Jean B. Cryor

Jean B. Cryor (December 13, 1938 – November 3, 2009) was a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 15, which covers a portion of Montgomery County, Maryland, and later sat on the Montgomery County Planning Board.

Background Cryor was born (December 13, 1938) in Lansdowne, Pennsylvania and raised in the suburbs of Philadelphia. She lived in Montgomery County, Maryland for over 35 years, and died on November 3, 2009, of cancer.

Education Cryor attended Convent of the Sacred Heart in Overbrook, Pennsylvania, now located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. She attended the University of Pennsylvania. The Cryors moved to the Washington, D.C. area in 1972 for Mr. Cryor's job as a television reporter, and he later became a legislative aide for Rep. Edwin B. Forsythe. After her husband's sudden death at the age of 45, Cryor raised her three daughters, Allison, Jennifer and Deirdre, as a widow in Potomac, Maryland.

Career Cryor spent much of her career in journalism. She was a reporter for the Philadelphia Bulletin, and for 10 years, she was the mid-Atlantic head for the election reporting pool of the networks and wire services. She was an editor and publisher at The Gazette, launching the Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Poolesville Gazettes.

Cryor was first elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in 1994, winning re-election twice, serving on the Ways and Means Committee during her 12-year tenure in Annapolis. In 2006, she lost her bid for a fourth term by just 152 votes to Democrat Craig L. Rice – Cryor was the only incumbent Republican Delegate from Montgomery County. In 2013, she was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame and was awarded the House of Delegates' Thomas Kennedy Award. Voters to choose three: Name Votes Percent Outcome Kathleen M. Dumais, Dem. 25,781 21.6% Won Brian J. Feldman, Dem. 25,760 21.6% Won Craig L. Rice, Dem. 20,202 17.0% Won Jean B. Cryor, Rep. 20,050 16.8% Lost Brian Mezger, Rep. 14,112 11.8% Lost Chris Pilkerton, Rep. 13,174 11.1% Lost

2002 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 15 Voters to choose three: Name Votes Percent Outcome Mark K. Shriver, Dem. 26,114 22% Won Jean B. Cryor, Rep. 22,160 19% Won Richard A. La Vay, Rep. 18,395 16% Won David B. Dashefsky, Dem. 17,818 15% Lost William Ferner Askinazi, Rep. 16,882 14% Lost Anthony Patrick Puca, Dem. 16,841 14% Lost

1994 Race for Maryland House of Delegates – District 15 Voters to choose three: Name Votes Percent Outcome Mark K. Shriver, Dem. 20,696 20% Won Jean Cryor, Rep. 18,804 18% Won Richard La Vay, Rep. 17,214 17% Won Stuart D. Schooler, Dem. 15,882 15% Lost Elizabeth Tookie Gentilcore, Dem. 15,325 15% Lost Davis M. Richardson, Rep. 15,847 15% Lost