Name

Women of Note - Kansas

Name	B/D	Activity	Family	Focus/Achievement	Life Influences
Carla Stovall		Lawyer Topeka		Two-term Kansas Attorney General (1994-2002) Staunch defender of women's issues	Former BPW member.
Kathleen Sebelius		Topeka		The first Democrat elected Kansas Insurance Commissioner (1994-present). Kansas State Representative (1986-1993). Co‑founded the Kansas Public Policy Institute. Staunch protector of consumer rights.
Joan Finney				First female governor of Kansas (1990-1995). Rebuffed by Republican leaders for U.S. House seat, she came back later as a Democrat to win election for State Treasurer, then Governor.
Georgia Neese Gray		Richland		The first female Treasurer of the United States (1949).
Sheila Frahm		Colby		Appointed to fill Bob Dole’s U.S. Senate seat when he resigned. She served June 1996 to November 1996. Frahm had served six years in the State Senate and was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1994
Nancy Kassebaum		Wichita		The first female from any state to be first elected in her own right to a full term in the U.S. Senate (Source: http://www.lasr.net/leisure/kansas/specialty/people), and was the first woman to head a major U.S. Senate committee. At the time of her election, she was the only woman in the Senate (1979‑1997)	Kassebaum and Meyers resigned from Congress in 1997 and were replaced by men.
Jan Meyers		Overland Park	Married	Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1985‑1997), chaired the Committee on Small Business during her last term. She served in the Kansas Senate (1972‑1984).
Martha Elizabeth Keys		Hutchinson		Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1975‑1979
McFarland, Kay	1935-	Lawyer Topeka		First female Supreme Court Justice in Kansas (1977), Chief Justice (1995), first female elected district judge (1973). Chief Justice of KS Supreme Court (1995-present). Interested in wildlife conservation.	Graduated magna cum laude, & law degree Washburn U., As judge of probate & juvenile courts reduced serious offenses 50%+ in 2 years.
Kathryn O'Laughlin		Hutchinson,		U.S. House of Representatives (1932). The first Kansas woman to serve in Congress	Single, Catholic, and Democrat in a primarily Republican district
Cline, Nellie	1904-	Larned		First female lawyer to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court (1918).
Salter, Susanna	1872-1961	Reformer Argonia	Married Children	First woman mayor in the United States. No further political office. Prohibitionist. Nominated by townsmen as a joke!	Daughter of town’s first mayor; father-in-law was former Kansas Lieutenant Governor.
Diggs, Annie LaPorte		Activist Topeka		Primary organizer of Kansas Library Association (KLA) (1900) and State Librarian. Major Populist leader & suffragette	At the time of her appointment, was the highest ranking female state official in Kansas history.
Lease, Mary Elizabeth	1853-1933	Activist Wichita	Married	Active and well-known speaker in the Populist political movement. Admitted to Kansas bar 1885.	Bored with domestic life, studied law.
Nation, Carrie	1846-1911	Reformer Medicine Lodge	Married	Prohibition. Known for smashing saloons with her hatchets. Active in Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WTCU), at that time the largest women’s organization in the US. Issues: health and hygiene, prison reform, world peace.	Briefly married to an alcoholic, jailed about 30 times in 10 years
Nichols, Clarina	1810-1885	Activist Quindaro (WY Cnty) & Lawrence	Divorced, remarried older news editor. 1 child. Lived in “sparse” conditions. Moved to Kansas from VT.	Equality, child custody, women’s higher education, right to vote in school elections. Seen but not heard officially. Instrumental in gaining suffrage for African American men. Helped slaves escape from MO to KS. Debated ministers on role of women. Saw opportunity in new state of Kansas to shape history and impact her causes. Kept in close touch with eastern colleagues.	Editor, widowed, gathered petitions for her participation at the Wyandotte (state) Constitutional Convention 1859 & was the only woman asked to address the assemblage. Colleague of Anthony, Stone, Brown, & Stanton whom she brought in to the suffragist cause. Public speaker/editorial writer.

