Judy Martz: Montana's First Female Governor and Her Complex Legacy in State History

Judith Helen Morstein Martz emerged from the ranching communities of Big Timber, Montana, to shatter the most prominent glass ceiling in state politics, becoming Montana's first female governor in 2001. Her tenure in office, though marked by significant fiscal achievements, would be shadowed by controversy and personal tragedy that ultimately defined her four-year term. The daughter of a miner-rancher father and a mother who worked various jobs including cook, liquor-store clerk, and motel maid, Martz embodied the Montana values of resilience and determination that would carry her from Olympic competition to the governor's mansion. Her life and political career offer a compelling case study in both the progress and challenges faced by women in Western politics during the early twenty-first century.

Born on July 28, 1943, in Big Timber, Montana, Judy Morstein grew up in a working-class family that instilled in her a fierce work ethic and competitive spirit. After graduating from Butte High School in 1961, she attended Eastern Montana College, where her athletic prowess began to emerge. In 1962, she earned the title of Miss Rodeo Montana, demonstrating her connection to Montana's ranching heritage. However, her most significant early achievement came in the realm of competitive athletics. Martz became a member of the U.S. World Speed Skating Team in 1963, competing in Japan, and subsequently earned a place on the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Team for the 1964 Winter Games in Innsbruck, Austria, where she competed in the 1500-meter event. She and Sylvia White became the first two Montana women to compete in the Olympics, a distinction that would follow Martz throughout her public life. Though she fell during competition and did not medal, the experience taught her valuable lessons about perseverance and goal-setting that would inform her later political career.

Following her Olympic experience, Judy Morstein married Harry Martz in 1965, beginning a partnership that would span more than five decades. Together, the couple owned and operated a commercial solid-waste business in Butte for over thirty years. This entrepreneurial experience proved formative, providing Martz with firsthand knowledge of the challenges facing small business owners in Montana. She often recounted stories of driving the garbage truck with her infant child in the front seat during graveyard shifts, experiences that grounded her understanding of working families' struggles. The couple raised two children, Justin and Stacey Jo, while building their business and gradually becoming more involved in civic affairs.

Martz's entry into formal politics began with grassroots community involvement. During the early 1990s, she served as President of the Butte Chamber of Commerce and Vice-Chair of the St. James Hospital Board of Directors, positions that allowed her to advocate for local economic development and healthcare issues. Her small business background and civic engagement caught the attention of U.S. Senator Conrad Burns, who employed her as a field representative from 1989 to 1995. This role provided Martz with valuable experience in constituent services and introduced her to the mechanics of political organizing across Montana's vast geography.

The pivotal moment in Martz's political career came in 1995 when Governor Marc Racicot appointed her as lieutenant governor following Denny Rehberg's resignation to pursue a U.S. Senate seat. This appointment made Martz Montana's first female lieutenant governor in state history. She embraced the role with characteristic determination, seeking to transform what had often been a largely ceremonial position into one with substantive policy influence. During her tenure as lieutenant governor, Martz created and chaired the Governor's Council on Organ Donor Awareness, an initiative that significantly increased organ donation rates throughout Montana and saved numerous lives. Her commitment to this cause was deeply personal; in 1988, she had donated one of her kidneys to her younger sister, Sherrie, an act that demonstrated her willingness to make personal sacrifices for those she loved.

In 1996, Martz successfully ran for lieutenant governor on the ticket with Governor Racicot, winning election in her own right. This victory positioned her for a gubernatorial campaign when Racicot faced term limits. However, the path to the governor's mansion was not predetermined. According to campaign manager Shane Hedges, when discussion turned to potential successors to Racicot, Montana House Speaker reportedly dismissed the possibility of Martz running, stating that "no one would ever think of that." Rather than deterring her, this dismissive attitude galvanized Martz's determination to pursue the governorship.

The 2000 gubernatorial race proved contentious. Martz first faced University of Montana law professor Rob Natelson in the Republican primary, a conservative activist who challenged her on ideological grounds. Despite Natelson receiving 43 percent of the vote, Martz prevailed with 57 percent, though the margin revealed significant conservative skepticism about her candidacy. In the general election, she confronted State Auditor Mark O'Keefe, who vastly outspent her campaign by a three-to-one margin. O'Keefe's campaign, however, suffered from a critical misstep when he declared to Montana businesses that he would be their "worst nightmare," a statement that Martz's lean campaign operation effectively exploited. Despite predictions of defeat and O'Keefe's substantial financial advantage, Martz won the general election with 51 percent of the vote to O'Keefe's 47 percent, becoming Montana's first female governor-elect.

Martz assumed office in January 2001 facing significant fiscal challenges. Montana confronted a budget deficit, rising energy costs, and the effects of prolonged drought that devastated the state's agricultural sector. Her first legislative session resulted in what was characterized as the largest single increase in education funding in Montana history, coupled with tax cuts designed to stimulate economic growth. Martz also successfully created the Office of Economic Opportunity during the 2001 session, an agency tasked with promoting Montana businesses, attracting complementary industries, and developing the state's workforce. Her business-friendly approach earned Montana the second-highest bond rating available to states from both Standard and Poor's and Moody's in 2002, a notable achievement during a period when many states faced fiscal difficulties.

