Charlotte Zietlow

[This profile is a work in progress]

A Bloomington City Council president, as well as a member of the Monroe County Commissioners from 1981 to 1988, she resigned to become executive director of the Monroe County United Way. After two years there, a disagreement between her and the United Way board led to her abrupt resignation in the spring of 1990. She then became the chair of the Sanger endowment fund at Planned Parenthood of Southern Indiana. Her pro-choice work earned her many enemies; in 1992 a person or persons unknown inserted flyers into the Herald Times listing her personal address and phone number next to pictures of aborted fetuses, and in 1994 local pastor Timothy Bayly was given a restraining order to stay away from Ms. Zietlow after allegedly harassing her at the Bloomington Farmer's Market.

She was the co-founder of gourmet cooking supply shop Goods for Cooks and has also worked with SEED Corp., and Middle Way House.

She was married to Paul Zietlow, an English professor at Indiana University who died in 2015. They had two children, Rebecca and Nathan, three granddaughters and a grandson who died in an accident in 2019.

Timeline: Charlotte Zietlow

2022: Publishes "1971: How We Won -- The Campaign for a Better Way That Transformed the Complacent Politics of a Midwestern City in One Momentous Election"

2020: Publishes "Minister's Daughter: One Life, Many Lives"

1996: Runs for Bloomington mayor but loses in the Democratic Party primary

1995-2010: Works as economic development coordinator for Middle Way House, a domestic violence shelter in Bloomington.

1988-2006 Serves as a university trustee at Indiana State University.

1984 Is reelected to a second four-year term as District 2 Monroe County Commissioner.

1981-07-20 Monroe County Attorney Guy Loftman resigns, citing ongoing disputes with Zietlow and their inability to work together as his reason.

1980 Leads an effort to renovate the historic downtown courthouse

1980-11-04 Narrowly defeats Republican three-term incumbent Bill Hanna to be elected as the first female Monroe County Commissioner. She represents District 2 for a four-year term starting Jan. 1, 1981.

1980-05-06 Runs unopposed in the Democratic Party primary for the District 2 Monroe County Commissioner seat.

1978-11-07: Runs again for the District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives but loses to six-term incumbent Republican John T. Myers.

1978-05-02 Wins the Democratic Party primary for the District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, beating John Tipton.

1975-05-06 Comes in second in a four-way Democratic Party primary for Bloomington mayor, losing to incumbent mayor Frank McCloskey.

1975-01 Announces plans to run for Bloomington mayor against Democratic incumbent mayor Frank McCloskey, rather than seek reelection to Bloomington City Council.

1974-05-07 Runs in the Democratic Party primary for 7th District U.S. Congressional seat, coming in second behind Elden Tipton in a six-way race.

1973-11 Opens Goods Inc., a kitchen and housewares store in downtown Bloomington (now called Goods for Cooks). Other partners in this retail shop, located on the south side of the square, are District 51 state Rep. Marilyn Schultz and Ann Bron.

1972-01-01 Begins 4-year term on Bloomington City Council and is elected by councilmembers as president. She served as president in 1972 and 1973.

1971-11-02: Wins District 4 race for Bloomington City Council. Defeats incumbent Republican Harry Day, an IU faculty member who helped develop Crest toothpaste. Is part of a Democratic sweep into Bloomington government, led by mayoral candidate Frank McCloskey.

1971-05-04 Defeats William McGarry in the Democratic Party primary for District 4 Bloomington City Council.

1969 Moves to Czechoslovakia for a year with her husband, Paul Zietlow.

1969-05-03 Receives a Ph.D. in linguistics from the University of Michigan. Her dissertation is titled "A Critical Edition of the Gothic Version of the Epistle to the Romans"

1964: Moves to Bloomington to study and teach at the University of Michigan.

1960-1964 Serves as Democratic Party precinct chair in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Works on the city council campaign for Eunice Burns, whose daughter Laurie Burns later moves to Bloomington after Laurie's husband, Michael McRobbie, is named president of Indiana University.

1957: Earns a bachelor's degree in German and French literature from Valparaiso University. Marries Paul Zietlow, her childhood sweetheart.

Early 1950s Attends high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota

1934 Is born Charlotte Theile in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.