Utah Women in County Office, 1896 - 1920 Kanab's all-woman town council, c. 1912. Courtesy of JoLynn Hoyt.
The 1896 election was the first in which Utah women citizens could run for public office. You’ve likely heard of Dr. Martha Hughes Cannon, who famously beat her own husband in the 1896 election to become Utah’s—and the nation’s—first female state senator. But did you know about the other women who won office that year? Sarah E. Anderson and Eurithe LaBarthe were elected as state representatives, and 11 other women were elected to county office! By the time the 19th Amendment became law in 1920, more than 120 Utah women had served as county recorders, treasurers and more. Find their stories in the table below, and find stories of other trailblazing women on our pages for each county!
Special thanks to all the volunteers who researched these women, especially Constance Lieber, Sandra Ball, Dr. Ann Engar, and Dr. Laura Davis’ women’s history class at Southern Utah University!
Year Elected | Name | County | Position | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1896 | Margaret Caine | Salt Lake | County Auditor | Bio here |
1896 | Ellen Jakeman | Utah | County Treasurer | Bio here |
1896 | Delilah K. Olson | Millard | County Recorder | Bio here |
1896 | Charlotte Farmer | Juab | County Recorder | Bio here |
1896 | Maud Layton | Sevier | County Recorder | Bio here |
1896 | Mamie Wooley | Kane | County Clerk | Bio here |
1896 | Amelia Graehl | Box Elder | County Recorder | Bio here |
1896 | Emily Dods | Tooele | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1896 | Tryphenia West | Iron | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1896 | Bessie Morehead | Cache | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1896 | Mary F. Shelby | Rich | County Recorder | Bio here |
1898 | Eliza Madsen | Box Elder | County Recorder | |
1898 | Mamie Foy | Garfield | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1898 | Sarah E. Cole | Juab | County Recorder | Bio here |
1898 | Mrs. Persis A. Spencer | Kane | County Recorder | |
1898 | Annie Wixum | Piute | County Recorder | |
1898 | Kate R. Snowball | Rich | County Recorder | Bio here |
1898 | Kate Perkins | San Juan | County Clerk and County Recorder | 2 terms |
1898 | Eliza Ross | Sevier | County Recorder | Bio here |
1898 | Mary Herron | Tooele | County Treasurer | |
1898 | May Brown Spencer | Utah | County Recorder | Bio here |
1900 | Ella Hutchins | Beaver | County Recorder | |
1900 | Jennie P. Slater | Cache | County Recorder | Bio here |
1900 | Sarah A. Howard | Davis | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1900 | Emily Watson | Iron | County Recorder | |
1900 | Hattie Spencer | Kane | County Recorder | |
1900 | Josephine King | Piute | County Recorder | Bio here |
1900 | Alveretta Olson | Sevier | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1900 | Sadie Holdaway | Uintah | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1900 | Sarah Jane Rogerson | San Juan | County Treasurer/ Clerk/Recorder | 4 terms |
1902 | Rebecca Eames | Cache | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1902 | Marie Worthen | Garfield | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1902 | Mary Monohan | Beaver | County Recorder | |
1902 | Kathinka Anderson | Emery | County Recorder | |
1902 | Emily C. Watson | Iron | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1902 | Isabelle Robison | Millard | County Recorder | |
1904 | Lavina Murdock | Wasatch | County Treasurer | Bio here; 3 terms |
1904 | Meltrude Hunsaker | Box Elder | County Recorder | |
1904 | Lydia Cowley | Sevier | County Recorder | Bio here |
1904 | Sadie Foss | Davis | County Recorder | |
1904 | Elizabeth Nielson | Beaver | County Recorder | Bio here; 3 terms |
1904 | Christina Madsen | Box Elder | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1904 | Esta Sorenson | Millard | County Recorder | |
1904 | Laura Stark | Piute | County Recorder | Bio here |
1904 | Dorothy Wilson | Rich | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1904 | Addie Longhurst | Uintah | County Recorder | Bio here |
1906 | Jennie Ashby | Millard | County Recorder | Bio here |
1906 | Minerva Johnson | Uintah | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1906 | Lucinda Redd | San Juan | County Surveyor | |
1906 | Lenore Butt | San Juan | Superintendent of Schools | |
1906 | Rachel C. Farley | Morgan | Superintendent of Schools | |
1906 | Sarah Merrill | Cache | County Recorder | Bio here |
1906 | Ida M. Wells | Grand | Superintendent of Schools | |
1906 | Emily Bertelson | Piute | Superintendent of Schools | Bio here |
1906 | Susa J. Searle | Piute | County Recorder | |
1906 | Mattie Delong | Garfield | County Recorder | |
1908 | Margaret Zane Witcher | Salt Lake | County Clerk and County Recorder | Bio here |
1908 | Mary A. Gunn | Iron | County Recorder | |
1908 | Linnie Telford | Cache | County Recorder | Bio here |
