|
Governor
Martha Layne Collins (Shelby,
b. 1936)
Collins
became, to date, the only female Governor in Kentucky history in
1983. Born in Bagdad,
she started as the clerk of the Supreme Court and later became Lt.
Governor in 1979. As
part of her emphasis on economic development, she brought the Toyota
automobile plant to Georgetown.
Emma Guy
Cromwell (Allen,
1869-1952)
The
first woman in Kentucky to hold a statewide office, elected in 1896
as state librarian.
Mayor
Karen Cunningham (Hopkins,
b. 1960)
Highly
respected mayor of Madisonville, she has served on many boards of
directors and received awards such as Madisonville’s Woman of
Achievement, 1988 and 1999.
Rep. Mary
Elliott Flanery
(Boyd,
1867-1933)
Became the
first woman elected to the KY Legislature in 1921.
Born in Catlettsburg, she worked as a teacher and a
journalist for the Ashland Daily Independent.
Evelyn Kalb
(Boone,
b. 1926)
Kalb was the
dynamic mayor of Florence from 1991-1998.
Rep. Mae
Street Kidd (Bourbon, 1904-1999)
Kidd closed
a dark chapter of Kentucky history by helping to pass a resolution
ratifying the 13th, 14th, and 15th
amendments to the U.S. Constitution, over 100 years after slaves
were freed and African Americans were made citizens of the United
States. She also
sponsored legislation which created the Kentucky Housing
Corporation.
Juanita
Morris Kreps (Harlan,
b. 1921)
Held the
position of U.S. Secretary of Commerce under the administration of
President Jimmy Carter, the first woman to serve in this position.
Read more about past Secretaries of Commerce, including Juanita
Kreps at the US
Department of Commerce Web site.
U.S. Rep.
Katherine Gudger Langley (Pike,
1888-1948)
Held several
offices during her career in public service including acting as the
first chair of the Woman’s Republican State Committee and
vice-chair of the Republican State Central Committee of Kentucky.
She was Kentucky’s first female U.S. Representative, from
1927-1931.
Read
more about Katherine
Gudger Langley.
Mary Todd
Lincoln (Fayette,
1818-1882)
One of the
best-educated women of her era who became the First Lady of the
United States from 1861 until 1865; the first presidential wife to
be called by this title.
Mary
Todd Lincoln’s House in Lexington is open to visitors.
Read more
about Mary Todd Lincoln at the National
First Lady's Library.
Rep.
Alice “Dolly” McNutt (McCracken,
1917-1989)
Elected
mayor of Paducah in 1971, becoming the first woman mayor of a
Kentucky second class city. Responsible for major renovation to
downtown Paducah and later became a state representative.
Sen.
Caroline Conn Moore (Simpson,
1904-1986)
In 1949,
Moore became Kentucky’s first woman state Senator.
Sen. Georgia Davis
Powers (Jefferson, b.
1923)
The
first African American elected to the Kentucky Senate, serving from
1968-1989. A tireless
civil rights activist and author of an autobiography.
Lt. Gov.
Thelma Stovall
(Hart,
1919-1994)
The first
woman Lieutenant Governor in the state of Kentucky, serving between
1975-1979. A former
tobacco worker, Stovall served three terms as a state
representative, three terms as secretary of state, and two terms as
the state treasurer.
Rep.
Amelia Tucker (Jefferson,
1908-1987)
The first
African American woman elected to the Kentucky State Legislature in
1961. She helped pass a
bill making it illegal for any business to refuse service based on
race.
|
