Liberato addressed the Michigan Political History Society on Nov. 5 in the State Library of Michigan, speaking and answering questions for nearly an hour and a half.
Liberato is the daughter of a delegate to Michigan’s 1961-62 “Con-Con,” which wrote this state’s current charter. Ralph A. Liberato was an elected Democratic delegate from Warren. He was also UAW Local 160’s first president, then union leader for the AFL-CIO, and government relations director for the American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (AFSCME). In 1990, he resigned as chairman of the Macomb Co. Democratic Party after he was was elected to Macomb County’s Board of Commissioners, on which he served until his death in 2004.
Out of the 34 Michigan women who filed to run for Con-Con — many of them from splinter parties — here are the 11 women delegates (the “Con-Con Eleven”) who got elected and served at the 1961–1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention:
- Vera Andrus Michigan Women Forward+2Michigan Legislature+2
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Ruth Gibson Butler Michigan Legislature+2Michigan Women Forward+2
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Anne M. Conklin Michigan Women Forward
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Katherine Moore Cushman Wikipedia
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Ann Elizabeth Donnelly Michigan Legislature+1
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Daisy Elizabeth Elliott Michigan Women Forward+1
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Adelaide Julia Hart Michigan Legislature
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Lillian Hatcher Michigan Legislature
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Dorothy Leonard Judd Wikipedia
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Ella Demmink Koeze Michigan Women Forward
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Marjorie Frances McGowan Michigan Bar
Not one of these women is alive today. In fact, the only delegate who is, is a male — retired attorney Eugene G. (Gil) Wanger of Lansing, at age 92.
Here’s a summary of Lynn Liberato’s book “Michigan’s Con-Con 11: Women and State Constitution-making in 1961”:
The book highlights the contributions of the 11 female delegates to the 1961–1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention, who were the first female delegates to a state of Michigan constitutional convention, ever in history. These pioneers demonstrated that women were more than capable of helping to revise Michigan’s highest laws, and their examples encouraged other women to enter politics during a time when few women held state or federal public office .
Following the women’s journey over seven and a half months, the book offers a general overview of what a state Constitutional Convention is and what it means to be a delegate. The book aims to both educate readers on constitution-making and shed new light on an important moment in Michigan political history.
Yes, Liberato’s father, delegate Ralph, was a delegate to the convention, but he didn’t leave many notes, which led Lynn to focus on the 11 women instead. Out of 144 delegates, Liberato realized these women were the first female delegates to a state constitutional convention and felt their story deserved to be told. Here is what Liberato writes in her preface to her book:
“I was a child when Con-Con occurred … (so) I had no idea what it was about. Long story short, after I retired, and I had time to do what I really wanted to do, which was to write. I was always fascinated by Con-Con. I have my dad’s copy of the Official Record. I realized because I never interviewed him, and he didn’t leave much of a record, I wanted to write about him. There were 144 delegates. And I thought, well, I didn’t really want to write about any of the other men. And then I realized there’s only 11 women. 133 men, 11 women. And then I realized they were the first female delegates to a state Constitutional Convention. They deserved to have their story told.”
Here is a photo of the 11 women — six Republicans, five Democrats; eight white, three Black; 10 from the Lower Peninsula, one from the U.P. Two of them were lawyers:
Next year, Michigan voters will weigh in on whether the state should hold a Constitutional Convention to revise and update the state’s governing document. It’s a question that automatically gets placed on the ballot every 16 years. We can bet that, in the unlikely event voters approve such a conclave, there will be a lot more female delegates elected than the 11 who served in 1961-62. Prior to that historic gathering, no women had ever been delegates to the previous Constitutional Conventions that yielded the three previous Michigan constitutions in 1837, 1850, and 1908. The state has now gone longer without another rewrite than the span of time between 1850 and 1908. There was also a fifth Michigan Co-Con, in 1873 (it was called a “commission” at that time), but the document it produced was roundly defeated when put before the state’s voters, who were all male back then.
The 11 female delegates came not only from both major political parties but from a variety of backgrounds, from homemakers to teachers to union leaders to attorneys. Several women represented the League of Women Voters, one of the key groups that pushed for the Constitutional Convention.
“None of them wanted to be associated with the “feminist” label. They basically came out and said, ‘We’re not here for women’s issues’ or ‘We’re here for all the people of the state of Michigan,’ ” Liberato explained. “But as things unfolded, they couldn’t help but address a lot of issues that impacted women.”
