Evening star., 1944-12-17
Women
Lead at Polls But Win
Fewer Seats
By Alexander r. Georqe,

.
Although 1914 has been widely
heralded as women's biggest year in
politics, the ladies actually lost ground
as political Office winners.
A Nationwide survey by the Asso-
ciated Press indicates that as result
Of this falls elections, there will be
fewer feminine lawmakers in the United
States in 1945 than during the past
two years. This despite the fact that
the women's vote is now larger than
the mems and that women took more
prominent part in the campaign than
ever before.
Outside of New England where con-
servative Vermont will lead the Nation
with record A women in its Legisla-
ture, female representation in the legis-
lative field has been reduced. In some
States there will not be as many women
legislators as there were Is and 20
years ago.
Gain One in Congress.
The feminine contingent in Congress
women serving in the session which
begins January as compared to eight
in the outgoing Congress. However,
nine women were in Congress back in
the winter of 1930-31. That was the era
of the three Ruths-Ruth Bryan Owen,
Ruth Hanna Mccormick and Ruth
Baker Pratt.
In most State Legislatures in 1945, it
will be case of few less or the same
number of, women members. Typical
are Illinois and Kansas. In Illinois
three women were elected, the same
number as served in 1914. In 1929 there
were six women legislators.
Kansas will have no women State
Representatives, the one feminine mem
ber in 1914 being defeated for re-elec-
ton. Colorado will have one woman as
compared with two this year and a
record number of four. Eight women
will be in the Washington Legislature
as against IL in the 1884 session,
the latter an all-time high.
For the first time in 81 years there
Minnesota Legislature. South Dakota
will have an all-male Legislature.
Twenty years ago the Coyote State had
four women lawmakers but the max
imum since that time has been one.
Oklahoma, with six as its record femi-
nine representation, will have two
women legislators.
Gain in New England.
Lady politicos really gained, however,
in Connecticut and New Hampshire
as well as in Vermont. Besides Clare
Booth Luce and Mrs. Chase Going
Woodhouse in the national House oi
Representatives, Connecticut is sending
record 80 women to the State Legis-
lature. New Hamshire elected 36
women to its Legislature.
A Connecticut housewife, Mrs. Cla-
rissa Nevius of New Fairfield, has the
distinction of being the dean (among
both men and women) of the State
Legislature. First elected in 1922, Mrs.
Nevius will begin her 18th term next
year. She was unopposed at this years
election
Two women in Congress have out
standing reelection records. New Jer-
sey's Mary T. Norton, a Democrat
will begin her 18th consecutive term
in the House. Representative Edith
Nourse Rogers, Republican, of Massa-
chusetts, first won seat in the House
in 1925 and has been reelected 10
times.
wyoming, which in 1869 became the
first Territory to grant women suffrage
did not elect any women to its legis-
lature this year.
The first woman member of Congress
was Jeanette Rankin of Montana
elected to the House in 1916 four years
before national suffrage was adopted
The first woman United States Sem
ator was Mrs. Rebecca Latimer FELTON,
of Georgia, appointed in 1922 to fill q
vacancy caused by the death of Thomas
E. Watson. She had served only two
days when her elected successor was
sworn in. Mrs. Hattie Caraway of
Arkansas, who was defeated in the
primary this year, was the first woman
elected to full term as United States
Senator
Distributed b. Associated Press