Former U.S. Rep. Chenoweth-Hage dies in Nevada car crash

lasvegassun.com ^ | October 02, 2006 | BRENDAN RILEY

[lunarbicep]

Former U.S. Rep. Helen Chenoweth-Hage died Monday in a car crash, her daughter said.

Chenoweth-Hage, a Republican who was elected to Congress from Idaho in 1994 and served through 2000, was 68. Her daughter, Meg Chenoweth Keenan, said Chenoweth-Hage was a passenger in the Monday morning crash near Tonopah, Nev. No one else was seriously injured in the one-car crash, she said.

Chenoweth had been married since 1999 to Wayne Hage, a Nevada rancher who came to epitomize Nevada's Sagebrush Rebellion as he battled for decades with the federal government over public lands and private property rights. He died in June at age 69.

Born in Topeka, Kan., Chenoweth-Hage grew up in Grants Pass, Ore. and attended Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., before moving to the northern Idaho timber town of Orofino, where she worked at Northside Medical Center.

She became a well-known political name in the state when she moved to Boise in the 1970s, serving as the executive director of the Idaho Republican Party and becoming U.S. Rep. Steven Symms' chief of staff.

She ran for Congress against incumbent Democrat Larry LaRocco and gained national attention when she held "endangered salmon bakes," serving canned salmon and ridiculing the listing of Idaho salmon as an endangered species during fundraisers.

An advocate of smaller government and property rights, Chenoweth-Hage won the race and served a self-imposed three-term limit as a U.S. representative.

[Tax-chick]

How sad. I wish her family the consolation of the Lord.

[babygene]

Hog bless her... She was my favorite congress critter ever.

[DoughtyOne]

CHENOWETH-HAGE, Helen P., a Representative from Idaho; born in Topeka, Kans., January 27, 1938; graduated Grants Pass High School, Grants Pass, Oreg.; attended Whitworth College, Spokane, Wash.; self-employed medical and legal management consultant, 1964-1975; manager, Northside Medical Center, Orofino, Idaho; state executive director of the Idaho Republican party, 1975-1977; chief of staff, then campaign manager, to Representative Steven D. Symms; co-owner, Consulting Associates, Inc; guest lecturer, University of Idaho School of Law; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Fourth and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1995-January 3, 2001); was not a candidate for reelection to the One Hundred Seventh Congress.

Sorry to hear about this...

[AnnaZ]

My prayers for the family's loss. America lost in 2000 when she kept her word.

Right now, in heaven, methinks is a truly free and happy reunion.

Rest in peace.

[babygene]

BAD TYPO ALEART ON LAST POST!!!! Should be: God bless her... She was my favorite congress critter ever.

[GRRRRR]

Former ILL Rep, Helen Chenoweth

[Tax-chick]

Wow! That was a strange Typso!

[GRRRRR]

ILL should be ID...

I apologize for the typo.

G

[gridlock]

I figured you were a big-time Harley fan, or something...

[gridlock]

Somebody's mesing witp tha posping mechanissm

[gridlock]

I really didn't mean to ask if you were wearing your boxer shorts...

[LS]

A great Congresswoman, and a woman of honor. Wish we had 435 of them in Washington.

[fieldmarshaldj]

How awful. One of the best Congressmembers in recent memory, unapologetic in her Conservative views. Prayers for her family. May she rest in peace.

[ironmaidenPR2717]

She was "my" congresswoman and I respected her deeply. She did Idaho proud. Got to meet her a couple of times (once at church and once in a private home) and she was really, really REAL. Loved the Lord. She and Mr. Hage get to be together again.

[Clintonfatigued]

This is a tragedy. She was an awesome lady, and I was hoping that she was enjoying private life.

[NonValueAdded]

Salmon for supper as tribute!

[elcid1970]

A lovely lady of true class who will be missed.

But wasn't she the one who was being harrassed by the Clintons for her opposition to gun control? Didn't Bill call her the `Second Amendment Mama' or some such? Her name stands out as a target of liberofascists.

Anyone?

Anyway, prayers and remembrance.

(:^(

[gridlock]

I recall she was definitely a target of the Clinton slime machine. The way they treated Rep. Chenoweth was one of the things that turned me off the Clintons. That and Waco, of course.

