Lloyd, Marilyn Laird (1929—)

American Democratic congressional representative, 94th–103rd Congresses. Name variations: Mrs. Mort Lloyd; Marilyn Lloyd Bouquard. Born Rachel Marilyn Laird on January 3, 1929, in Fort Smith,

Arkansas; daughter of James Edgar Laird and Iva Mae (Higginbotham) Laird; attended Talco (Tex.) Elementary School, 1941; graduated from Western Kentucky College High School, Bowling Green, 1945; graduated from Shorter College, Rome, Georgia, 1963; married Mort Lloyd (a businessman); married Joseph P. Bouquard; children: (first marriage) Nancy Lloyd Smithson ; Mort Lloyd II; Deborah Lloyd Riley .

Owned and operated radio station WTTI, in Dalton, Georgia; owned and operated Executive Aviation, Winchester, Tennessee; elected as a Democrat representing Tennessee to the 94th and nine succeeding Congresses (1975–95).

Born on January 3, 1929, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Marilyn Laird Lloyd attended schools in Texas and Kentucky and studied at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. She was the co-owner and manager, with her husband, of the radio station WTTI in Dalton, Georgia, before owning and operating Executive Aviation in Winchester, Tennessee.

In 1974, standing as a Democrat, Marilyn Lloyd was elected by Tennessee to the House of Representatives of the 94th Congress, defeating Republican incumbent Lamar Baker. She proceeded to win reelection to nine succeeding Congresses, holding political office until 1995 and maintaining the loyalty of a district that usually voted Republican in presidential contests.

During her first term in office, Lloyd won a place on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, an important appointment because of the committee's jurisdiction over legislation related to the atomic energy facilities at Oak Ridge in Lloyd's district. She went on to chair its Subcommittee on Energy Research and Development, beginning with the 97th Congress. During her political career, Lloyd also served on the Committee on Public Works (later Public Works and Transportation), the Committee on Armed Services, and the House Select Committee on Aging. In 1990, Lloyd was appointed chair of the Subcommittee on Housing and Consumer Interests. In the 96th through 98th Congresses, Lloyd served under the name Marilyn Lloyd Bouquard. She did not stand as a candidate for re-election to the 104th Congress.

sources:

Office of the Historian. Women in Congress, 1917–1990. Commission on the Bicentenary of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1991.

Paula Morris , D.Phil., Brooklyn, New York