The fact that one of the women ran for reelection and won tells me that men were also elected in that next election. Was that a joke too? Who was the original joke on–the women or the town? Were there no men who ran for office that year?

Any statement about Mormons in the Tribune is automatically suspect. It established expectations in the public of being the opposition newspaper, and has strived to live up to that market even now. I cannot recall ever seeing any Church-related source calling Mormon men “rugged” or implying that the quality of ruggedness was a desirable one for priesthood holders. And what does “rugged” have to do with how a husband should treat his wife? I live in a ward with a lot of farmers and truck drivers and project engineers who like to fish and hunt and ride snowmobiles, but they are as solicitous of their spouses as anyone I know.

When Utah was a less populous state, campaigning for election to the legislature involved more door-to-door contact and community prominence and not much costly advertising. To run for election these days costs more of your own money and the ability to persuade other people to give you theirs. Another aspect of motivation to serve in the legislature is to represent the special interests of a particular group or profession. Becoming a former legislator puts one in position to become a paid lobbyist dealing with one’s former colleagues. So my guess is that the relative scarcity of women legislators is due to the tendency of money to flow to people who are already tied into a group that has financial interests in legislative outcomes, and reflects the continuing domination of men in the business world where that money flows.

#2–you’re right. I stuffed a lot in. I would love to talk more about the history and women’s issues, but I figured a lot of you might have already read my article in Utah Historical Quarterly a few years ago on these women. So I decided to use it as the jumping off point for a more philosphical question that interested me–that of how “political” our remembering is. As I said, going through the sources which sporadically remembered this election and mentioned it was a fascinating case study in historical bias and slant. I couldn’t help but wonder how much I was caught up in it myself. The fact that I even wanted to research that issue no doubt was raised by the historio-cultural time frame that I inhabit. It makes me wonder what silly things I’m saying that will make future researchers laugh at me.

#7 I think your comment gets at what I’m talking about. I can’t help but be proud (like you) that “Utah was far ahead of most of the other states in the union as far as women’s rights, divorce rights, voting rights, and the rights to hold elected positions.” However, I wonder where that pride comes from and how much it “hides”–not in me and my psyche but in the context of historical research. For example, there were a few easy-to-find statements about how much the all-woman city council was applauded, so most researchers who brushed by the issue assumed that was true and stuck with the story of Utah and women’s rights. Of course we want it to be true. We like to be forward-thinking and far ahead in women’s issues. But there was a lot more to the story than that; in fact, given the way these women were elected and how difficult it was for them to get support on many issues, I wonder whether we can rightly place this election on a feminist pedestal at all. Probably not. Though it did happen, and the women did serve their term and do a great job. And Ada Seegmiller even ran for re-election and was elected. Perhaps this particular issue is similar to so many others–it simply can’t be reduced to a simple label or motivation, especially not a twenty-first century one.

There have been a total of 29 women governors in 21 states in the entire history of the United States. Utah has had one of them.

If you want to see a true good-ol-boys network including shocking amounts of corruption, you’ll have to visit my mid-Atlantic state, not Utah.

(Mary C. was plural wife #6 to my g-g-grandfather.)

Regarding the post… yes, it does seem a lot of these historical ‘victories’ were a mixed bag.