Celebrating the centenary of women legislators’ membership in the Arkansas General Assembly, Stateswomen shines a light on the women who have served as some of the state’s central decision makers. Drawing on documentary research and oral histories, Lindsley Armstrong Smith and Stephen A. Smith present lively, concise biographies for the nearly 150 women legislators who have served in the general assembly to date, chronicling their personal histories, volunteer work and social activism, and legislative victories. In a probing introduction, the authors examine the neglected role of women in Arkansas political history alongside the “long history of resistance to full citizenship rights for women in Arkansas”—demonstrating that political representation is essential for improving opportunities in the wider society.
The first comprehensive study dedicated to these trailblazing Arkansas legislators, Stateswomen will surely inspire history buffs, community-minded citizens, and political hopefuls alike.
This project was supported by the University of Arkansas Diane D. Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society.
Lindsley Armstrong Smith earned a JD from the University of Arkansas School of Law and served as a research assistant professor of communication at the university. From 2005 to 2010, she was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.
Stephen A. Smith is professor emeritus of communication at the University of Arkansas. He was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1971 to 1974, chief of staff to the Arkansas attorney general, and executive assistant to Governor Bill Clinton. He is the author or editor of nine books on topics ranging from communication technologies to the First Amendment.
“In Stateswomen, Lindsley Armstrong Smith and Stephen A. Smith preserve a critical part of Arkansas political history that time would have surely forgotten had it not been for their efforts. Th is book is a gift to the people of this state—past, present, and future.”
—Angie Maxwell, author of The Long Southern Strategy: How Chasing White Voters in The South Changed American Politics
“Thoroughly researched and purposefully written, Stateswomen adds considerably to our knowledge of the women who have represented their communities in the General Assembly. A remarkable history that will be indispensable for those who want to know more about the 146 women who have served in the Arkansas legislature over the past century.”
—Tom Dillard, author of Statesmen, Scoundrels, and Eccentrics: A Gallery of Amazing Arkansans
“Stateswomen, a tribute to the hundredth anniversary of women’s entry into the Arkansas legislature, stands in a class of its own. A welcome addition to the literature on Arkansas women in public life.”
—Frances Mitchell Ross, author of United States District Courts and Judges of Arkansas, 1836–1960
November 15, 2022 – Clinton Presidential Center
December 6, 2022 – Pryor Center
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Obstacles and Opportunities: Securing Space in the Public Sphere
The Stateswomen
Frances Hunt
Nellie B. Mack
Erle Chambers
Elizabeth Thompson
Florence McRaven
Mary B. Wigstrand
Maude Brown
Ethel Cunningham
Ella B. Hurst
Alene Word
Helen Buchanan
Lera Rowlette
Mattie Hackett
Willie Oates
Bernice Kizer
Doris McCastlain
Dove Mulkey
Gladys Martin Oglesby
Dorathy Allen
Vada Sheid
Lucile Autry
Shirley Meacham
Carolyn Pollan
Gloria Cabe
Sarah Jane Bost
Irma Hunter Brown
Judy Petty
Norma Thompson
Peggy Long Hartness
Charlie Cole Chaffin
Nancy Balton
Myra Jones
Wanda Northcutt
Charlotte Schexnayder
Gladys Watson
Christene Brownlee
Jacqueline Roberts
Judy Smith
Josetta Wilkins
Dee Bennett
Ann Bush
Barbara Horn
Marian Owens Ingram
Evelyn Ammons
Lisa Ferrell
Peggy Jeffries
Becky Lynn
Sue Madison
Bobbie L. Hendrix
Pat Bond
Rita Hale
Dianne Hudson
Sandra Rodgers
Martha Shoffner
Wilma Walker
Sarah Agee
Cecile Bledsoe
Jo Carson
Joyce Dees
Mary Beth Green
Brenda Gullett
Jan Judy
Barbara King
Mary Anne Salmon
Shirley Borhauer
Joyce Elliott
Sharon Trusty
Ruth Whitaker
Judy Pridgen
Linda Chesterfield
Marilyn Edwards
Janet Johnson
Betty Pickett
Sandra Prater
Susan Schulte
Shirley Walters
Pam Adcock
Nancy Duffy Blount
Dawn Creekmore
Stephanie Flowers
Wilhelmina Lewellen
Beverly Pyle
Lindsley Smith
Sharon Dobbins
Toni Bradford
Joan Cash
Donna Hutchinson
Tracy Pennartz
Johnnie Roebuck
Charolette Wagner
Kathy Webb
Ann Clemmer
Jody Dickinson
Jane English
Debra Hobbs
Karen Hopper
Andrea Lea
Stephanie Malone
Barbara Nix
Tiffany Rogers
Mary Lou Slinkard
Linda Tyler
Lori Benedict
Linda Collins-Smith
Mary P. “Prissy” Hickerson
Missy Irvin
Sheilla E. Lampkin
Betty Overbey
Leslee Milam Post
Mary Broadaway
Charlotte Vining Douglas
Deborah Ferguson
Charlene Fite
Fonda Hawthorne
Patti Julian
Sue Scott
Camille Bennett
Mary Bentley
Karilyn Brown
Jana Della Rosa
Vivian Flowers
Michelle Gray
Robin Lundstrum
Julie Mayberry
Rebecca Petty
Laurie Rushing
Nelda Speaks
DeAnn Vaught
LeAnne Burch
Sonia Eubanks Barker
Sarah Capp
Frances Cavenaugh
Carol Dalby
Breanne Davis
Nicole Clowney
Cindy Crawford
Denise Garner
Megan Godfrey
Tippi McCullough
Gayla H. McKenzie
Jamie Scott
Denise Jones Ennett
Joy Springer
Jill Bryant
Delia J. Haak
Ashley Hudson
