[3] Foley followed her mother, Mary (née Carey) Dondero, the first woman to become mayor of Portsmouth (1945–47), into politics.
[2] Her paternal grandparents, who had emigrated from Italy in 1883, owned and operated the Dondero's Fruit and Vegetable Store on Congress Street in Portsmouth.
[4] On August 17, 1923, Foley, who was five years old at the time, cut the silk ribbon at the dedication ceremony for the Memorial Bridge, which connects Portsmouth with neighboring Kittery, Maine, over the Piscataqua River.
[2] She and U.S. President Harry Truman held a 30-minute, sit-down meeting, also in 1945, as part of her duties as the city Democratic chair.
[2] Eileen Foley, who had become Portsmouth city clerk in 1946, signed her own marriage license as part of her official duties.
[2] Foley later wrote of her mother, "I lived with a lady who was a political person for 24 hours every day, and who loved every minute of it.
"[2] Mary Carey Dondero had held office as the city's first female mayor from 1945 to 1947, at a time when there were very few elected women officials in the United States.
[2] Foley strongly opposed any attempts to close the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, one of the major employers of city residents.
[2] Finally, Foley spearheaded a sister city agreement with Portsmouth, England, noting that the original colonial Province of New Hampshire had been established by Captain John Mason.
James R. Splaine, who had previously served with Foley on city council for four terms, was elected to succeed her in the 24th District Senate seat.
She was one of just 13 people to complete flight attendant training for the short-lived Pan American Airways in 1999 at the Portsmouth International Airport at Pease.
[2] The original Memorial Bridge, which Foley had helped dedicate in 1923, was permanently closed on July 27, 2011, due to disrepair and serious safety hazards.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen praised Foley's accomplishments, saying in a statement, She was not only an incredible advocate for the Seacoast Region in New Hampshire, but also around the globe by helping to establish sister cities and international trade.
So much of the local progress made in e-commerce, tourism and historic preservation, can be traced back to Eileen's leadership and foresight.