OK did ya know? Kate Barnard
Kate Barnard, Library of Congress, 1910
Kate Barnard (May 23, 1875 - February 23, 1930)
In a time when she couldn't even vote, Kate Barnard became the first woman in America to be elected as a State official. In 1907 she was elected as Oklahoma's first Commissioner of Charities and Corrections. By the end of her two terms of office, she helped pass 30 statutory laws through the Oklahoma Legislature. All of these laws dealt with the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Human Services, and the Department of Corrections.
Statue at the Oklahoma State Capitol
Today there is a statue in her honor on the first floor of the Oklahoma State Capitol.
The Kate Barnard Award was created in 1988 to honor outstanding women in public service in Oklahoma.
More Information:
- Wikipedia - Kate Barnard
- Art of the State Capital - Kate Barnard by Sandra Van Zandt
- Sandra Van Zandt - Our Good Angel, Kate
- Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame
- Find A Grave - Kate Barnard
- Research Methods in Human Relations - Kate Barnard
- Google Books - One Woman's Political Journey: Kate Barnard and Social Reform
- The New York Times, January 31, 1909
- The New York Times, February 13, 1911
- The New York Times, December 8, 1912
- The New York Times, March 3, 1915
- Red Flag Press - Our Hero Kate
- Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women