Frances Jones Mills: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Yobot (talk | contribs)
Bots
4,732,723 edits
m WP:CHECKWIKI error fixes + genfixes using AWB (7115)
 
(28 intermediate revisions by 21 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American politician}}
{{unreferenced|date=April 2010}}
'''Frances Jones Mills''' (July 4, 1920 - May 24, 1996) was a state official in [[Kentucky]] for a large portion of the 1970s and 1980s.


{{Infobox person
Mills was born in [[Gray, Kentucky]]. Mills was elected to the [[Kentucky House of Representatives]] from [[Knox County, Kentucky]] in 1961 as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]]{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}, serving one term from a heavily Republican district{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. She then worked as an aide to the Speaker of the House{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. Mills was an unsuccessful candidate for the [[U. S. House of Representatives]] in 1964{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}, winning the Democratic nomination but losing the general election despite the nationwide Democratic landslide as [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] retained the presidency by a huge margin over [[Barry Goldwater]].
⚫
| name = Frances Jones Mills
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_date = July 4, 1920
| birth_place = Gray, Kentucky
| death_date = May 24, 1996 (aged 75)
| death_place = Louisville, Kentucky
| occupation = teacher, career politician
| spouse = Marvin Wayne Bowling, Gene Mills
| parents = Bertie (Steely) and William H. Jones
| children = }}


'''Frances Jones Mills''' (July 4, 1920 – May 24, 1996) was an American politician who was a state official in [[Kentucky]] for a large portion of the 1970s and 1980s. She was the first woman and first Democrat in the 20th century to win the office of State Representative for the [[Knox County, Kentucky]] district. She was also the first woman to serve three (non-successive) terms as Kentucky State Treasurer, serving a total of 12 years.<ref name=sos>{{cite web | title = Secretary of State: Frances Jones Mills | work = Kentucky Secretary of State | publisher = Kentucky.gov | url = http://apps.sos.ky.gov/secdesk/sosinfo/default.aspx?id=70 | accessdate = 4 January 2012}}</ref>
⚫
In 1971 Mills was elected Clerk of the [[Kentucky Court of Appeals]]{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}, which at the time was an elective office. Mills later sought and won election to the office of state [[Treasurer]] in 1975, 1983, and 1991{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. She was also elected Secretary of State in 1979{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. Mills unsuccessfully sought the office of [[Secretary of State of Kentucky]] in 1987, losing to [[Bremer Ehrler]]{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}, and 1995, losing to [[John Y. Brown III]]{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.


==Background==
⚫
The Kentucky state Constitution at the time prohibited state office holders from seeking two consecutive terms{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. For 100 years (1891–1992) the [[Kentucky Constitution]] did not allow any holder of statewide office to succeed themselves for a second consecutive term{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. As a result, a handful of Kentucky politicians became known as ''musical chairs'' officeholders because they would run for one statewide office and then another repeatedly. [[Thelma Stovall]], [[Drexell R. Davis]] and Mills were the best known musical chairs officeholders in Kentucky{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. The three often traded offices in given election years through the 1970s and 1980s{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.
Mills was born in Gray, a small town in [[Knox County, Kentucky]] to Dr. William H. Jones and Bertie (Steely) Jones. She graduated from [[University of the Cumberlands|Cumberland College]] in [[Williamsburg, Kentucky]] and attended [[Eastern Kentucky University|Eastern Kentucky State Teacher's College]]. She taught school in Gray for eight years after which she married Marvin Wayne Bowling, whom she later divorced in the early 1940s. She then married Gene Mills in 1949.<ref name=sos />


==Public office==
⚫
In 1984, Mills and six of her employees in the secretary of state's office were indicted for violating state ethics laws in regards to her election as State Treasurer{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. Mills was acquitted after a two year long case{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}. She was charged with violating ethics laws during her last term as Treasurer and was fined $11,000{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}.
Mills was elected to the [[Kentucky House of Representatives]] from [[Knox County, Kentucky]] in 1961 as a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]], serving one term from a heavily [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] district. She then worked as an aide to the Speaker of the House.

Mills was an unsuccessful candidate for the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] in 1964, winning the Democratic nomination but losing the general election to Republican [[Tim Lee Carter]] despite the nationwide Democratic landslide as [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] retained the presidency by a huge margin over [[Barry Goldwater]].

