US Congresswoman. A member of the Republican Party, she served the State of Maryland's 2nd Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives from 1985 to 1995. She will be remembered for her lifelong, tireless efforts in making the Port of Baltimore one of the most viable shipping locations on the American East Coast. Her father was a miner who immigrated from Serbia, she developed an interest in journalism during her high school years and earned a scholarship to the University of Missouri, where she received her degree. Following graduation, she broke into the newspaper industry in Fort Wayne, Indiana, followed by a period in Lewiston, Idaho. Her dream was to be a reporter but found it difficult to find a job in the male dominated profession. After applying to many publications, she was able to land a job as reporter with the Baltimore Sun, initially covering labor issues. After making a name for herself, she moved on to television, when she was given her own program "The Port that Built the City and State" in 1950. Her reporting expanded to international issues, as she covered the Vietnam War during the 1960s. Her interest in the political arena grew and during the Nixon Administration, she was named Chairwoman of the Federal Maritime Administration (1969 to 1975). She had two unsuccessful bids for a Congressional seat, prior to her victory in 1984. During her Congressional tenure, she spearheaded efforts to have the Chesapeake Bay dredged to accommodate the largest of ships. Additionally, she was a proponent of organized labor and was a vocal critic of the United States trade policy. After leaving Washington, she served as a lobbyist and had an unsuccessful bid for Governor of Maryland in 1994. She had one final bid for her old Congressional seat in 2002, lost to the Democrat Charles Ruppersberger. The Port of Baltimore was renamed the Helen Delich Bentley Port of Baltimore in her honor in 2006. She died of complications from a brain tumor.