Representative Marjorie Sewell Holt

Marjorie Sewell Holt (née Sewell; September 17, 1920 – January 6, 2018) was an American lawyer and Republican politician who served seven terms as a United States Representative from Maryland. A member of the Republican Party, she represented Maryland’s 4th congressional district from January 3, 1973, to January 3, 1987, and was the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Maryland. Her congressional career spanned a significant period in American history, during which she participated in the legislative process and represented the interests of her constituents in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Holt was born on September 17, 1920, in Birmingham, Alabama. She pursued higher education in Florida, attending Jacksonville Junior College (now Jacksonville University). Demonstrating an early interest in the law, she enrolled at the University of Florida College of Law, which she attended during 1940–1941. Her legal training laid the foundation for a professional career that would later support her entry into public service and national politics.

After completing her legal studies, Holt was admitted to the Florida bar in 1949. She subsequently relocated to Maryland, where she continued to build her legal credentials. In 1962 she was admitted to the Maryland bar and commenced the practice of law in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Her work as an attorney in the county, combined with her growing involvement in civic and political affairs, helped establish her reputation as a capable advocate and contributed to her emergence as a leading Republican figure in the region.

In 1972, Holt was elected as a Republican to the United States House of Representatives from Maryland’s 4th congressional district. She took office on January 3, 1973, and served continuously until January 3, 1987, completing seven terms in Congress. The district she represented stretched from Brooklyn Park to Eagle Harbor and included communities such as Glen Burnie, Annapolis, and Crofton, as well as Andrews Air Force Base. During her tenure, Holt participated actively in the democratic process, contributing to legislative deliberations and working to address the needs and concerns of her diverse constituency at a time of evolving national and international challenges.

Holt’s service in Congress coincided with major developments in American political life, including the aftermath of the Vietnam War, the Watergate era, the Cold War, and shifts in domestic policy. As a Republican congresswoman, she was part of a growing cohort of women in the United States House of Representatives, and her status as the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Maryland marked a significant milestone in the state’s political history. Her legislative work and committee participation reflected both her legal background and her interest in national security, defense, and governance.

Choosing not to seek reelection in 1986, Holt concluded her congressional service on January 3, 1987. Following her departure from the House of Representatives, she resumed the practice of law in Baltimore, continuing her professional engagement in legal affairs. Her expertise and experience in national security and foreign policy were further recognized when President Ronald Reagan nominated her to be a member of the General Advisory Committee on Arms Control and Disarmament, a body that provided counsel on arms control and disarmament issues during the later stages of the Cold War.

In her later years, Holt resided in Severna Park, Maryland. Her papers, documenting her congressional career and public service, are preserved at the University of Maryland libraries, providing a resource for scholars and the public interested in her contributions to state and national politics. Marjorie Sewell Holt died on January 6, 2018, in Severna Park, Maryland, at the age of 97, leaving a legacy as a pioneering Republican congresswoman and long-serving representative of Maryland’s 4th congressional district.