November 21 – First Woman in U.S. Senate!

nPostednon November 21, 2015

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Hattie Caraway

nAnfew years ago, I featured “the first woman elected to the U.S.nSenate,” Hattie Caraway, who became “the first” in 1932.

nToday’snhistorical anniversary is the first woman in the U.S. Senate, RebeccanLatimer Felton, who became “the first” in 1922.

nArenyou confused?

nOrndid you notice that I specifically said “elected to the U.S.nSenate” for Caraway, and just “in the U.S. Senate” for Felton?

Rebecca Latimer
Felton

nYounsee, Felton never ran for election and was never chosen by voters.nInstead, she was appointed by the then-Governor Hardwick of Georgianto fill a seat when one of Georgia’s two senators suddenly andnunexpectedly died. n

nGovernornHardwick might have meant to reward Felton for all her hard work innpolitics and on important issues…Or he might just have chosennFelton figuring that (1) she wouldn’t run against him when thenelection for that senate seat occurred, and (2) many women would wantnto vote for him since he had honored a woman with the appointment.

nIfnthe Hardwick appointed Felton mostly to secure the senate seat fornhimself, it didn’t work—he was defeated in the 1922 election and innthe 1924 election.

However, Hardwick did end up with a piecenof history – according to Wikipedia, “one of Hardwick’snmost notable actions as governor of Georgia” was appointing Feltonnto the temporary senate seat!

Actually, this was one of those “in-name only”nthings that was more about honor than a true chance to make laws,nbecause Felton only served in the U.S. Senate for one day. WhennFelton was appointed to the temporary seat, on October 3, 1922,nCongress wasn’t in session. Soon the special election to permanently fill thenseat was held, and a man named Walter George wasnelected.

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When the Senate reconvened on this date in 1922,nGeorge didn’t insist on taking the oath and the seat. Instead, henbowed to the campaign by the women of Georgia to allow Felton to bensworn in and to serve – for that one day! The next day, George wasnsworn in.

nOkay,nonly a senator for a day, but…

n…Itnturns out, Rebecca Latimer Felton was pretty rad in some ways butnreally, really bad in other ways! She was a writer, lecturer, andnreformer as well as a politician. She ran her husband’s campaigns fornseats in the U.S. and Georgia Houses of Representatives. She spokenabout and worked for prison reform, women’s rights, and modernizingneducation. She worked toward women getting the vote and for equal paynfor equal work.

nAndnthat’s all great and wonderful. But…

nFeltonnwas terribly, terribly racist. She owned slaves before the Civil War,nand she believed that white people are better than black people!n(Gulp! Obviously, she was wrong!) And here’s the worst bit: she spokenout in favor of lynching black people! Yike-es-s!

Notice that this historical plaque makes no mention
of Felton’s troubling racial views!

nInimagine that Felton’s level of racism was not unusual in whitenGeorgians in the early 20^th Century, but knowing thatndoesn’t make my skin crawl any less when I read what Felton believednand said and did. However, we can perhaps focus on the goodnthings she said and believed…

nLikenthis quote:

n“Whennthe women of the country come in and sit with you, though there may be but very few in the next few years, I pledge you that you will get ability, you will get integrity of purpose, you will get exalted patriotism, and you will get unstinted usefulness.“

nAlsonon this date: