Martin, Lynn, 1939-

Lynn Morley Martin (born Judith Lynn Morley; December 26, 1939) is an American businesswoman and former United States politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois from 1981 to 1991, representing the 16th congressional district, and as U.S. Secretary of Labor from 1991 to 1993.

Born Judith Lynn Morley in Evanston, Illinois, she attended Taft High School in Chicago from 1952 to 1956. In 1960 she graduated from the University of Illinois, where she was a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority. After becoming a teacher in the Rockford Public School District, she continued in that job after being elected to public office, serving as a member of the Winnebago County board from 1972 to 1976 before being elected to the Illinois House of Representatives (1977–79) and Illinois Senate (1979–80).

When U.S. Representative John Bayard Anderson retired to run for the presidency in 1980, Martin beat four other Republicans in the primary for the open seat in the northwest Illinois district bordering Wisconsin. The largely agrarian district was anchored by the town of Rockford and had not sent a Democrat to Congress in the twentieth century. Martin’s platform supported the Equal Rights Amendment and abortion rights but was fiscally conservative, calling for lower taxes and business deregulation. Her socially moderate stance earned her the support of women’s groups. Thanks in part to Ronald Reagan's long coattails, Martin earned 67 percent of the vote.

In Congress, Martin quickly became a leader within the Republican Party. She possessed an encyclopedic knowledge of economic issues and skewered Democrats (and some Republicans) for what she identified as zealous spending habits. When New York Representative Geraldine Anne Ferraro became the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in 1984, Martin played a prominent role in steering Republican national strategy, serving as Vice President George H. W. Bush's sparring partner as Bush prepared to debate Representative Geraldine Ferraro and delivered Budh's nominating speech at the Republican National Convention. After the 1984 election, she also won the historic distinction of being elected vice chair of the House Republican Conference, the first woman ever to serve in the House GOP leadership.

In 1990, President Bush and other Republican leaders convinced Martin to give up her House seniority to challenge incumbent Democrat Paul Simon for one of Illinois’s U.S. Senate seats. Martin lost in a landslide as Simon scooped up 65 percent of the vote. On December 14, 1990, President Bush appointed her Secretary of Labor, despite the fact that she was at variance with the administration on social issues. She served as Labor Secretary from February 22, 1991, until January 20, 1993, developing several programs: “Job Training 2000” for youth apprenticeships, the Pension Opportunities for Worker’s Expanded Retirement, and the “Glass Ceiling” Initiative. Martin later taught at Northwestern University, worked for Deloitte & Touche’s Council on the Advancement of Women, chaired a University of Illinois task force on “The Future of the Health Care Labor Force in a Graying Society,” and conducted a comprehensive study on sexual harassment in the workplace for a major automobile company. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.