This week I'm honored to be making a presentation to the Mary Leonard Law Society, the Marion County chapter of Oregon Women Lawyers on early women candidates and office holding before and after the achievement of suffrage.
So, from the campaign expenditure reports, here is the list of women candidates who ran for state offices from 1914-1920 -- from the first state election after the achievement of full voting rights in Oregon to 1920, when Esther Pohl Lovejoy made her bid for U.S. Congress from Oregon's Third District.
Two, Manche Langley and Celia Gavin, were lawyers and Marian Towne studied law for a term. Cora Talbot and Esther Lovejoy were both physicians. Socialist, Progressive Party and Prohibition candidates joined Republicans and Democrats in this Progressive Era election period.
Not many achieved victory. But locating them is an important step to understanding the full range of women's efforts to exercise the full range of citizenship rights through office holding.
This list does not include the many, many local races that will yield more important perspectives in this broad field of study.
But for now, here are the women who ran for state office in Oregon from 1914-1920:
1914
Primary Election May 15, 1914
For Representative, Eighth Representative District
Marian B. Towne, Jackson County, Democratic
For Representative, Eighteenth Representative District
Cora C. Talbott, Multnomah County, Democratic
Mrs. L. (Lizzie) Gee, Multnomah County, Progressive
Maria L. T. Hidden, Multnomah County, Progressive
Lora Cornelia Little, Multnomah County, Progressive
General Election, November 3, 1914
For Superintendent of Public Instruction
Flora I. Foreman, Columbia County, Socialist
For Representative, First Representative District
Mrs. Fannie M. Penn, Marion County, Independent
Mrs. Z. A. (Zanana) Rosebraugh, Marion County, Independent
For Representative, Eighth Representative District
Marian B. Towne, Jackson County, Democratic-Progressive -- Elected
For Representative, Eighteenth Representative District
Cora C. Talbott, Multnomah County, Democratic
Mrs. L. (Lizzie) Gee, Multnomah County, Progressive
Maria L. T. Hidden, Multnomah County, Progressive
Lora Cornelia Little, Multnomah County, Progressive
Lucia Faxton Addition, Multnomah County, Prohibition
Mrs. Mary L. Mallett, Multnomah County, Prohibition
Sadie Althouse, Multnomah County, Socialist
(Note: Kathryn Clarke, Douglas County, Republican won a special election in January 1915 for Senator, Fifth Senatorial District)
1916
Primary Election May 19, 1916
For Delegates to National Conventions – State at Large
Bertha Mason (Mrs. G.L.) Buland, Multnomah County, Republican
Helen I. Tomlinson, Multnomah County, Democratic
For Representative, First Representative District
Mrs. Alice H. Page, Marion County, Republican
Mrs. Hattie Cameron, Marion County, Democratic
Mrs. W. A. Chapman, Marion County, Democratic
For Representative, Eighth Representative District
Marian B. Towne, Jackson County, Democratic
For Representative, Eleventh Representative District
Mrs. Ella J. Metzger, Polk County, Republican
For Representative, Fifteenth Representative District
Manche Langley, Washington County, Democratic
For Representative, Eighteenth Representative District
Mrs. Maria L. T. Hidden, Democratic
Mrs. June Nissen, Multnomah County, Democratic
Mattie M. Sleeth, Multnomah County, Democratic
For Representative, Twenty-ninth Representative District
Sylvia McGuire (Mrs. Alexander) Thompson, Wasco County (party not listed here)
General Election, November 7, 1916
For Electors of President and Vice-President
M. Frances Swope, Multnomah County, Prohibition
Selma J. McCone, Multnomah County, Socialist
For Representative, First Representative District
Mrs. Hattie Cameron, Marion County, Democratic
Mrs. W. A. Chapman, Marion County, Democratic
For Representative, Eighth Representative District
Marian B. Towne, Jackson County, Democratic
For Representative, Fifteenth Representative District
Manche I. Langley, Washington County, Democratic
For Representative, Eighteenth Representative District
Mrs. Maria L. T. Hidden, Democratic
Mattie M. Sleeth, Multnomah County, Democratic-Prohibition
Mary L. Mallett, Multnomah County, Prohibition