1908 | Isabella Dalton | Box Elder | County Recorder | |
1908 | Elsie Somerville | Grand | County Clerk | |
1908 | Hattie Epson | Piute | County Recorder | |
1908 | Pearl Brough | Rich | County Recorder | Bio here |
1908 | Viola Burr | Sevier | County Recorder | |
1908 | Ruth Bailey | San Juan | County Treasurer | |
1908 | Lillian Rowberry | Tooele | Superintendent of Schools | |
1908 | Leone Rogers | Davis | County Recorder | Bio here |
1908 | Clara Gould | Garfield | County Recorder | |
1910 | Hulda Miller | Davis | County Recorder | served part of 1909-1910 term |
1910 | Agnes Edwards | Beaver | County Recorder | |
1910 | Rose H. Neeley | Box Elder | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1910 | Lavina Murdock | Wasatch | County Treasurer | Bio here; 2 terms |
1910 | May Baker | Sevier | County Recorder | |
1912 | Mabel Hacking | Uintah | County Recorder | Bio here; 3 terms |
1912 | Kate Preston | Cache | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1912 | Josie Fitzgerald | Carbon | County Recorder | Bio here |
1912 | Ann Cooper | Garfield | County Recorder | 4 terms |
1912 | Blanche Lewis | Davis | County Recorder | Bio here |
1912 | Mary A. Gunn | Iron | County Recorder | |
1912 | Carrie A. Henry | Piute | County Recorder | |
1912 | Emma Christensen | San Juan | County Recorder | |
1912 | Matilda Dalton | Sevier | County Recorder | |
1912 | Ann Snow | Wayne | Superintendent of Schools | |
1914 | Electa Dorrity | Beaver | County Recorder | 3 terms |
1914 | Lulu Hood | Duchesne | County Treasurer | |
1914 | Olga Standing | Box Elder | County Recorder | |
1914 | Gwendolyn M. Benson | Iron | County Recorder | |
1914 | Caroline F. Roundy | Kane | Superintendent of Schools | |
1914 | Alice Davis | Millard | County Recorder | |
1914 | Athena Porter | Morgan | County Clerk | |
1914 | Addie Gottfredson | Piute | County Recorder | |
1914 | Augustine Pearce | Rich | County Recorder | |
1916 | Kate Littlefield | Morgan | County Clerk/ Recorder/Auditor | 3 terms |
1916 | Ella Johnson | Box Elder | County Recorder | |
1916 | Clara R. Grey | Sevier | County Recorder | |
1916 | Josie Barnson Sprague | Piute | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1916 | Francis Callahan | Wayne | County Treasurer | 2 terms |
1916 | Katherine Higginbotham | Weber | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1916 | Sophia Mallet | Tooele | County Recorder | |
1916 | Barbara Forrester | Carbon | County Recorder | Bio here |
1916 | Louisa Barber | Cache | County Recorder | Bio here |
1916 | Jennie Ashbey | Millard | County Recorder | |
1916 | Alma Kimball | Summit | County Recorder | |
1916 | Millie Witt | Wasatch | County Treasurer | Bio here; 2 terms |
1916 | Alice M. Todd | Duchesne | County Recorder | |
1916 | Kate Taylor | Iron | County Recorder | Bio here; 3 terms |
1916 | Sarah A. McKinnon | Rich | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1916 | Zilpha Wall Meeks | Uintah | County Recorder | Bio here |
1918 | Iris Jacobson | Davis | County Recorder | |
1918 | Isabelle Luke | Piute | County Treasurer | |
1918 | Melissa Lance | Duchesne | County Recorder | Bio here |
1918 | Alice Eliason | Box Elder | County Recorder | Bio here |
1918 | Mary Ann Thomas | Carbon | County Recorder | Bio here |
1918 | Maggie E. Foy | Garfield | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1918 | Addie L. Swapp | Kane | County Treasurer | |
1918 | Bertha Warner | Millard | County Recorder | Bio here; 2 terms |
1918 | Mary J. Bowman | Sevier | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1918 | Lucinda "Lou" Goldbranson | Sevier | County Treasurer | |
1918 | Kate Kimball | Summit | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1918 | Genevieve Richardson | Utah | County Recorder | |
1918 | Ellen Carter | Washington | County Recorder | 2 terms |
1918 | Zella Colvin | Wayne | County Clerk/ Recorder/Auditor | 2 terms |
1920 | Ida Parks | Juab | County Treasurer | |
1920 | Ruth Bailey | San Juan | County Treasurer | |
1920 | Isabelle de la Marr | Tooele | County Treasurer | |
1920 | Jenny Jepsen | Utah | County Treasurer | |
1920 | Celista C. Jensen | Box Elder | County Recorder | |
1920 | Laura R. Merrill | Cache | County Recorder | Bio here |
1920 | Jessie Samford | Carbon | County Recorder | |
1920 | Hulda Brown | Davis | County Recorder | |
1920 | Annie M. Allen | Emery | County Recorder | |
1920 | Florence Johnson | Piute | County Recorder | |
1920 | Minnie Cutler | Salt Lake | County Recorder | |
1920 | Blanche Eliason | Sanpete | County Recorder | |
1920 | Minnie Preece | Uintah | County Recorder | |
1920 | Leah Elkins | Utah | County Recorder | |
1920 | Glenna Felt | Weber | County Recorder | |
1920 | Elsie Norris | Rich | County Recorder | |
1920 | Mayme Dunchee | Beaver | County Recorder | |
1920 | Gladys Briggs | Wasatch | County Treasurer | Bio here |
1920 | Tyrza Hansen | Wayne | County Treasurer | |
1920 | Flaurie E. White | Morgan | County Clerk/ Recorder/Auditor |