Mabel Livingstone Bishop

Fourteenth Regent (1990-1993)

Mabel Livingstone was born in Portland, Oregon, and attended Reed College in that city before graduating from Simmons College in Boston. In 1947, she married Clarence Morton Bishop, Jr., who became president of the Oregon-based, family-owned Pendleton Woolen Mills. He died in 2007.

Past Regents

Mount Vernon's Past Regents

The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association's Regent serves as the head of the board. Each woman is action-oriented and works to preserve and restore George Washington's Mount Vernon.

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Vice Regent for Oregon

Elected Vice Regent for Oregon in 1976, she chaired the Gardens and Grounds Committee and the planning committee for the yearlong 1989 bicentennial celebration of George Washington’s first presidential inauguration. This endeavor included offering several educational programs and organizing such special events as a reenactment of Washington’s journey from Mount Vernon to New York and a nationwide ringing of church bells honoring the Father of Our Country.

In 1982, Mrs. Bishop also spearheaded an unusual fundraiser. To mark the opening of the Glenn L. Jackson Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Columbia River to link Portland and Vancouver, Washington, she convinced some of her fellow patriots to pledge $1,000 apiece in support of the campaign and walk the full 11,500-foot span.

Mrs. Bishop meets with First Lady Barbara Bush and Russian First Lady Naina Yeltsina. MVLA.

Regent

Mrs. Bishop was elected Regent in April 1990. The first woman from a West Coast state to hold the office, she led the Association from her Portland home—across the continent from Mount Vernon. Fax machines, a special phone line, and frequent plane flights to Virginia enabled her to maintain the same high level of communication and service as her predecessors.

As Regent, Bishop launched a campaign to restore Mount Vernon’s historic wharf, including asbestos removal and a new roof. She raised funds in her home state which contributed over $200,000 toward this ambitious project. On May 16, 1991, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the estate and participated in the dedication of the rehabilitated wharf.

The Pioneer Farm (now called the Farm) project was also begun during Bishop’s term as Regent, turning an unused, swampy piece of land into an opportunity to educate the public about Washington’s farming practices. Mr. and Mrs. Bishop generously donated money to the completion of the reconstruction of the 16-sided barn at the farm site. In 1992 the MVLA acquired full ownership of the Mount Vernon Inn and soon began to plan a full renovation. Bishop passed away on March 10, 2007. Her will provided for continued support of Mount Vernon’s wharf and the George Washington Teacher Institute.