Name

B/D

Activity

Family

Focus/Achievement

Life Influences

Carla Stovall

Lawyer

Topeka

Two-term Kansas Attorney General (1994-2002)

Staunch defender of women's issues

Former BPW member.

Kathleen Sebelius

Topeka

The first Democrat elected Kansas Insurance Commissioner (1994-present). Kansas State Representative (1986-1993). Co‑founded the Kansas Public Policy Institute. Staunch protector of consumer rights.

Joan Finney

First female governor of Kansas (1990-1995). Rebuffed by Republican leaders for U.S. House seat, she came back later as a Democrat to win election for State Treasurer, then Governor.

Georgia Neese Gray

Richland

The first female Treasurer of the United States (1949).

Sheila Frahm

Colby

Appointed to fill Bob Dole’s U.S. Senate seat when he resigned. She served June 1996 to November 1996. Frahm had served six years in the State Senate and was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1994

Nancy Kassebaum

Wichita

The first female from any state to be first elected in her own right to a full term in the U.S. Senate (Source: http://www.lasr.net/leisure/kansas/specialty/people), and was the first woman to head a major U.S. Senate committee. At the time of her election, she was the only woman in the Senate (1979‑1997)

Kassebaum and Meyers resigned from Congress in 1997 and were replaced by men.

Jan Meyers

Overland Park

Married

Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1985‑1997), chaired the Committee on Small Business during her last term. She served in the Kansas Senate (1972‑1984).

Martha Elizabeth Keys

Hutchinson

Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (1975‑1979

McFarland, Kay

1935-

Lawyer

Topeka

First female Supreme Court Justice in Kansas (1977), Chief Justice (1995), first female elected district judge (1973). Chief Justice of KS Supreme Court (1995-present). Interested in wildlife conservation.

Graduated magna cum laude, & law degree Washburn U., As judge of probate & juvenile courts reduced serious offenses 50%+ in 2 years.

Kathryn O'Laughlin

Hutchinson,

U.S. House of Representatives (1932). The first Kansas woman to serve in Congress

Single, Catholic, and Democrat in a primarily Republican district

Cline, Nellie

1904-

Larned

First female lawyer to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court (1918).

Salter, Susanna

1872-1961

Reformer

Argonia

Married Children

First woman mayor in the United States. No further political office. Prohibitionist. Nominated by townsmen as a joke!

Daughter of town’s first mayor; father-in-law was former Kansas Lieutenant Governor.

Diggs, Annie LaPorte

Activist

Topeka

Primary organizer of Kansas Library Association (KLA) (1900) and State Librarian. Major Populist leader & suffragette

At the time of her appointment, was the highest ranking female state official in Kansas history.

Lease, Mary Elizabeth

1853-1933

Activist

Wichita

Married

Active and well-known speaker in the Populist political movement. Admitted to Kansas bar 1885.

Bored with domestic life, studied law.

Nation, Carrie

1846-1911

Reformer

Medicine Lodge

Married

Prohibition. Known for smashing saloons with her hatchets. Active in Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WTCU), at that time the largest women’s organization in the US. Issues: health and hygiene, prison reform, world peace.

Briefly married to an alcoholic, jailed about 30 times in 10 years

Nichols, Clarina

1810-1885

Activist

Quindaro (WY Cnty) & Lawrence

Divorced, remarried older news editor.

1 child. Lived in “sparse” conditions. Moved to Kansas from VT.

Equality, child custody, women’s higher education, right to vote in school elections. Seen but not heard officially. Instrumental in gaining suffrage for African American men. Helped slaves escape from MO to KS. Debated ministers on role of women. Saw opportunity in new state of Kansas to shape history and impact her causes. Kept in close touch with eastern colleagues.

Editor, widowed, gathered petitions for her participation at the Wyandotte (state) Constitutional Convention 1859 & was the only woman asked to address the assemblage. Colleague of Anthony, Stone, Brown, & Stanton whom she brought in to the suffragist cause. Public speaker/editorial writer.