Barbara Hildt

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Barbara Hildt
Hildt, circa 1987
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 1st Essex district
In office
1983–1993
Preceded byNicholas J. Costello
Succeeded byFrank Cousins
Personal details
Born (1946-04-13) April 13, 1946 (age 78)
Albany, New York
NationalityAmerican
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)David T. Hildt (1968–1997; divorced)
Allan MacGregor (1997–present)
ResidenceAjijic
Alma materMassachusetts College of Art
OccupationArt education
Activist

Barbara A. Hildt (born April 13, 1946) is an American politician who represented the 1st Essex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1983 to 1993.

Early life[edit]

Hildt was born on April 13, 1946, in Albany, New York.[1] Her father was an associate Congregational pastor from Newton, Massachusetts and her mother was a Quaker from Maryland. She graduated from Newton North High School and attended Bard College. During her freshman year, she interned as an art educator at an inner-city school in Washington D.C. She enjoyed the experience so much that she decided to remain in the city to teach art and study art education at American University. While in D.C. she met her future husband, David T. Hildt, who was studying French at Georgetown University. From 1968 to 1971, the Hildts spent three years with the Peace Corps in Brazil. They then settled in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Barbara worked with the Neighborhood Youth Corps and David taught in neighboring Rockport, Massachusetts. They later served as house parents at The Cambridge School of Weston while Hildt earned her degree from the Massachusetts College of Art. In 1976 they moved to Amesbury, Massachusetts.[2]

Political career[edit]

In 1983, in her first run for public office, Hildt defeated six men to win the Democratic nomination for the 1st Essex District seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She ran unopposed in the special election to fill the unexpired term of Nicholas J. Costello, who had been previously elected to fill the term of state senator Sharon Pollard following Pollard's appointment as Massachusetts Secretary of Energy.[3] In 1984 she defeated C. Bruce Brown, father of future U.S. Senator Scott Brown for her first full term. Hildt did not take an oath of office with the other 199 members of the Massachusetts General Court, but instead took it separately as her Quaker beliefs did not permit her to "swear" an oath.[4] An antinuclear activist, Hildt opposed construction of the Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant, which was located three miles north of Amesbury.[5] She supported increased funding for education, reform of the state foster care system, environmental issues, domestic violence prevention, abortion, LGBT, and prisoner rights, and introduced anti-pornography and universal health care legislation.[5][6][7][8][9] Hildt was a long-time director of the Women's Action for New Directions and co-founded the Women Legislators' Lobby, a national non-partisan coalition of women state legislators.[10]

In February 1992, Hildt announced that she would not run for reelection, citing family considerations.[11] She instead decided to challenge Nicholas Mavroules, the Democratic incumbent representative from Massachusetts's 6th congressional district, who was under federal investigation.[5] On August 27, 1992, Mavroules was indicted on 17 charges, including bribery, tax evasion, and influence peddling.[12] However, Mavroules defeated Hildt by 669 votes.[13] After Mavroules' defeat in the general election, Hildt planned on challenging his Republican successor, Peter G. Torkildsen. However, in July 1993 she decided against running.[14]

Post-political career[edit]

Following her defeat in the 1992 election, Hildt designed violence prevention programs for the Medical Foundation and was a public policy fellow at Radcliffe College's Bunting Institute. She later served as director of the North Essex Prevention Coalition and Youth Empowerment Services.[15][16] In 1997, Barbara and David Hildt divorced. In 2001, David Hildt was elected mayor of Amesbury.[17] In 2000 she ran for her old house seat, but finished a distant third in the Democratic primary.[13] As of 2020, Hildt and her second husband, Allan MacGregor, reside in Mexico.[18]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Public officers of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 1985-1986. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  2. ^ Weld, Elizabeth New (August 15, 1993). "Looking Ahead After some tough decisions, Barbara Hildt reflects on her future and the future of politics". The Boston Globe.
  3. ^ "Barbara Hildt of Amesbury Wins Democratic Primary for House Seat". The Boston Globe. August 17, 1983.
  4. ^ "199 legislators take oath of office - and one offers an affirmation". The Boston Globe. January 3, 1985.
  5. ^ a b c Aucoin, Don (August 6, 1992). "Hildt principals seen as strength, weakness". The Boston Globe.
  6. ^ Hernandez, Peggy (September 23, 1986). "2 Mass. Lawmakers Back Funding for Clinics". The Boston Globe.
  7. ^ Loth, Renee (December 7, 1988). "Foster Care Improvements Proposed". The Boston Globe.
  8. ^ Phillips, Frank (October 20, 1987). "Bridgewater Bill Passes the House". The Boston Globe.
  9. ^ Fehrnstrom, Eric (March 17, 1992). "Panel urged to support anti-porn measure". Boston Herald.
  10. ^ Locy, Toni (February 4, 1992). "Women in politics eye defense funds". The Boston Globe.
  11. ^ Stankiewicz, Elizabeth (February 14, 1992). "Hildt says she won't run again". The Boston Globe.
  12. ^ Kurkjain, Stephen; Aucoin, Don (August 28, 1992). "Mavroules Indicted on 17 Charges". The Boston Globe.
  13. ^ a b "Barbara A. Hildt (D)". PD43+ Massachusetts Election Statistics. Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  14. ^ Connolly, Robert (July 9, 1993). "Ex-Rep. Hildt drops plans to seek U.S. seat". Boston Herald.
  15. ^ Laidler, John (October 19, 1997). "Hildt, Shaer give group strong base in this area". The Boston Globe.
  16. ^ Rattigan, David (August 27, 2006). "Teens From 2 Schools Study Tactics of Peace". The Boston Globe.
  17. ^ Laidler, John (January 27, 2002). "For David Hildt, A Late Emergence". The Boston Globe.
  18. ^ Corchado, Alfredo; Chavez, Marisol (November 1, 2020). "In Mexico, the Americans are making sure they vote, and many are unhappy with Trump's policies". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 22 November 2020.

External links[edit]

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