Ladies' firsts
The recent election of Kristey Williams to the Kansas House of Representatives, Dist. 77, brings an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of local women and honor their role in helping to shape our state and community’s history and future.
The first record of any woman holding office in Butler County was Florence Holcomb Olmstead, who was the first county superintendent in 1890. She was from the Richland Township, near Douglass and Rose Hill.
There are other Augusta women who also defied stereotypes and were first to earn recognition for their accomplishments.
Stella B. Haines (1876-1963), daughter of Mary and John C. Haines, was the first female from this area to serve as a member of the Kansas State House of Representatives (District 53), 1926 - 1930, delegate to the Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1928, 1940 (alternate).
On March 30, 1937, Haines was photographed with several other Kansas women as they watched Kansas’s 27th Governor, Walter A. Huxman sign House Bill No. 309, that gave women equal voice with men in political party organizations. The bill also provided for the election of precinct committee women instead of their appointment.
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Haines is also credited with being the driving force behind the establishment of the Augusta Historical Society and the preservation of Augusta’s first building, the C.N. James Cabin.
She never married and stayed active in the Baptist Church, the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Order of the Eastern Star.
Although not an elected official, Augusta’s second postmaster was Mary S. Harrington, who served 1874-1881. A few women had served in that capacity in the eastern part of the country, but it was unusual in this part of the U.S.
Another woman in our community who excelled in a “man’s world” was Bertha “Bert” Shore. Shore joined her brother, Chet, in 1928 with the purchase of the Augusta Daily Gazette, where she worked until her death in 1963. Almost single-handedly she put the paper out during the labor shortage days of WWII. Shore attained considerable world-wide prominence for her editorial writing and was the first woman inducted into the Kansas Press Association Hall of Fame.
Peggy Palmer, daughter of the late Ralph and Dorothy Hime, was the next Augusta lady to serve in the Kansas House of Representatives. She served three terms, 1997 - 2002, and then became the first female to serve as a District 16 senator. She served at that level from 2004 to 2008.
Still actively serving the community, Palmer was appointed to fill a vacancy in 2010 and then was elected to the Butler County Board of Commission, District 2 in 2013.
Palmer is married to Tom Palmer, they have three children and seven grandchildren.
She explains what sparked her willingness to serve her community, saying, “In retrospect, life experiences, including being a campaign chair for our state representative who retained office for 20 years, working in the private and public sectors and living in Saudi Arabia, unknowingly, prepared the way to enter into politics. Living in a country without ordinary freedoms instilled a passion to always work to protect those freedoms for future generations.”
It took 132 years, but Kristey Williams, an Augusta native, broke the gender barrier when she was elected Augusta’s first female mayor in 2007. She was re-elected in 2011 and leaves an unexpired term as she heads for Topeka.
The daughter of two local educators, Hazel and the late Ray Slyter, Williams received her degree in education and has been a teacher as well. She is married to Joe Williams and is the mother of four.
Williams shared some comments concerning her ground breaking role, saying, “As Augusta's first female mayor, I'd say that women have more opportunities and most 'glass ceilings' have been lifted. During my past 7 1/2 years, we've had at least one or two women on our eight-member Council.”
According to recent government reports, America ranks 78th in the world for women's political representation. Women occupy less than 20 percent of the Congressional seats and only 36 women have served or are serving as a governor of a U.S. state.
“Unfortunately, there are still too few women in elected positions,” Palmer added. “First consideration is family support.”
Williams agreed, “Naturally, I'd like to see more women involved in politics; however, this is often especially difficult for women who are already balancing work and family.”
Many women find it overwhelming to run, they have a family to balance, face the daunting task of raising funds, and then have to go through the exhausting process of having their every move interpreted as too nice and therefore weak, or too pushy and therefore cold, polarizing, or mean. While men do face campaign struggles, they experience only a fraction of the public scrutiny that awaits female politicians.
Perhaps looking at local women who have broken boundaries by entering the male-dominated political world, their examples can inspire and create new opportunities for others to step outside of their expected roles.
Belinda Larsen can be reached at blarsen@butlercountytimesgazette.com.