Nellie Tayloe Ross #100YearsAgo #SundaySalon
Happy Sunday! Sunday Salon is hosted by Deb at ReaderBuzz. Check out her post and the links to see what other bloggers have been up to in the last week.
One hundred years ago tomorrow, on November 4, 1924, Nellie Tayloe Ross won the election for Wyoming governor, making her the first woman elected governor in the United States. She still shows up in history, today, on lists of “firsts.” It turns out, though, that was just the beginning of a stellar career.
When Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President, he appointed Ross as the director of the US Mint, a position that she held for twenty years. She completely modernized the organization, led it through a massive expansion from the depth of the Depression through the boom years of the early 1950s, and oversaw huge building projects, including Fort Knox.
The History Guy tells her story in a quick well-illustrated overview.
For a deeper look at her life and her years as a governor, check out the documentary produced by Wyoming Public Television.
Did you know about Nellie Tayloe Ross? I’m very happy to have discovered her story of competent, compassionate public service in this election year.