⚫
From 1965 to 1972 she worked for the Kentucky Civil Defense, but in 1971 Mills was nominated for Clerk of the [[Kentucky Court of Appeals]]. She won that election earning her first statewide office. Mills later sought and won election to the office of State [[Treasurer]] in 1975, 1983, and 1991. She was also elected Secretary of State in 1979. Mills unsuccessfully sought the office of [[Secretary of State of Kentucky]] in 1987, losing to [[Bremer Ehrler]], and 1995, losing to [[John Y. Brown III]].

⚫
For 100 years (1891–1992) the [[Kentucky Constitution]] did not allow any holder of statewide office to succeed themselves for a second consecutive term. As a result, a handful of Kentucky politicians became known as ''musical chairs'' officeholders because they would run for one statewide office and then another repeatedly. [[Thelma Stovall]], [[Drexell R. Davis]] and Mills were the best known musical chairs officeholders in Kentucky. The three often traded offices in given election years through the 1970s and 1980s.

⚫
In 1984, Mills and six of her employees in the secretary of state's office were indicted for violating state ethics laws in regards to her election as State Treasurer. Mills was acquitted after a two-year-long case. In the early 1990s she was charged with violating ethics laws and was fined $11,000. She filed an appeal and the case was still pending at the time of her death.

==Death==
On May 24, 1996, Mills died of cancer and is buried in the Highland Cemetery in [[Williamsburg, Kentucky]].

==See also==
* [[John Y. Brown, Jr.]]
* [[Martha Layne Collins]]
* [[Drexell R. Davis]]
* [[Thelma Stovall]]

==References==
{{reflist}}


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*{{cite book |title=200 Years of the Kentucky Treasury |url=http://treasury.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/33B8669A-F05C-4C5D-B78B-37AC53F39C5C/0/Ky_Treasury_BicentennialHistory17921992.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=Kentucky Treasury Department |year=1992 |accessdate=2009-12-11}}
*{{cite book |title=200 Years of the Kentucky Treasury |url=http://treasury.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/33B8669A-F05C-4C5D-B78B-37AC53F39C5C/0/Ky_Treasury_BicentennialHistory17921992.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=Kentucky Treasury Department |year=1992 |accessdate=11 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013080413/http://www.treasury.ky.gov/NR/rdonlyres/33B8669A-F05C-4C5D-B78B-37AC53F39C5C/0/Ky_Treasury_BicentennialHistory17921992.pdf |archivedate=13 October 2010 }}
*{{cite news | work = Lexington Herald-Leader | date = 4 October 1994}}
* {{cite news | work = Louisville Courier-Journal | date = 14 October 1994}}


==External links==
==External links==
* {{cite web | title = Frances Jones Mill | work = Candidate| publisher = Our Campaigns | url = http://www.ourcampaigns.com/CandidateDetail.html?CandidateID=59079 | accessdate = 4 January 2012}}
*[http://apps.sos.ky.gov/secdesk/sosinfo/default.aspx?id=74 Frances Jones Mills bio]


{{start box}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|rows=3|before=[[Drexell R. Davis]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|years=1975}}
{{s-aft|rows=2|after=Drexell R. Davis}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Secretary of State of Kentucky]]|years=1979}}
|-
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|years=1983}}
{{s-aft|after=Robert Mead}}
{{s-bef|before=Robert Mead}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee for [[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|years=1991}}
{{s-aft|after=John Kennedy Hamilton}}
{{s-legal}}
{{s-legal}}
{{succession box|title=Clerk of the [[Kentucky Court of Appeals]]|before=[[Dick Vermillion]]|after=[[Martha Layne Collins]]|years=1972&ndash;1976}}
{{succession box|title=Clerk of the [[Kentucky Court of Appeals]]|before=Dick Vermillion|after=[[Martha Layne Collins]]|years=1972–1976}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box|title=[[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|before=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|after=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|years=1976&ndash;1980}}
{{succession box|title=[[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|before=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|after=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|years=1976–1980}}
{{succession box|title=[[Kentucky Secretary of State]]|before=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|after=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|years=1980&ndash;1984}}
{{succession box|title=[[Kentucky Secretary of State]]|before=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|after=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|years=1980–1984}}
{{succession box|title=[[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|before=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|after=[[Robert Mead]]|years=1984&ndash;1988}}
{{succession box|title=[[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|before=[[Drexell R. Davis]]|after=[[Robert Mead]]|years=1984–1988}}
{{succession box|title=[[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|before=[[Robert Mead]]|after=[[John Kennedy Hamilton]]|years=1992&ndash;1996}}
{{succession box|title=[[Kentucky State Treasurer]]|before=[[Robert Mead]]|after=[[John Kennedy Hamilton]]|years=1992–1996}}
{{end box}}
{{s-end}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
⚫
| NAME =Mills, Frances Jones
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Frances Jones}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Frances Jones}}
[[Category:State treasurers of Kentucky]]
[[Category:State treasurers of Kentucky]]
Line 40: Line 77:
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:1996 deaths]]
[[Category:Secretaries of State of Kentucky]]
[[Category:Secretaries of State of Kentucky]]
[[Category:Women in Kentucky politics]]
[[Category:Democratic Party members of the Kentucky House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Women state legislators in Kentucky]]
[[Category:Women state legislators in Kentucky]]
[[Category:University of the Cumberlands alumni]]
[[Category:Eastern Kentucky University alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American women politicians]]

