Berthelot, Helen W.

Campaign manager for G. Mennen Williams and official of the Communications Workers of America.

From the description of Helen W. Berthelot papers, 1948-1995. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 79077515

From the description of Helen W. Berthelot papers, 1950-1976. (University of Michigan). WorldCat record id: 34422400

Helen W. Berthelot was a pioneer in the labor movement and in Michigan state politics. As an official for the Communications Workers of America, she was the first full-time woman labor lobbyist in Washington, and the first woman to run a statewide political campaign in Michigan.

In the 1920s, Berthelot moved to Michigan from Massachusetts, where she married and had two children. She began work as a telephone operator for Michigan Bell, and found herself the sole provider for her family after her husband died. During the unionization of Michigan Bell in the mid-1940s, Berthelot was elected to several positions within the Communication Workers of America (CWA), eventually becoming a lobbyist in Washington for CWA, a position she held from 1953 to 1969.

Berthelot began her political work as a volunteer in G. Mennen William's gubernatorial campaign in 1948. She soon gained the reputation as a quiet force behind the Democratic party, and became Governor William's campaign manager for the 1954, 1956, and 1958 campaigns. In 1960, Berthelot was the state coordinator for Democratic campaigns. She managed Neil Staebler's successful election as congressman-at-large in 1962, and, in 1964, his campaign for governor. Berthelot managed William's fall campaign for the U. S. Senate in 1966. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, she was active in the campaigns of several presidential hopefuls, including Hubert Humphrey's 1968 presidential bid. In 1972, Berthelot accepted the job of office manager for the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach.

During the 1980s, Berthelot stepped back from the political scene and began research on the rise of the Democratic party in Michigan during the 1940s, culminating in the book Win Some, Lose Some: G. Mennen Williams and the New Democrats, which was published in 1995. She passed away on May 6, 1996 at the age of 92.

From the guide to the Helen W. Berthelot papers, 1948-1996, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)