Rochelle Chronister Explained

Honorific-Prefix:Secretary
Rochelle Chronister
Office:Kansas Secretary of Social and Rehabilitation Services
Governor:Bill Graves
Term Start:1995
Term End:1999
Predecessor:Donna Whiteman
Successor:Janet Schalansky
Office1:57th Chairwoman of the Kansas Republican Party
Term Start1:January 1989
Term End1:January 1991
Predecessor1:Fred Logan
Successor1:Kim Wells
Office2:Member of the Kansas House of Representatives from the 13th district
Term Start2:1979
Term End2:1995
Birth Name:Rochelle Ruth Beach
Birth Date:27 August 1939
Birth Place:Garden City, Kansas, U.S.
Death Place:Neodesha, Kansas, U.S.
Residence:Topeka, Kansas
Alma Mater:University of Kansas
Occupation:Virologist

Rochelle Ruth Chronister (Beach; August 27, 1939 – April 2, 2023) was an American politician from southwest Kansas who served in the Kansas Legislature, as the 57th Chairwoman of the Kansas Republican Party and as Secretary of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services.[1] [2]

Early life

Chronister was born in Garden City, Kansas on August 27, 1939. She attended the University of Kansas and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.[3] From 1961 to 1964 she worked for the University of Kansas Medical Center as a Research Virologist. She also worked as Vice President of the joint venture for the Neodesha Lumber Company.

Political career

State legislator

Chronister was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 1978. She would serve from 1979 to 1995. She served as Assistant Majority Leader of the House from 1983 to 1986, and was the first women in a Kansas House leadership position.

Republican Chairwoman

Chronister, a longtime leader of Moderate Republicans in the Kansas house was selected as the State Republican Party Chairwomen in 1989. Later that year she demanded the resignation of the head of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, David E. Johnson, following the breaking of a scandal that he told a racist joke to two reporters from The Kansas City Times going as far as pen a letter to Kansas Attorney General Robert Stephan demanding his removal. She would never send the letter as Johnson resigned before she could.[4]

Secretary of Social and Rehabilitation Services

During her tenure she oversaw the privatization of the State's foster care system. She supported the system as it was being implemented in the 1990s and discredited issues with the system as transitional hiccups. Additionally, in 2017 when the system was being reviewed, she continued to stand by her earlier statements and testified in favor of keeping the system private.[5]

As secretary she was a defendant to the lawsuit; Calderon v. Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, where a Mexican American women, Maria Del Carmen Calderon, lost custody of her children, and was asked her citizenship status by a local judge when she appealed. Claiming that this violated her Fourth, Fourteenth and Fifth amendment rights, she sued the entire department of the Kansas state government. The case eventually reached the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Claiming emotional injury and demanding compensation of $8 million, the court was "unable to discern the basis for Ms. Calderon's claims" and dismissed all claims against the judge, Chronister, and the department as a whole on July 6, 1999.[6]

Political advocacy

In 1990 she was inducted into the University of Kansas' Emily Taylor Center for Women & Gender Equity. Chronister was the co-chairwomen of a fundraiser by the Wilson Medical Center in Wilson County, Kansas, and helped surpass the medical center's $2.2 million goal to build a new hospital.[7] She is also a member of the medical center's board of trustees.

Chronister is also the spokeswomen of the Traditional Republicans for Common Sense, a group of moderate centrist and liberal Republicans who opposed the conservative policies of Governor Sam Brownback. Namely opposing his reduction of the State income tax and the public school budget.[8] Additionally during his 2014 re-election campaign Chronister refused to endorse Brownback and instead endorsed his Democratic challenger Paul Davis.[9] [10] [11] [12] Chronister and the Traditional Republicans for Common Sense also denounced senator Pat Roberts during his 2014 re-election bid, endorsing his independent challenger Greg Orman.[13] [14] [15] [16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rochelle Chronister Obituary. Loran Fawcett Chapel. December 23, 2023.
  2. Web site: Rochelle Chronister . . 7 March 2023.
  3. Web site: Kansas Legislators: Past and Present . . 7 March 2023.
  4. Web site: HANNA . JOHN . KBI Director Dave Johnson Resigns in Aftermath of Joke Report . . 7 March 2023.
  5. Web site: Kansas Task Force Hears That Some Issues With Foster Care System Aren't New . KUCR . NPR. 7 March 2023.
  6. Web site: CALDERON v. KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND REHABILITATION SERVICES (1999) . . 7 March 2023.
  7. Web site: WILSON COUNTY HOSPITAL EXCEEDS $2.2 MILLION CAMPAIGN GOAL . Wilson Medical Center . 7 March 2023.
  8. Web site: Carpenter . Tim . 'Old guard' of state GOP revolts . Topeka Capital-Journal . 7 March 2023.
  9. Web site: Kansas Insurance Commissioner Opposes Re-Election of Governor . insurancejournal.com . 7 March 2023.
  10. Web site: Bruggeman . Karyn . Can a Democrat Win in Kansas? . . 7 March 2023.
  11. Web site: Rothschild . Scott . Kansas: Insurance commish officially opposes Brownback re-election . The Mirror . 7 March 2023.
  12. Web site: Jones . Tim . Brownback Tax Cuts That Ravaged Surplus Hinder Re-Election Bid . . 7 March 2023.
  13. Web site: Diamond . Jeremy . Taking out a Republican senator, without a Democrat on the ballot . . 7 March 2023.
  14. Web site: Lowry . Bryan . Lightman . David . Kansas makes it harder for GOP to seize Senate . . 7 March 2023.
  15. News: Blake . Aaron . Pat Roberts just got some very bad news. It's pretty unlikely it'll decide the Senate. . . 7 March 2023.
  16. Web site: Hancock . Peter . Former GOP lawmakers support Orman for Senate . . 7 March 2023.