[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 9 (Monday, January 24, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E99]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              REMEMBERING LOUISE HILMA BALLERSTEDT RAGGIO

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 24, 2011

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
recognize the passing of a civil rights champion and dear friend, Ms. 
Louise Hilma Ballerstedt Raggio. Ms. Raggio made an enormous impact for 
women throughout Texas, and she will be greatly missed.
  Louise Raggio was a true Texan. Born in Austin, Texas, Ms. Raggio 
spent her life as a leader who would not allow bias to prevail. Louise 
Raggio never backed down from correcting an injustice. She did not 
accept there was a glass ceiling, and led the way for millions of Texas 
woman. Her intellect and moral compass took her on a path that would 
break barriers and advance the rights of women.
  Louise Raggio is perhaps best known for her work on the Marital 
Property Act of 1967. Prior to this act it was assumed a woman was 
property of her husband, and hence could not buy or sell her own 
property, perform bank transactions or sign contracts without her 
husband's approval. If adhered to, this meant that a company could not 
hire a woman without her husband's consent. Breaking down this barrier 
impacted the lives of millions of women and their families. It changed 
conventional thought and allowed Texas women the freedoms that were 
allowed in most other states.
  Ms. Raggio was inspired by her predecessors in the women's suffrage 
movement. She felt she was taking up the torch for all they had 
achieved. Her work was a continuation of other battles fought and won, 
but there was still much to be accomplished.
  It is also notable that Ms. Raggio served as the first female 
assistant district attorney in Dallas County, and argued and won one of 
the first Texas cases to be heard in front of an all-woman jury. She 
was inducted to the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1985 and received the 
Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award in 1995.
  Ms. Raggio was preceded in death by her husband, Grier Raggio in 
1988. She is survived by her three sons, Grier Jr., Thomas and Kenneth, 
and seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She will be 
missed, but her spirit and contributions will not be forgotten.

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