Latest revision as of 05:03, 29 December 2022

Frances Jones Mills
BornJuly 4, 1920
Gray, Kentucky
DiedMay 24, 1996 (aged 75)
Louisville, Kentucky
Occupation(s)teacher, career politician
Spouse(s)Marvin Wayne Bowling, Gene Mills
Parent(s)Bertie (Steely) and William H. Jones

Frances Jones Mills (July 4, 1920 – May 24, 1996) was an American politician who was a state official in Kentucky for a large portion of the 1970s and 1980s. She was the first woman and first Democrat in the 20th century to win the office of State Representative for the Knox County, Kentucky district. She was also the first woman to serve three (non-successive) terms as Kentucky State Treasurer, serving a total of 12 years.[1]

Background[edit]

Mills was born in Gray, a small town in Knox County, Kentucky to Dr. William H. Jones and Bertie (Steely) Jones. She graduated from Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky and attended Eastern Kentucky State Teacher's College. She taught school in Gray for eight years after which she married Marvin Wayne Bowling, whom she later divorced in the early 1940s. She then married Gene Mills in 1949.[1]

Public office[edit]

Mills was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives from Knox County, Kentucky in 1961 as a Democrat, serving one term from a heavily Republican district. She then worked as an aide to the Speaker of the House.

Mills was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964, winning the Democratic nomination but losing the general election to Republican Tim Lee Carter despite the nationwide Democratic landslide as Lyndon B. Johnson retained the presidency by a huge margin over Barry Goldwater.

From 1965 to 1972 she worked for the Kentucky Civil Defense, but in 1971 Mills was nominated for Clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. She won that election earning her first statewide office. Mills later sought and won election to the office of State Treasurer in 1975, 1983, and 1991. She was also elected Secretary of State in 1979. Mills unsuccessfully sought the office of Secretary of State of Kentucky in 1987, losing to Bremer Ehrler, and 1995, losing to John Y. Brown III.

For 100 years (1891–1992) the Kentucky Constitution did not allow any holder of statewide office to succeed themselves for a second consecutive term. As a result, a handful of Kentucky politicians became known as musical chairs officeholders because they would run for one statewide office and then another repeatedly. Thelma Stovall, Drexell R. Davis and Mills were the best known musical chairs officeholders in Kentucky. The three often traded offices in given election years through the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1984, Mills and six of her employees in the secretary of state's office were indicted for violating state ethics laws in regards to her election as State Treasurer. Mills was acquitted after a two-year-long case. In the early 1990s she was charged with violating ethics laws and was fined $11,000. She filed an appeal and the case was still pending at the time of her death.

Death[edit]

On May 24, 1996, Mills died of cancer and is buried in the Highland Cemetery in Williamsburg, Kentucky.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Secretary of State: Frances Jones Mills". Kentucky Secretary of State. Kentucky.gov. Retrieved 4 January 2012.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

Party political offices
Preceded by Democratic nominee for Kentucky State Treasurer
1975 		Succeeded by
Drexell R. Davis
Democratic nominee for Secretary of State of Kentucky
1979
Democratic nominee for Kentucky State Treasurer
1983 		Succeeded by
Robert Mead
Preceded by
Robert Mead
 Democratic nominee for Kentucky State Treasurer
1991 		Succeeded by
John Kennedy Hamilton
Legal offices
Preceded by
Dick Vermillion
 Clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals
1972–1976 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Kentucky State Treasurer
1976–1980 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Kentucky Secretary of State
1980–1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Kentucky State Treasurer
1984–1988 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Kentucky State Treasurer
1992–1996 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Frances_Jones_Mills&oldid=1130225373"