Nellie Tayloe Ross

Nellie Tayloe Ross, a Democrat, became the first woman to win a governorship when she won a special election in Wyoming to fill the term of her late husband. 

Her husband, William B. Ross, had been elected in 1922. When he died, Democrats nominated Ross to take his place. Her win made her the nation’s first female governor.

As governor, she pushed tax relief for farmers. She also proposed legislation to require counties, schools boards and the state council to prepare budgets and publish them before levying any taxes, according to the National Governors Association. 

She was defeated for reelection in 1926. After serving as governor, Ross went on to serve as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee. 

Since Ross’s history-making term as governor, 44 women have served or are serving as governor, including 26 Democrats and 18 Republicans, according to Rutgers’s Center for American Women and Politics. 

Ross later set another historic first, becoming the first woman appointed director of the U.S. Mint in 1933. She was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and served for five secretaries of Treasury, for a total of 20 years, the longest-ever director of the Mint. 

She died in 1977 in Washington, D.C., aged 101. 

— Rebecca Klar

photo: Library of Congress/Bain News Service