Emma Guy Cromwell
Encyclopedia
Emma Guy Cromwell was a suffragist, women's rights
activist, and early female Democratic Party
politician from Kentucky
in the United States. Cromwell became the first woman to hold a statewide office in Kentucky when she was elected state librarian in 1896 by a vote of the Kentucky State Senate. In 1923, Cromwell was elected Secretary of State of Kentucky
in an elections against two other females. She went on to be elected Kentucky State Treasurer
in 1927, and because of her conservative handling of state money, which was heavily criticized at the time, Kentucky's state funds remained secure during the Great Depression
.
(or Allen County). She had one sister and two brothers.
Emma attended Howard Female College at Gallatin
in Sumner County, Tennessee
. Later she studied parliamentary procedures at the University of Michigan
.
Emma married Frankfort, Kentucky
attorney William F. Cromwell on May 30, 1897 in a church ceremony in Bowling Green, Kentucky
. William Cromwell was Chief Clerk of the prior State Legislative session. They had one son William Foree Cromwell. Her husband died in 1909.
for the position of State Librarian making her the first female to hold a position in a Kentucky State Office. She made a career in State government and held a variety of positions over the years. From 1916 to 1918 she was enrolling clerk for the Kentucky House of Representatives. In 1922 she was parliamentarian for the Kentucky House and Senate.
In 1918 Cromwell published Cromwell's Compendium of Parliamentary Law. In 1939, Cromwell published her autobiography, Woman in Politics.
In 1923, Cromwell was elected Kentucky Secretary of State in an elections against two other females. She held the office from January 1, 1924 until January 1, 1928. Cromwell discovered the records of previous administrations in the Capitol basement, and retrieved and categorized them.
Cromwell was the first woman to serve as acting governor
when the two other officials in the line of succession were absent from Kentucky while attending the Democratic National Convention
.
Cromwell went on to be elected Kentucky State Treasurer
in 1927, and because of her conservative handling of state money, which was heavily criticized at the time, Kentucky 's state funds remained secure during the Great Depression
.
Cromwell was appointed Kentucky State Park Director in 1932.
In 1937 she was named State Librarian and Director of Archives, and arranged for the return of the Kentucky state constitution from the University of Chicago
Archives.
. She is buried in the Frankfort Cemetery
, in Frankfort Kentucky.
"Emma's List", a new Political Action Committee
created in 1993 to raise funds for female's campaigning for a Kentucky State office, was named in honor of Emma Cromwell.
Women's rights
Women's rights are entitlements and freedoms claimed for women and girls of all ages in many societies.In some places these rights are institutionalized or supported by law, local custom, and behaviour, whereas in others they may be ignored or suppressed...
activist, and early female Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
politician from Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
in the United States. Cromwell became the first woman to hold a statewide office in Kentucky when she was elected state librarian in 1896 by a vote of the Kentucky State Senate. In 1923, Cromwell was elected Secretary of State of Kentucky
Secretary of State of Kentucky
The Secretary of State of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current Secretary of State is Democrat Elaine Walker, who was appointed by Governor Steve Beshear to fulfill the...
in an elections against two other females. She went on to be elected Kentucky State Treasurer
Kentucky State Treasurer
The Kentucky State Treasurer is elected every 4 years. The treasurer, who can serve two terms, acts as the state's chief elected fiscal officer. The salary of the state treasurer is $110,000 a year...
in 1927, and because of her conservative handling of state money, which was heavily criticized at the time, Kentucky's state funds remained secure during the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
.
Early life and education
Emma Guy, the daughter of Ashley and Alice (Quisenberry) Guy, was born on September 28, 1865, in Simpson County, KentuckySimpson County, Kentucky
Simpson County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2000, the population was 16,405. Its county seat is Franklin. The county is named for Captain John Simpson, a Kentucky militia officer who fought in Battle of Fallen Timbers in the Northwest Indian War, and was killed in the...
(or Allen County). She had one sister and two brothers.
Emma attended Howard Female College at Gallatin
Gallatin, Tennessee
Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...
in Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County, Tennessee
Sumner County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of 2000, the population was 130,449. Its county seat is Gallatin, but its largest town is Hendersonville...
. Later she studied parliamentary procedures at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Emma married Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort, Kentucky
Frankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
attorney William F. Cromwell on May 30, 1897 in a church ceremony in Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green, Kentucky
Bowling Green is the third-most populous city in the state of Kentucky after Louisville and Lexington, with a population of 58,067 as of the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Warren County and the principal city of the Bowling Green, Kentucky Metropolitan Statistical Area with an estimated 2009...
. William Cromwell was Chief Clerk of the prior State Legislative session. They had one son William Foree Cromwell. Her husband died in 1909.
Political career
In 1896, Guy was appointed by the Kentucky General AssemblyKentucky General Assembly
The Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Kentucky.The General Assembly meets annually in the state capitol building in Frankfort, Kentucky, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January...
for the position of State Librarian making her the first female to hold a position in a Kentucky State Office. She made a career in State government and held a variety of positions over the years. From 1916 to 1918 she was enrolling clerk for the Kentucky House of Representatives. In 1922 she was parliamentarian for the Kentucky House and Senate.
In 1918 Cromwell published Cromwell's Compendium of Parliamentary Law. In 1939, Cromwell published her autobiography, Woman in Politics.
In 1923, Cromwell was elected Kentucky Secretary of State in an elections against two other females. She held the office from January 1, 1924 until January 1, 1928. Cromwell discovered the records of previous administrations in the Capitol basement, and retrieved and categorized them.
Cromwell was the first woman to serve as acting governor
Acting governor
An acting governor is a constitutional position created in some U.S. states when the governor dies in office or resigns. In some states, the governor may also be declared to be incapacitated and unable to function for various reasons, including illness and absence from the state for more than a...
when the two other officials in the line of succession were absent from Kentucky while attending the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
.
Cromwell went on to be elected Kentucky State Treasurer
Kentucky State Treasurer
The Kentucky State Treasurer is elected every 4 years. The treasurer, who can serve two terms, acts as the state's chief elected fiscal officer. The salary of the state treasurer is $110,000 a year...
in 1927, and because of her conservative handling of state money, which was heavily criticized at the time, Kentucky 's state funds remained secure during the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United States
The Great Depression began with the Wall Street Crash of October, 1929 and rapidly spread worldwide. The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes, and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement...
.
Cromwell was appointed Kentucky State Park Director in 1932.
In 1937 she was named State Librarian and Director of Archives, and arranged for the return of the Kentucky state constitution from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
Archives.
Later life and death
Cromwell continued to be active in Democratic Party politics until she fell and broke a hip in 1949. Cromwell died on July 19, 1952 of medical complications following a strokeStroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. She is buried in the Frankfort Cemetery
Frankfort Cemetery
The Frankfort Cemetery is located on East Main Street in Frankfort, Kentucky. The cemetery is the burial site of Daniel Boone and contains the graves of other famous Americans including seventeen Kentucky governors.-History:...
, in Frankfort Kentucky.
Legacy
Cromwell was one of seventeen women given a place of honor in the Kentucky State Capital when their portraits were placed in a permanent display called "Kentucky Women Remembered"."Emma's List", a new Political Action Committee
Political action committee
In the United States, a political action committee, or PAC, is the name commonly given to a private group, regardless of size, organized to elect political candidates or to advance the outcome of a political issue or legislation. Legally, what constitutes a "PAC" for purposes of regulation is a...
created in 1993 to raise funds for female's campaigning for a Kentucky State office, was named in honor of Emma Cromwell.