This included a debate over the inclusion of “sex” in an equal protection clause, which was a part of the new constitution until the final days of the convention when it was removed. The women were on both sides of the issue.
These delegates contributed on a variety of issues, from local governance to education to civil service. Liberato says if Michiganders do initiate a convention next year, the new delegates will likely have many more resources than the ones who worked in the early 1960s. “With the internet and everything, anyone elected to be a Con-Con delegate really could hit the ground running. They could learn a lot before they even set foot in Constitution Hall on the first day. ”
On some of the issues the female delegates focused on during the 1961-61 convention
“They really were not focused on women’s issues,” Liberato said. “They had no choice but to address it when that came up ….The League had a definite platform. So, especially those three (League-affiliated) women, they were very focused on the League platform and very focused on local government. Your three Black delegates were very focused on civil rights … In the beginning, it was all glamorous, but, believe me, it was the actual work that was involved (that was important).”
Key Facts & Themes
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Subject & Focus
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The book tells the story of the 11 women delegates (“Con-Con 11”) to the 1961–1962 Michigan Constitutional Convention. Barnes & Noble+2Michigan State University+2
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These women were the first ever female delegates to a Michigan Con-Con in the state’s entire history. WKAR+2Wikipedia+2
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It provides both a historical narrative of their experiences over the roughly seven-to-eight month-long convention, and more generally explains what it means to be a delegate and how constitution-making works. NetGalley+2Barnes & Noble+2
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Publication Details
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Author: Lynn Liberato. Michigan State University
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Publisher: Michigan State University Press. Michigan State University
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Release Date: November 1, 2025. Barnes & Noble+1
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Format / Length: ~159 pages. Michigan State University
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ISBN (paperback): 9781611865530. Barnes & Noble
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Price: approximately $32.95. Barnes & Noble+1
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Author Background & Motivation
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Lynn Liberato is a retired Michigan attorney. Barnes & Noble
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Her personal connection: Liberato’s father was a delegate to the 1961 Convention. She says she wanted to write about the Con-Con because she had her father’s copy of the “Official Record” but few personal notes from him, so she decided to focus on a different group — the women delegates. WKAR+1
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Her research drew on original sources: she used the two-volume Official Record of the convention (3,316 pages), correspondence, journals, oral histories, etc. Barnes & Noble
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Who the Con-Con 11 Were
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The 11 women came from diverse backgrounds: homemakers, teachers, union leaders, lawyers. WKAR
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Some were affiliated with the League of Women Voters, a key organization pushing for the convention. WKAR
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On ideological issues: even though “none of them wanted to be associated with [the] feminist label … ‘We’re not here for women’s issues’ … they nonetheless addressed many issues that impacted women.” WKAR
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One major debate: “sex” as a protected class in equal protection. According to Liberato, there was debate, and “sex” was included at some point, but removed very late in the process. WKAR
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Civil rights was another important theme — the Black female delegates strongly pushed for civil rights measures. WKAR+1
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One notable delegate: Daisy Elliott, who later co-sponsored the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. She was the only female delegate who went on to be elected to the Michigan Legislature. As co-sponsor of the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, a building in downtown Lansing is named after her and her co-sponsor, Republican Mel Larsen, a white male from Oxford.
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Relevance to Today / Contemporary Context
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The book comes at a moment when, next year, Michigan voters will weigh in on whether the state should hold a Constitutional Convention to revise and update the state’s governing document.
It’s a question that automatically gets placed on the ballot every 16 years. The first three referenda on whether to call another Con-Con — in 1978, 1994, and 2010 — were decisively defeated by Michigan voters.
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Liberato suggests the book is not just historical; more importantly, it helps educate readers on what a Constitutional Convention is and what the role of a delegate entails. WKAR
* For context, the 1961-62 Con-Con was initially composed of 99 Republicans and 45 Democrats. However, if a delegate died or resigned from the conclave (and this happened more than once), the sitting governor, at that time Democrat John Swainson, had the power to appoint a replacement, and it didn’t have to be a member of the party of the departed delegate. Swainson took advantage of this authority to replace elected Republicans with Democrats.
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Recognition / Awards
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Liberato received a 2024 State History Award for a prior article titled “Con-Con’s Petticoat Revolt: Women at the 1961 Constitutional Convention.” Lehmanns
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Why It Matters
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The book brings visibility to women’s often-overlooked role in state constitutional history.
