Judy Agnew
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Judy Agnew | |
|---|---|
 Agnew in 1971 | |
| Second Lady of the United States | |
| In role January 20, 1969 – October 10, 1973 | |
| Vice President | Spiro Agnew |
| Preceded by | Muriel Humphrey |
| Succeeded by | Betty Ford |
| First Lady of Maryland | |
| In role January 25, 1967 – January 7, 1969 | |
| Governor | Spiro Agnew |
| Preceded by | Helen Gibson |
| Succeeded by | Barbara Mandel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Elinor Isabel Judefind April 23, 1921 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | June 20, 2012 (aged 91) |
| Resting place | Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens |
| Party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
| Signature |  |
Elinor Isabel "Judy" Agnew (née Judefind; April 23, 1921 – June 20, 2012) was the second lady of the United States from 1969 to 1973. She was the wife of the 39th vice president of the United States, Spiro Agnew, who had previously served as Governor of Maryland and Baltimore County Executive. Although Judy Agnew attempted to avoid political discussion during her tenure as second lady, preferring to cultivate her image primarily as a wife and mother, her dismissive remarks about the women's liberation movement were quoted by media.
Born Elinor Isabel Judefind in Baltimore, Maryland,[1] to parents of French-German descent,[2] Agnew was daughter of William Lee Judefind, a chemist, and his wife, the former Ruth Elinor Schafer.[1] Her paternal grandfather was a Methodist minister.
Agnew confessed in an interview with Parade magazine that her father had believed college education to be wasted on women, so in lieu of attending college, Agnew worked as a filing clerk.[1] While working at the Maryland Casualty Company, she encountered Spiro Agnew.[1] They had previously attended the same high school.[3] After meeting again at the Maryland Casualty Company, the couple went to a movie on their first date together, and bought chocolate milkshakes afterward.[1] Four months later, they became engaged.[3]
Marriage to Spiro Agnew
She married Agnew on May 27, 1942, in Baltimore; he had graduated from Army Officer Candidate School two days earlier. They had four children: Pamela Lee Agnew (Mrs. Robert E. DeHaven), James Rand Agnew, Susan Scott Agnew (Mrs. Colin Neilson Macindoe), and Elinor Kimberly Agnew.[4]
While living in Annapolis with her husband and their four children, Agnew served as the president of her local PTA, and volunteered as both an assistant Girl Scout troop leader[1] and a board member of the Kiwanis Club women's auxiliary.[5] An Episcopalian, she and her family belonged to St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Annapolis.[6] When speaking to the press, Agnew spoke in what she called a "Baltimorese" accent.[1] She became known by the local press for serving cocktails in glass peanut butter jars,[5] although she once publicly attempted to refute this claim.[1] She was the First Lady of Maryland from January 1967 to January 1969.
