Susanna M. Salter | |
|---|---|
 Salter in 1887 | |
| Mayor ofArgonia, Kansas | |
| In office April 4, 1887 – April 8, 1888 | |
| Preceded by | William H. Watson |
| Succeeded by | J. S. Baughman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Susanna Madora Kinsey March 2, 1860 |
| Died | March 17, 1961(1961-03-17) (aged 101) |
| Resting place | Argonia Cemetery |
| Political party | Prohibition |
| Spouses | |
| Relations | Melville J. Salter (father-in-law),Mary Elizabeth Clark (great niece) |
| Children | 9 |
| Alma mater | Kansas State Agricultural College |
Susanna Madora Salter (née Kinsey; March 2, 1860 – March 17, 1961) was an American politician and activist. From 1887 to 1888, she wasmayor ofArgonia, Kansas, becoming the first woman to serve in that role in theUnited States and one of the earliest in any U.S. political office.[1][a]
Susanna Madora Kinsey was born March 2, 1860, near the unincorporated community ofLamira inSmith Township, Belmont County, Ohio.[3][4] She was the daughter of Oliver Kinsey and Terissa Ann White Kinsey, the descendants ofQuaker colonists fromEngland.[3]
At the age of 12, she moved toKansas with her parents, settling on an 80-acre (32-hectare) farm nearSilver Lake. In 1878, she entered Kansas State Agricultural College (present-dayKansas State University) inManhattan.[4] She was permitted to skip her freshman year, having taken college-level courses in high school, but was forced to drop out six weeks short of graduation due to illness.[3][4]
While a student, she met Lewis Allison Salter, an aspiring attorney and the son of formerKansas Lieutenant GovernorMelville J. Salter.[4] They married soon thereafter and moved toArgonia, where she was active in the localWoman's Christian Temperance Union andProhibition Party organizations, and became acquainted with nationally known temperance activistCarrie Nation.[3]
In 1883, she gave birth to the first baby born in Argonia, Francis Argonia Salter. Lewis and Susanna Salter had a total of nine children, one of whom was born during her tenure as mayor and died in infancy. Following the city's incorporation in 1885, her father and husband were elected as the city's first mayor and city clerk, respectively.[3][4]
Salter was elected mayor of Argonia on April 4, 1887.[4] Her election was a surprise because her name had been placed on a slate of candidates as a stunt by a group of men hoping to secure a loss that would humiliate women and discourage them from participation in politics.[5][3][4][6] Because candidates did not have to be made public before election day,[3] Salter herself did not know she was on the ballot before the polls opened.[6] When, on election day itself, she agreed to accept office if elected, theWomen's Christian Temperance Union abandoned its own preferred candidate and voted for Salter en masse. Additionally, the localRepublican Party Chairman sent a delegation to her home[7] and confirmed that she would serve and the Republicans agreed to vote for her, helping to secure her election by a two-thirds majority.[3][6]
Salter did have an advantageous position prior to holding the office of mayor. Her father was the first ever mayor of the town, and her father-in-law served as lieutenant governor of Kansas.[8] Although her term was uneventful,[3] her election generated national interest from the press,[4] sparking a debate regarding the feasibility of other towns following Argonia's lead, which ranged from objections to "petticoat rule" to a "wait-and-see" attitude.[3]
One of the first city council meetings over which the newly elected Mayor Salter presided was attended by a correspondent of theNew York Sun. He wrote his story, describing the mayor's dress and hat, and pointing out that she presided with great decorum. He noted that several times she checked irrelevant discussion, demonstrating that she was a good parliamentarian. Other publicity extended to newspapers as far away as Sweden and South Africa.[3] As compensation for her year's service, she was paid one dollar (equivalent to $35 in 2024). After a year in office, she declined to seek reelection.[3]
Following her term as mayor, Salter and her family continued to live in Argonia, until 1893 when her husband acquired land on theCherokee Strip inAlva, Oklahoma (thenOklahoma Territory).[4] Ten years later, they moved to Augusta inWoods County, Oklahoma Territory, where her husband practiced law and established theHeadlight newspaper.[3]
They eventually joined the town's settlers in moving toCarmen, Oklahoma. Following her husband's death in 1916, she moved toNorman, Oklahoma,[4] accompanying her younger children during their studies at theUniversity of Oklahoma.[3] She lived in Norman for the remainder of her life and maintained an interest in religious and political matters, but never again sought elected office.[citation needed]
Salter died on March 17, 1961, inNorman, Oklahoma, two weeks after her 101st birthday, and was buried inArgonia, alongside her husband.[4]
In 1933, a commemorative bronze plaque was placed in Argonia's public square honoring Salter's service as the first woman mayor in the United States.[3]
Thehouse she lived in during her tenure as mayor was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in September 1971.[9]
She is the subject of the children's bookA Vote for Susanna: The First Woman Mayor (2021).[10]