[Alia]

How Sad for all of us. Heaven is glowing with joy, tho. My condolences to those who loved her.

[Myrddin]

Sad news. We could use a few more candidates of her quality. I'm hoping Bill Sali can fill Butch Otter's shoes and that Otter will be the next governor. Not my to do about my rep Simpson. We could stand a good conservative to run against him.

[OldFriend]

She was a true role model.....not only for women but for common sense legislating.

[Carry_Okie]

Oh no.

Less than a year after Wayne.

[Bobbisox]

I used to live in Coeur d'Alene and met Helen many times. She was quite a lady. My condolences to the family. God be with you all.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

I'm absolutely shocked to hear this terrible news.

She was always one of my favorites...I would have
liked to have seen her elected as the first woman
President.

This is my second shock of the night....less than an
hour ago, a strong, vibrating earthquake shook my house
and a big chunk of my state.....the State of Maine!
We're not supposed to have earthquakes here.....

[eleni121]

An incredible lady. I saw her in action and she was a conservative's conservative. God Bless her.

I cannot believe she died this way...anyone have any details about this crash? No one else injured and she is the only one dead...?

[EternalVigilance]

Got the news soon after it happened. Felt like a hard kick to the gut.

Helen was in my modern-day top ten most admired patriots.

And it wasn't just her great service to the republic, as awesome as that was. As a person, and as a Christian, she shone. She had an uncanny ability to make you her friend quicker than just about anybody I've ever met. And there was nothing contrived or phony about it at all. It was real. She was real.

In my mind, that could be her epitaph: "She was real."

[Carry_Okie]

I was hoping she'd run for the Senate.

[EternalVigilance]

The mantle has now settled even further onto Bill Sali's very capable shoulders.

[mad_as_he$$]

Damn Wayne recently and now Helen. World sucks today.

[mad_as_he$$]

ping.

[narses]

+

If you want on (or off) this Catholic and Pro-Life ping list, let me know!

[BobS]

God rest her soul. This should be a warning to people that like crossing the desert at 90 or 100 in little cars. Your eyes must be at least 6 feet off the concrete and be able to see 3 miles downrange. It's an aircraft over 90 and you need to pay attention all the time. Buy a big truck for that. On the I-15 between Barstow and Vegas, there are little wrecked cars once in a while hundreds of feet in the desert and no trucks.

[EternalVigilance]

Just wanted to make sure you'd heard.

[DoughtyOne]

I didn't think she wanted to hold national political office again, but have to admit I haven't followed her very close in the last few years.

She had a good head on her shoulders. I would have liked to have seen her in the Senate.

It's just sad to see the good ones go. I still haven't gotten over Barbara Olsen.

[tiki]

God rest her soul, I believe she really was a conservative who voted her conscience and not political convenience.

[aimee5291]

Prayers and condolences to family and friends.

[defconw]

Sorry to hear of it. Prayers for her and her family and supporters.

[Alter Kaker]

The US Government has painted all its helicopters black as a sign to mourn her untimely, tragic death. We'll miss you, Helen.

[Gelato]

She was a courageous lady who will be missed.

Prayers for her family.

[Jim Robinson]

Very sad. Prayers for her family.

[Delphinium]

I loved Helen so much. She was one of two people who influenced my life the most.

I know the Lord must have taken her home, but I am so sad we have lost her.

One I know that because of the Lords leading, and the mentoring she did, there will be many to carry on the work she did.

[Jeff Head]

Waytne died only recently. RIP Helen, and may God rest your soul and may your reunion with Wayne be sweet. God comfort your family dear patriot...you and Wayne will both be sorely missed.!

[Delphinium]

Breaking News: Car crash kills Chenoweth-Hage

Helen Chenoweth-Hage, a conservative Republican firebrand who served three terms as an Idaho congresswoman, was killed Monday when she was thrown from a car that overturned on an isolated central Nevada highway.

A daughter, Meg Chenoweth Keenan, said her mother was a passenger in the SUV-type vehicle that flipped just before noon Monday on State Route 376, the main route between her Pine Creek Ranch, in Monitor Valley, and Tonopah. The Nevada Highway Patrol said Chenoweth-Hage, 68, was pronounced dead at the scene. Though other family members were in the car — including the driver, daughter-in-law Yelena Hage, 24, and Hage’s 5-month-old son Bryan Hage — no one else was seriously injured.