Katherine Brandes, Multnomah County, Socialist
Ina Coleman, Multnomah County, Socialist
For Representative, Twenty-fourth Representative District
Bessie Baird, Wallowa County, Socialist
For Representative, Twenty-ninth Representative District
Mrs. Alexander Thompson, Wasco County, Democratic--Elected
1918
Primary Election, May 17, 1918
For Representative in Congress, Third District
Maria L.T. Hidden, Multnomah County, Democratic
For Representative, Eighteenth Representative District
Mrs. Alice McNaught, Multnomah County, Democratic
For Representative, Twenty-third Representative District
Ella Terpening, Umatilla County, Democratic
For Representative, Twenty-ninth Representative District
Mrs. Alexander Thompson, Wasco County, Democratic--Elected
General Election, November 5, 1918
For United States Senator in Congress, To fill vacancy in term ending March 4, 1919
Martha E. Bean, Malheur County, Socialist
For State Treasurer
Pauline Sears, Malheur County, Socialist
For Superintendent of Public Instruction
Inez Augusta Lusk, Coos County, Socialist
For Representative, Eighteenth Representative District
Alice M. McNaught, Multnomah County, Democratic
Maria L.T. Hidden, Multnomah County, Prohibition
Ada Wallace Unruh, Multnomah County, Prohibition-National
Emma Wold, Multnomah County, National
Alvina Hagen, Multnomah County, Socialist
Julia Jackson, Multnomah County, Socialist
For Representative, Twenty-third Representative District
Ella Terpening, Umatilla County, Democratic
For Representative, Twenty-ninth Representative District
Mrs. Alexander Thompson, Wasco County, Democratic -- Elected
1920
Primary Election, May 21, 1920
For Delegate to the National Convention – State at Large:
Maria L.T. Hidden, Multnomah County, Democratic -- Elected
For Delegate to the National Convention, Third Congressional District
Ethel (Mrs. F.O.) Northrup, Multnomah County, Republican -- Elected
Alice M. McNaught, Multnomah County, Democratic
Bessie M. Richards, Multnomah County, Democratic -- Elected
For Electors of President and Vice-President of the United States
Harriet C. Hendee, Multnomah County, Republican
Celia Gavin, Wasco County, Democratic
For Representative in Congress, Third District
Esther Lovejoy, Multnomah County, Democrat
Mrs. Alexander Thompson, Multnomah County, Democrat
For Commissioner of the Public Service Commission of Oregon, District Composed of the Counties Lying East of the Cascade Mountains
Rhea Luper, Morrow County, Republican
For Representative, Nineteenth Representative District
Mary Strong (Mrs. William S.) Kinney, Clatsop County, Republican
For Representative, Twenty-sixth Representative District
Kathleen W. Kivett, Baker County, Republican
General Election November 2, 1920
For Presidential Electors
Mary H. Jewitt, Lane County, Prohibition
For Representative in Congress, Third District
Esther Pohl Lovejoy, Multnomah County, Democratic-Prohibition
For State Senator, Twelfth Senatorial District
Emma Rayner, Clackamas County, Socialist
For Representative, Nineteenth Representative District
Mary Strong (Mrs. William S.) Kinney, Clatsop County, Republican -- Elected
Oregon Secretary of State, Biennial Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Oregon to the Twenty-Eighth Legislative Assembly, Regular Session, 1915, for the Biennial Period Beginning October 1, 1912, Ending September 30, 1914 (Salem: State Printer, 1915), 89-102; Oregon Secretary of State, Biennial Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Oregon to the Twenty-Ninth Legislative Assembly, Regular Session, 1917, for the Biennial Period Beginning October 1, 1914, Ending September 30, 1916 (Salem: State Printer, 1917), 107-126; Oregon Secretary of State, Biennial Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Oregon to the Thirtieth Legislative Assembly, Regular Session, 1919, For the Biennial Period Beginning October 1, 1916, Ending September 30, 1918 (Salem: State Printer, 1919), 68-79; Oregon Secretary of State, Biennial Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Oregon to the Thirty-first Legislative Assembly, Regular Session, 1921, For the Biennial Period Beginning October 1, 1918, Ending September 30, 1920 (Salem: State Printer, 1921), 82-98.