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It contextualizes how women in 1961–62 contributed substantively—not just symbolically—to constitutional reform.
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For Michigan, the book provides historical lessons and a framework that could be relevant again, given that constitutional convention votes periodically reappear in the state.
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More broadly, it’s a case study in how grassroots civic engagement, gender, and governance intersect in important state-level democratic processes.
Source References
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Michigan State University Press (publisher page): publication details, price, format. Michigan State University
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WKAR Public Media interview with Liberato: her motivation, her father’s involvement, reflections on the women delegates. WKAR
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NetGalley listing: summary/description of the book’s themes. NetGalley
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Barnes & Noble: details + release info and ISBN. Barnes & Noble
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Wikipedia on “Con-Con Eleven”: gives background on who these women were. Wikipedia
Where to Get It / Pre-Order
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You can pre-order the paperback (ISBN 9781611865530) from retailers such as Barnes & Noble. Barnes & Noble
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There is also an e-book (ePub) version with ISBN 9781628955606, per the publisher. Michigan State University
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Michigan’s Con‑Con 11 (book): Available for pre-order via Better World Books (and other sellers).
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Leanne says
(Edit)Ralph Liberato’s most noteworthy accomplishment was his longtime leadership in the Macomb County Democratic Party during its glory years. He had vast labor union connections and the county party had amassed financial resources that rendered it unbeatable.
For example, in 1984 the county’s Board of Commissioners was 21-4 Dems vs. GOP seats. Today, the Democrats are a minority on the county board.
The first “cracks” in the Democratic Party stranglehold over Macomb County government was in 1988 when a virtually unknown Harrison Township elected official named Candice Miller ran as a Republican against the Democratic County Treasurer Adam Nowakowski – a 28-year incumbent – and defeated him in a stunning political upset.
Ralph Liberato represented an “Old Guard” faction of Democratic Party politics in Macomb County that has been diminishing in political influence – as progressive liberals have made gains within the county party. Several top Dem county officials have been sentenced to jail in recent years – and the GOP has made gains due in large part due to bad publicity generated by the convictions of such officials.
Ralph Liberato will go down as one of the major Democratic Party political bosses in Macomb County of a bygone era.
My father’s service to his country (WWII) and fellow human beings is reflected in Congressman Sander Levin’s tribute.
https://www.congress.gov/108/crec/2004/06/02/CREC-2004-06-02-pt1-PgE1004-4.pdf
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Bill, the constitutional convention was one of the things that greatly influenced my early interest and eventually a career in government. My high school government teacher in Grayling took our senior class (60 strong) all the way down to Lansing to observe the convention and visit the capitol. (School trips were a bit different in those days. We went with no chaperones in individual cars getting up to 90 miles per hour on what was then US 27). We sat in seats in the back of the Civic Center literally a yard from George Romney and could talk with him. At Central Michigan University a couple years later, I took a class from Austin Knapp (the Editor of the official record of the convention) where I had to virtually memorize the entire new constitution if I wanted an “A.” Speaking of such influences, I wonder if you recall how a few more years later after I had become a high school government teacher myself (in Alma) a young senator helped me observe the various aspects of the legislative process and prepare a slide presentation for making the process more real and relevant in the classes.
I got it last week at B&N in Delta Twp. for my downtime over the holidays!
Women played a much bigger role in Con-Con than just the 11 female delegates. At least 54 critical support staff were women recognized in the official record. Everything from clerks, stenographers, and secretaries to researchers. Bear in mind that Con-Con occurred well before computers, the internet, and recording devices, so support staff played a much more important role than they would today.
Thank you for pointing that out. To say that Con-Con support staff was invaluable is an understatement. The staff were greatly appreciated and respected by the delegates.
The other Con-Con delegate from Warren was Donald Binkowski, who died last August at the age of 94. He was only of two surviving members of the Con-Con when he passed.
Don Binkowski served as a district judge in Warren and did one of the most extensive researches on the history of the city. His historical collection became part of the Warren Public Library.
Ralph Liberato represented a Board of Commissioners district in southern Warren that was heavily Democratic and in 1994 I assisted in the campaign of Barry Goff, a Republican who was trying to unseat Mr. Liberato. Barry owned a small printing business. Goff lost in the November election.
Thank you for a column on the women at con con
When I think of the 1960s, I remember Helen Milliken, Ellie Peterson and Virginia Allen, EMU trustee
We must take into account our history as Lincoln said “we cannot escape history.”