Lee Minto was born on October 11, 1927, in Hamilton, Montana. She met her husband, Robert, while they were both students at the University of Montana. Following their marriage, the couple moved to Seattle where Minto completed her education at the University of Washington. Minto joined the board of Planned Parenthood of Seattle-King County in the late 1950s. In 1967, she was hired as the organization's Executive Director, and continued in that position until her retirement in 1993. She was an important figure in the 1970 campaign for Referendum 20, which legalized abortion in Washington state. Although abortion had already been legalized in fifteen other states by that time, Washington was the first to put the issue before voters. In addition to her work with Planned Parenthood, Minto also served on the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association Board and was involved in abortion service delivery and politics.