In 1887, She Became The First Woman Ever Elected Mayor– But How She Even Came To Run For Office Is An Entirely Different Story
On April 4, 1887, Susanna M. Salter became the first woman mayor ever to be elected in the United States.
But, exactly why Susanna came to preside over the city of Argonia, Kansas, is a lesser-known tale of how prejudiced societal norms backfired on male politicians.
Susanna was born on March 2, 1860, in Belmont County, Ohio, before she and her family later settled on an eighty-acre farm in Kansas.
There, Susanna attended the Kansas State Agricultural College in 1878 but unfortunately had to leave early due to illness.
Nonetheless, it was around this same time that she met Lewis Allison Salter– the son of former Lieutenant Governor Melville J. Salter. The pair quickly fell in love and got married in September of 1880.
And Susanna and Lewis were very eager to start their life together following marriage. So, they decided to move to Argonia, Kansas, where Lewis managed a hardware store before beginning to study law.
Meanwhile, Susanna welcomed two children into the world.
Then, in 1885, the city of Argonia was officially incorporated. That same year, Susanna’s parents, Oliver and Terissa Kinsey. also moved to town to be closer to their daughter and grandchildren.
Unknown photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons; pictured above is Susanna
Sign up for Chip Chick’s newsletter and get stories like this delivered to your inbox.
And remarkably, Susanna’s father became the town’s first mayor meanwhile her husband, Lewis, became the city clerk.
Argonia was also designated as a “third class city” that year, according to the Kansas Historical Society (KHS), which meant that women were allowed to vote for elected officials.
This caused unrest around a particular group of male politicians in Argonia who believed that politics were no place for women.
So, before the next mayoral election cycle, they devised a plan intended to humiliate one townswoman and send a message.
“Twenty of [the men] met in the back room of a local restaurant and decided to teach these females a lesson,” the KHS said.
“They drew up a slate of candidates… and substituted Mrs. Salter’s name.”
“They assumed that the women would vote for the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union and that the men would not vote for a woman.”
Moreover, if Susanna was not elected, the group of men believed that women across the township would feel mortified and take a step back from being involved in politics.
However, on April 4, 1887, the town of Argonia completely shocked the men. Rather than Susanna earning a mere twenty votes as they had anticipated, the young woman actually won sixty percent of the votes– making her the first female mayor ever at only twenty-seven years old.
This incredible feat came a remarkable thirty-three years before women’s suffrage and paved the way for female voices in politics.
By 1894, Clara Cressingham, Carrie C. Holly, and Frances Klock became the first three women ever elected to a state legislature.
Then, in 1896, Martha Hughes Cannon became the first woman state senator after being elected to the Utah State Senate.
Now, Susanna Salter is revered for stepping up to the plate, leading the city of Argonia despite many peoples’ hopes that she would fail, and laying the groundwork for women’s rightful place in politics.
And it was all thanks to a gender discriminatory prank that rightfully backfired.
If true crime defines your free time, this is for you: join Chip Chick’s True Crime Tribe.
He Served Deer At A Dinner Party Without Telling His Guests, And One Woman Totally Freaked Out
Meet Patrick, A Beer-Drinking Pony Who Also Happens To Be A Mayor In England
More About:Human Interest
Read This Next
