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On April 4, 1887, the first woman mayor was elected in the United States as Susanna M. Salter won the election in Argonia, Kansas
April 4, 2023
An event every year that begins at 12:00 am on day 4 of April, repeating indefinitely
On April 4, 1887, the first woman mayor was elected in the United States as Susanna M. Salter won the election in Argonia, Kansas.
Salter was passionate about the temperance movement and when local men nominated her for mayoral candidacy as a joke, the 27-year-old mother of four staggered them by winning 2/3 of the vote.
Scrutinized nationally as the first woman mayor, she proved herself a capable leader. In fact, her successful term in office inspired several other Kansas women to run (and win!) local offices the following year.
Did you know? The same year that Salter was elected – 1887 – Kansas gave women the right to vote in local elections. Full suffrage would not come about for Kansas women until 1912, eight years before the passage of the 19th Amendment.
Susanna Madora Salter, 1887
-Written by Anna Zemaitaitis, Communications and Design Officer
