Jacquelyn E. Orton

Jacquelyn is a graduate of the University of Alabama with a degree in Fine Arts Management, and minors in Broadcasting and English. Prior to her marriage to former U. S. Congressman Bill Orton, Jacquelyn worked in Washington D.C. - first on the U.S. House Banking Committee and later as a credit union lobbyist. Before moving to Washington, Jacquelyn worked in Alabama at Antique Monthly newspaper and at the SHELBY COMMITTEE OF 100, an economic development organization.

Jacquelyn has been a children's advocate for many years and has served on Boards for the Children's Hospital of Alabama, The Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health, and the United Way of Alabama. She was also the court appointed advocate for a foster child for three and one half years. In addition, Jacquelyn has enjoyed her work as a volunteer elementary school teachers' aide, a fund-raiser for numerous children's charities and her three years as a church nursery coordinator.

Jacquelyn and her husband Bill have also taken active roles in promoting support for Breast Cancer Research and in finding innovative ways to fund the Search for the Cure. In 1995, Jacquelyn served as the Congressional Chairman for the National Race for the Cure in Washington, D.C. The National race is the world's largest 5 k race and raises millions of dollars each year for Breast Cancer education and awareness programs. In addition, Jacquelyn has served on the Grants Allocation Committee for the Utah Race for the Cure held in Salt Lake City each year on Mother's Day weekend.

In 1998, Jacquelyn became the first spouse of a former member of Congress in the 90-year history of the Congressional Club in Washington, DC to be elected to serve on the Club's Board of Directors. The Congressional Club was chartered by Congress in 1908 to foster bipartisan friendships between spouses of Members of Congress, the President's cabinet and the Supreme Court.

In addition to spending time with her family, Jacquelyn's abiding passion is heirloom sewing for children. Heirloom sewing encompasses the designing of traditional clothing reminiscent of styles popular in the late 19th and early 20th century, constructing them using period-appropriate methods and embellishing them with smocking and hand embroidery. In a recent speech at Brigham Young University, Jacquelyn said, "I am proud to tell my sewing friends from all over the world of Utah's strong heritage of not only producing exquisite examples of fine needlework, but also of preserving those examples for future generations to admire and study."

Jacquelyn's clothing designs for children and women have been featured in the pages and on the cover of Sew Beautiful Magazine and Latina Style Magazine. Jacquelyn teaches beginner heirloom and smocking classes and speaks frequently on heirloom sewing as well as preservation and restoration of heirloom garments.

Bill and Jacquelyn Orton live in North Ogden, Utah. They are the proud parents of Will {5 years old} and Wes {3 years old}.