and still does. This is one of the most important thing she passed on to me. I designed her print with the spirit of old campaign posters and buttons. She’s got my vote!
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