Former state Sen. Jennie Forehand dies at age 87

Former state Sen. Jennie M. Forehand (D-Montgomery), who combined Southern charm with steely persistence when it came to pursuing her legislative priorities, died Tuesday in Indianapolis after a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. She was 87.

Forehand represented the Rockville and Gaithersburg areas in the General Assembly for 36 years — 16 in the House and 20 in the Senate — before retiring at the end of 2014.

During her time in the legislature she was at the forefront of many women’s issues, pushing for abortion rights, pay equity, family leave and protections for women who had been victims of domestic violence. She was also a vocal advocate for banning smoking in public places, fought for fitness programs and senior citizens’ rights, and was one of the legislature’s chief supporters of the Intercounty Connector highway — a stance that occasionally put her at odds with neighbors, environmentalists, and fellow Montgomery County liberals.

Born in Nashville, she grew up in Charlotte, N.C., and graduated from the University of North Carolina, where she had occasion to meet her political idol, Eleanor Roosevelt. She and her husband Bill Forehand, who met in 7th Grade, moved to Maryland in 1961. A businesswoman, she founded Forehand Antiques and Interiors and also worked as a teacher, juvenile court probation counselor, and statistician.

Forehand got her start in local politics the old-fashioned way, serving on the PTA at her children’s schools, volunteering with myriad community groups, and winning appointments to local boards and commissions. She was elected to the House of Delegates in 1978, and quickly became an advocate for indoor smoking bans. In fact, at her very first meeting of the House Appropriations Committee, where she served for 16 years, she arrived early and removed the ashtrays that were placed on every desk in the hearing room — but was dismayed to discover that many of her colleagues smoked in the room anyway. Still, she quickly persuaded then-House Speaker Ben Cardin (D) to ban smoking in committee rooms and on the House floor.

In 1994, when her district’s senator, Mary Boergers (D), decided to run for governor, Forehand easily won the Senate seat and was assigned to the Judicial Proceedings Committee, where she served for her entire career in the upper chamber. She also spent her entire time in the Senate on the Executive Nominations Committee, and was for 17 years the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Federal Relations.

Most of Forehand’s reelection bids were cakewalks. Close to home, she became associated with the construction of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital; the new and improved Rockville Library; the Rockville Senior Center; the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents; and the reconstruction of the District Court House in downtown Rockville.

“I just feel like I’ve got a bond with constituents and people who trust my ideas or trust where I would turn if I had the same problem,” Forehand once told the Montgomery Sentinel in an interview. “Walking in other people shoes — I can do that. My dad grew up in horrible poverty because his daddy died and his mother was a single mother. A lot of what I do comes from the spirit of thanking people who helped my grandmother when she was young.”

Forehand’s one tough reelection battle came in 2010, when former Del. Cheryl C. Kagan, who represented the same district in the House for eight years, challenged her in the Democratic primary. But thanks in part to major financial support from a political action committee controlled by then-Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr. (D), Forehand prevailed, 52.3% to 47.7%.

Nevertheless, when Kagan was vying with then-Del. Luiz R.S. Simmons (D) four years later to replace Forehand, the departing incumbent endorsed Kagan. In a Facebook post Thursday, Kagan paid tribute to Forehand’s career and described her as a mentor.

“Her commitment to public service is legendary,” Kagan wrote. “I honor her career, her passions, and the joy she brought to our community.”

Asked by the website dcspotlight.com in 2014 what she planned to do after she retired from the Senate, Forehand quipped, “Maybe I’ll clean my house.” Instead, she and her husband moved to Indiana to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

In addition to her husband, Forehand is survived by her daughter, Virginia Horn of Indianapolis; son John Forehand of Chicago; and four grandsons. The family is asking that in lieu of flowers, friends consider a donation to Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation.

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