NHP Trooper Rocky Gonzalez said Chenoweth-Hage was holding the baby and wasn’t wearing a seat belt. Nevada law requires both seat belts and baby seats. He added both Chenoweth-Hage and the baby were thrown from the car but the child “miraculously” had only minor injuries.

Gonzalez said a preliminary investigation indicates driver inattention. He said the SUV, traveling toward Tonopah, drifted off the road to the right, swerved back to the left and then flipped as the driver overcorrected in an attempt to stay on the road.

Chenoweth-Hage was killed four months after the death of her husband, Nevada rancher Wayne Hage, who battled the federal government for decades over public lands and private property rights and came to epitomize the Sagebrush Rebellion in the West. Hage had been ill and died in his sleep at age 69.

Chenoweth-Hage was elected to Congress from Idaho in 1994 and served three two-year terms. The outspoken advocate of smaller government and property rights chose not to run in 2000.

U.S. Rep. Butch Otter, who replaced Chenoweth, said he only ran in 2000 because she opted to retire.

“What a tragedy,” Otter said. “Helen was a person, whether in her private life or in her public service, who was dedicated to principles of limited government. In every sense of her being, she fought for the maximum individual liberty — and the minimum in government.”

“Helen was the most amazing, gracious person I ever had the privilege to know,” her daughter said in a statement. “She was fearless in life, and I know she welcomes the opportunity to be in the presence of God her father.”

Born in Topeka, Kan., Chenoweth-Hage grew up in Grants Pass, Ore., and attended Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash., before moving to the northern Idaho timber town of Orofino, where she worked at Northside Medical Center.

She became a well-known political name in Idaho when she moved to Boise in the 1970s, serving as the executive director of the Idaho Republican Party and becoming U.S. Rep. Steven Symms’ chief of staff.

She ran for Congress against incumbent Democrat Larry LaRocco and gained national attention when she held “endangered salmon bakes,” serving canned salmon and ridiculing the listing of Idaho salmon as an endangered species during fundraisers.

Chenoweth-Hage also said that salmon aren’t endangered but white males are, complained about government “black helicopters” harassing ranchers, said minorities didn’t like northern Idaho because it is too cold and called for disarming federal resource enforcement agents.

She also said she suffered from unjustified media criticism because she was a woman and because she stood firmly for Western rights, independence and sovereignty.

During her congressional career, Chenoweth-Hage was a victim of a “salmon pie” attack while at a field hearing on forest health in Missoula, Mont. Randall Mark of Moscow, Idaho, hit her in the head with a “pie” made of rotten canned salmon, forcing the meeting to adjourn for an hour while she cleaned salmon flakes from her hair and jacket.

Afterward, the congresswoman joked, “I would like to say that I find it amusing that they used salmon. I guess salmon must not be endangered anymore.” The stunt landed Mark in jail for more than two months. He also got a year of probation.

She married Hage in 1999 in Meridian at a ceremony attended by more than 1,000 guests. In 2000, Chenoweth-Hage considered a possible bid for Idaho’s lieutenant governor’s post, but then opted to work for a private property advocacy group in Boise. (AP)

[Jeff Head]

Another great patriot returns home to the arms of our Savior and her loved ones who have gone before. Rest in Peace dear patriot, and may God rest your eternal soul!

[patton]

What a cool lady. Wish I had met her.

[Howlin]

Dadgumit; she was a great lady!

Prayers for her family and friends.

[Jeff Head]

She will be sorely missed, as will Wayne. Many of us hoped that one day she would run for Idaho governor...but God in Heaven had other plans.

Single car accident. She was sitting in ta passenger seat holding a grandchild infant when the car drifted and the driver over-corrected and it flipped. She and the child were thrown from the vehcile. helen was killed and miracuously, the infant was uninjured.

[patton]

Gott Sei Dank that the baby is safe.

[muddypaws]

How sad.....I used to ride my mule in parades w/Helen.........she always made me feel like I was somebody important....she was a wonderful person,very kind,a great lady...God bless her....