First Woman Mayor

April 4, 2008

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Profile America — Friday, April 4th. The possibility of the nation electing its first woman president is generating a lot of media coverage and private conversation. While it didn’t make headlines, in 1887, the citizens of the small town of Argonia, Kansas, made history. They voted Susanna Salter to be their mayor — making her the first woman elected to that position in the country. Her election surprised Salter, since her name had been put on the ballot without her knowledge. Salter served in office for a year at the salary of $1 and went on to live to the age of 101. Today, 78 women have been elected to statewide executive offices and close to 1,700 serve in state legislatures. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau on the Web at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 205
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 401
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html