The centerpiece of Martz's economic agenda came during the 2003 legislative session, when she secured passage of Montana's first major personal income tax reform in three decades. This comprehensive tax package reduced individual income tax rates, provided tax credits on capital gains, and consolidated the number of tax brackets. Supporters argued that the reform made Montana's tax structure more competitive with neighboring states, potentially attracting wealthy residents and encouraging business development. Critics, however, contended that the tax cuts disproportionately benefited high-income earners and ultimately cost the state treasury substantial revenue—estimates suggested losses approaching one billion dollars over time. A 2006 Revenue Department analysis conducted under Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer found that the 2003 changes cost the state treasury $100 million in lost income during their first full year, with taxpayers earning over $500,000 annually receiving 47 percent of the benefit. This tax reform remained controversial long after Martz left office, with debates continuing about whether it strengthened or weakened Montana's fiscal foundation.

Despite these policy achievements, Martz's governorship became defined by a series of scandals and missteps that severely damaged her public standing. In August 2001, her chief policy adviser Shane Hedges was involved in a drunk driving accident near Marysville, Montana, that killed House Majority Leader Paul Sliter. Hedges had been driving while intoxicated when his SUV rolled off the road. Following the accident, Hedges went to Martz's residence, where she washed his clothes, an action she later defended as a "motherly" response but which critics characterized as potential destruction of evidence. Though Martz was never charged with any crime, the incident sparked intense scrutiny and damaged her credibility. Hedges pleaded guilty to negligent homicide and received a six-year deferred sentence that included time at a Helena pre-release center but no jail time, a sentence that many Montanans viewed as lenient given the seriousness of the offense. The emotional and political toll of the tragedy proved substantial, with Martz later acknowledging that she was accused of things that were not true while simultaneously grieving the loss of life.

Additional controversies further eroded Martz's popularity. In November 2001, the Montana Democratic Party filed an ethics complaint alleging that she violated state law by purchasing land from Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) in 1999 at a price significantly below what ARCO had paid for the property two years earlier. Though the political practices commissioner cleared Martz of wrongdoing in September 2002, the allegation reinforced perceptions that she was overly friendly to corporate interests. This perception was compounded by Martz's own statements, including her response when asked if she would be a "lapdog for business"—she replied, "I certainly will be," a comment that haunted her throughout her term. Her administration also faced criticism for staff members' use of state phones to make political fundraising calls, violations that suggested ethical lapses within her office.

By 2003, Martz's approval ratings had plummeted to approximately 20 percent, among the lowest for any sitting Montana governor. Facing this political reality, she announced in 2003 that she would not seek re-election. In her announcement, Martz acknowledged the difficulties of her tenure, stating that among the challenges, "we have dealt with tragedy and adversity, some self-imposed, some stemming from misperception, and some the result of staff." She finished her time in office campaigning for President George W. Bush in swing states and transitioning power to incoming Democratic Governor Brian Schweitzer, who won the 2004 election with 50.44 percent of the vote.

After leaving office in January 2005, Martz returned to private life but remained active in conservative causes and corporate boards. She served on the boards of Maternal Life International, the University of Montana Western, Big Sky State Games, and TASER International, a manufacturer of non-lethal weapons for law enforcement. In September 2005, she chaired Montanans for Judge Roberts, supporting John Roberts's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. According to later reports, Martz "routinely addressed Christian organizations throughout the country and was part of a network that prays at locations across Montana," reflecting her deep religious faith that had sustained her through political trials.

Martz's faith proved particularly important when she faced her final challenge. In November 2014, she announced that she had been diagnosed with stage II pancreatic cancer and was undergoing treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she and her husband maintained a residence. Throughout her illness, she maintained that prayers and her faith in God would carry her through the ordeal. Despite aggressive treatment, Judy Martz died on October 30, 2017, in Butte, Montana, at the age of 74.

The response to her death reflected Montana's complex relationship with its first female governor. Governor Steve Bullock praised her as a trailblazer who showed young women across Montana what was possible through hard work, while other political leaders emphasized her enthusiasm and care for Montanans. In 2019, the Montana Legislature passed Senate Bill 275, authorizing the creation of a statue or bust of Martz to be displayed in the State Capitol or on the Capitol grounds, funded through private contributions. The bill passed overwhelmingly, 139 to 11, demonstrating that despite the controversies of her term, Montanans recognized the historical significance of her achievement. Montana sculptor Gareth Curtiss, whose mother had been friends with Martz, was selected to create the memorial. The statue was unveiled on July 29, 2024, one day after what would have been Martz's 81st birthday, in a ceremony attended by Governor Greg Gianforte and Martz's family members.

Judy Martz's legacy in Montana history remains multifaceted. She indisputably broke barriers for women in state politics, serving as both the first female lieutenant governor and governor. Her fiscal management demonstrated competence in balancing budgets and securing favorable bond ratings, though her tax reform policies remained controversial for their long-term revenue implications. Yet her governorship was also marked by low approval ratings, significant scandals, and questions about judgment that prevented her from achieving a second term. The Montana Historical Society maintains her gubernatorial papers, ensuring that future historians can examine her administration in full context.

Perhaps most significantly, Martz demonstrated that reaching the highest levels of political power does not guarantee smooth governance or enduring popularity. Her experience illustrated the particular challenges faced by women in executive positions during the early 21st century, when scrutiny often proved harsher and mistakes less forgivable than for male predecessors. Nevertheless, her determination to run for and win the governorship despite dismissive predictions, her commitment to causes like organ donation that saved lives, and her willingness to make difficult fiscal decisions during challenging economic times all merit recognition. Judy Martz's four years as governor represented both a milestone in Montana's political evolution and a cautionary tale about the perils of political life—a complex legacy befitting the complex person who lived it.

Works Cited

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