Colton was a pioneering legislator and a force to be reckoned with in Raleigh

ASHEVILLE – Former state legislator Marie Colton, who broke barriers to women in the state General Assembly, died Tuesday at 95.

The N.C. House elected her as speaker pro tempore -- the formal title for its second-ranking official -- in 1991. She was first elected to a House seat in 1978 and represented Buncombe County there until 1994.

And, she did not go to Raleigh to be seen but not heard.

"She was courageous and not afraid of taking on controversial issues," said current Rep. Susan Fisher, a Buncombe County Democrat who said Colton gave her advice and help several times in her political career.

Colton, a Democrat, pushed bills to decrease the use of corporal punishment in schools, tighten state rules on sediment in streams, require public art in state buildings, toughen restrictions on billboards and improve day care.

Several became law, including one that cleared the way for the practice of alternative medical treatments like acupuncture.

Before Fisher ran for the legislature, Colton "talked about how it was difficult for women to serve in the General Assembly," Fisher said. "At the time she was there you really did feel like it was more of a man’s world. She was very determined to have a voice in the General Assembly and really about issues that were not being discussed openly."

Colton grew up in Chapel Hill and met her husband, Henry, while both were attending UNC Chapel Hill. A letter of introduction written by mutual friends of their parents brought them together.

She spent much of World War II in Washington as a Spanish translator for the U.S. Army Signal Corps. She told an interviewer in 2016 that part of her job involved translating messages to and from Spanish leader Gen. Francisco Franco.

Five of Colton's ancestors had served in the legislature, but her husband launched his political career before she did, serving on Asheville City Council.

Family friend Anne Callison Stokely, who did a series of interviews of Colton a few years ago, said there was talk of Henry Colton running for Congress but he demurred. Marie Colton then said, "Somebody in this family needs to do something about politics."

She ran unsuccessfully for House in 1976. It was a time when a Citizen Times form asking public figures for biographical information directed them to "Give wife's name and address prior to marriage" -- implying a candidate wouldn't instead have a husband.

Colton won in 1978, defeating a male incumbent.

She was a decided liberal for her time, but several of her efforts would not be so controversial today.

She paid particular attention to environmental causes, laws affecting women and children and measures to reduce the chances of corruption.

Friends described her as polite but forceful. Fisher recalled that former legislator Martin Nesbitt from Asheville referred to Colton as "the queen of couth." She won the affectionate title because she advised the then-young Nesbitt on how to dress and act when he first went to Raleigh.

Callison Stokely said Colton reminded her a great deal of her late mother-in-law, the author Wilma Dkyeman.

"They were tough as nails, but very gracious and a lady in the old fashioned sense of the word. They were not afraid to make enemies sticking to their guns about issues they felt strongly about," she said.

Colton stayed involved in politics and public life after leaving the General Assembly. She was appointed to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, served on a national board for Common Cause and was an unofficial observer for UNESCO in Paris and Puerto Rico.

"That was her second act, but oh what an act!" Callison Stokely said. 

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Oct. 6 at Trinity Episcopal Church, 60 Church St.