GUTHRIE, Okla. (KOKH) — The Oklahoma Historical Society (OHS) is celebrating the life of Catherine Ann “Kate” Barnard, the first woman elected to state office in Oklahoma.
OHS is dedicating a historical marker in Barnard’s memory at a ceremony celebrating her life and work. Elected in 1907, Barnard was the first woman elected to a state office in Oklahoma and the 11th woman to be elected to a statewide public office in the United States.
The ceremony is taking place at Guthrie City Hall at 11 a.m. on Oct. 1. The ceremony features OHS executive director Trait Thompson, Connie Cronley, author of the book “A Life on Fire: Oklahoma’s Kate Barnard,” and Morrison Public Schools high schooler Lexi Kruse. OHS said Kruse will perform “She Would Not Be Silent: Kate Barnard and the Cost of Reform,” Kruse’s first-place performance at National History Day in Maryland.
“Catherine Ann ‘Kate’ Barnard (1875–1930) was the only woman invited to address the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention in Guthrie,” OHS said. “‘Kate’s planks,’ as they were called, prohibited child labor, enacted a compulsory education law, and created the office of Commissioner of Charities and Corrections, to which she was elected in November 1907. She was the first woman in Oklahoma elected to state office and was responsible for inspecting more than 300 hospitals, orphanages, and correctional institutions.”
