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On January 5, 1925, Nellie Tayloe Ross was sworn in as Governor of Wyoming, becoming the first female governor in the U.S. To this day, she is still the only female Governor of Wyoming.

Nellie trained as a teacher and taught kindergarten before marrying her husband, William Ross. William became leader of the democratic party in Wyoming but lost the gubernatorial* race to Republican candidates several times before being elected in 1922. But in 1924, he died from complications in surgery. Although Nellie didn’t campaign to take his place, a special election was held, which she won easily.

While governor, Nellie called for tax cuts, government assistance to poor farmers, and laws protecting children, women workers, and miners. She urged Wyoming to ratify a federal amendment making child labor illegal. She also pushed for stronger prohibition laws, which made buying alcohol illegal.

Although she ran for office again in 1926, she lost the tight race. She believed she lost because she didn’t campaign for herself aggressively and because her stand on prohibition was unpopular. She went on to become vice chairperson of the Democratic National Committee, director of the democratic women’s division, and the first woman director of the U.S. Mint, which produces U.S. money.

After a full life, Nellie died on December 19, 1977—she was 101 years old!

* gubernatorial – the race for the position of state governor

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