Mickelsen, Enid Greene, 1958-

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1958-06-05
Gender:
Female
Americans
English

Biographical notes:

Enid Greene Mickelsen, formerly Enid Greene Waldholtz (born June 5, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician. A member of the Republican Party, she served one term in the United States House of Representatives from Utah's 2nd district. She was the first Republican woman elected to Congress from Utah.

Born Enid Greene in San Rafael, California, she grew up in Salt Lake City where she graduated from East High School before earning her B.A. from the University of Utah in 1980. She received her law degree from Brigham Young University in 1983. After graduating, she worked as a lawyer for software company Novell and then at a Salt Lake City law firm. She served as deputy chief of staff for Governor Norman H. Bangerter from 1990 to 1992, leaving that position to make a competitive but unsuccessful run for a congressional district that encompassed Salt Lake City and its suburbs. Greene then became a corporate counsel for a major high-technology company based in Provo, Utah. In August 1993, she married Republican consultant Joe Waldholtz in a ceremony presided over by Utah Governor Michael O. Leavitt. Meanwhile, Waldholtz was preparing to run again for the Salt Lake City seat in the U.S. House.

In 1994 Waldholtz again challenged the incumbent Karen Shepherd in the general election. She ran on a platform that mirrored much of the Republican “Contract with America”: stressing her conservative values, supporting anti-abortion measures, and calling for welfare reform and budget reductions. On Election Day, in the most expensive House race in the nation, Enid Waldholtz handily defeated Shepherd by 46 to 34 percent of the vote with independent Merrill Cook finishing with 18 percent. When Waldholtz took her seat in the 104th Congress (1995–1997), her notoriety in Utah and political contacts in the House (most notably Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia) helped her gain a seat on the powerful Rules Committee, a virtually unheard of assignment for a freshman Member.

Her term was marred with scandal as her campaign was accused of campaign finance violations. Almost $1.8 million of the money spent in the 1994 campaign came from her husband, Joe, who had embezzled nearly $4 million from her father. Joe Waldholtz disappeared in November 1995 for six days before surrendering to police. During that time she announced that she was suing for divorce, for custody of her daughter, and to change her name back to 'Enid Greene'. Under pressure from Utah Republicans, she announced on March 5, 1996 that she would not seek re-election to Congress.

After leaving Congress, Greene joined a local law firm in Salt Lake City. She also slowly made her way back up the state Republican ladder in Utah. In 2003, she was elected vice chair of the Utah Republican Party, becoming acting chair from November 2006 to February 2007 and chair from February to June 2007. She married Scott J. Mickelsen in 2008, taking his name. Mickelsen was a delegate at the 2012 Republican National convention, served as chair of the 2016 Republican National Convention Site Selection Committee, and was appointed by RNC Chair Reince Priebus as chair of the 2016 Republican Convention Rules Committee.

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Information

Subjects:

not available for this record

Occupations:

  • Lawyers
  • Representatives, U.S. Congress
  • State Government Employee

Places:

  • Provo, UT, US
  • Salt Lake City, UT, US
  • San Rafael, CA, US