Historic Milestone: First Woman U.S. Senator Elected

The United States reached a milestone on Jan. 12, 1932, when Hattie W. Caraway became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate, representing the state of Arkansas. When her husband of 29 years, Senator Thaddeus H. Caraway, died in 1931 Arkansas Governor Harvey Parnell appointed her to the vacant seat, and she was sworn into office Dec. 9. Arkansas held a special election in January 1932 to fill the remainder of Senator Thaddeus Caraway’s term, and Hattie Caraway won easily.

At the time, most observers expected her to retire quietly after her husband’s term expired in March 1933, but Hattie Caraway surprised them by running for election to win her own term. She won, and won again six years later, in total serving in the U.S. Senate from December 9, 1931, to January 3, 1945.

Here are three newspaper articles reporting and commenting on her historic election in 1932. The first is a straightforward account of her election, pointing out how women’s clubs in Arkansas helped rally the vote, with hundreds of women staffing the voting stations without pay, to help Hattie Caraway achieve her milestone victory. The next two articles are commentaries, the first (probably written by a man) disdainfully sniffing at the practice of letting a widow fill her husband’s position, and the second (identifiably written by a man) insisting Hattie Caraway is no feminist standard-bearer, even though “the feminist lobby is mightily desirous to exploit the presence of one of their sex.”

This article was printed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) on Jan. 13, 1932:

Mrs. Caraway Is Elected Senator by Big Majority

Arkansas Women Serve at Polls without Pay as Club Members Get Out Large Vote

Little Rock, Ark., Jan. 12.—(AP)—The election of Mrs. Hattie W. Caraway as United States senator—an honor never before accorded a woman—was assured in early returns tonight from today’s special election in Arkansas.

Opposed by two men whose names appeared on the tickets as Independents, Mrs. Caraway had 12,728 votes against 927 for both opponents in returns from 47 counties, eight of them complete.

Rex R. Floyd, son of a former congressman, received 536 and Sam D. Carson, who called himself a “dirt farmer,” had 391 votes.

The Republicans did not offer a candidate.

The election has been generally regarded as a mere formality as the Democratic nomination is tantamount to election in Arkansas, but because of its history making aspect women’s clubs and party leaders sought to get out a large vote.

Women Serve without Pay

With most county treasuries in straightened circumstances, women volunteers serving without pay acted as election officials in many places.

In her home city of Jonesboro, only two votes were cast against Mrs. Caraway, and in many precincts over the state her opponents polled no votes.

Mrs. Caraway, who took a seat in the Senate at the opening of the present session under a temporary appointment from Gov. Harvey Parnell, will serve out the unexpired term of her late husband, Senator Thaddeus H. Caraway, who died two months ago. The term expires in March 1933.

Feminine hands, for the most part, wrote and counted the light vote cast in today’s special election.

All through a cold, drizzling day, women trudged to the relatively few polling places in the state to place their ballots in the hands of hundreds of women volunteers who served without pay as election officials. Reports indicated probably more women than men voted.

Less than two-thirds of the 75 counties held elections, due to depleted treasuries, and in some of them only one election booth was maintained. The inconvenience of polling places in many instances and the cold rain which fell all day accounted largely for the unusually light vote.

There was little campaigning by the two independent candidates and Mrs. Caraway did not return to the state from Washington.

This editorial was printed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) on Jan. 14, 1932:

Not a Family Matter

Arkansas elects Mrs. Hattie W. Caraway as senator in an election so perfunctory as to be virtually unanimous. The estimable widow of Senator Thaddeus H. Caraway is the first woman to take her seat by election in the upper house of the national Legislature.

The event is made the occasion for much pleasant congratulation. At the very grave risk of appearing ungracious at a time when honeyed words are pouring over all the dams, one is moved to suggest that Mrs. Caraway’s appointment and election helps to strengthen a thoroughly unsound political precedent.

Public office in this nation is not inheritable. But the recurring practice of filling the places of men who die in office with their widows is upsetting this fundamental rule.

There are times when the widow of a public man may be well qualified to carry on his work. Unfortunately, electors or appointing officials almost always fail to ask themselves one reasonable question: Would Mrs. So and So ever have been considered for this place if she were not the widow of So and So?

Such a question might be declared ungallant. But there are more important considerations than gallantry in selecting incumbents of high offices. Making a public position a sort of insurance policy is neither logical nor sound.

This commentary was printed by the Aberdeen Evening News (Aberdeen, South Dakota) on Feb. 6, 1932:

Who’s Who in Washington

By Charles P. Stewart

The Senate seat which so many women envy her plainly is only a constant reminder of bereavement to black-gowned, sad-faced little Mrs. Hattie W. Caraway.

What feminists describe as a wonderful opportunity—the opportunity to go down in history as the first woman to sit through a whole congressional session, and vote and deliberate, as one of themselves, among members of the United States Senate—Mrs. Senator Caraway sees as a hard duty, to “carry on” for “dad,” and finish, as far as may be, the legislative tasks he left uncompleted on his death a short time ago.

The late Senator Thaddeus H. Caraway and his wife were a conspicuously happy, congenial couple—quiet, home bodies, too much devoted to each other to take much share in Washington’s social activities.

In the senator’s work on Capitol Hill, however, Mrs. Caraway was keenly interested. She knew just the measures which his heart was set on pushing during the coming winter, and it was a tribute to him, and not from any thought of glory for herself, that she had the inclination personally to urge favorable action on them before the name of Caraway disappears from the list of national lawmakers.

The feminist lobby is mightily desirous to exploit the presence of one of their sex as a real voting, debating senator. It is difficult to imagine anyone more indifferent to the honor than Mrs. Hattie W. Caraway.

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