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{{short description|American politician}}
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{{Infobox Officeholder

| name = Emma Guy Cromwell
⚫
{{Infobox officeholder
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| image = EmmaGuyCromwell-KYsecyofState.jpg
| image_size = 180px
| name = Emma Guy Cromwell
⚫
| image = EmmaGuyCromwell-KYsecyofState.jpg
⚫
| office1 = 58th [[Secretary of State of Kentucky]]
| governor1 = [[William J. Fields]]
| image_size = 180px
⚫
| office1 = 62nd [[Secretary of State of Kentucky]]
⚫
| term_start1 = January 1, 1924
| term_end1 = January 1, 1928
| governor1 = [[William J. Fields]]
⚫
| term_start1 = January 1, 1924
⚫
| predecessor1 = Fred A.Vaughn
| successor1 = Ella Lewis
| term_end1 = January 1, 1928
⚫
| predecessor1 = Fred A.Vaughn
⚫
| office2 = 21st [[Kentucky State Treasurer|Treasurer of Kentucky]]
| governor2 = [[Flem D. Sampson]]
| successor1 = [[Ella Lewis]]
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| office2 = 21st [[Kentucky State Treasurer|Treasurer of Kentucky]]
| term_start2 = January 1, 1928
| term_end2 = January 1, 1932
| governor2 = [[Flem D. Sampson]]
| predecessor2 = Edward Blan Dishman
| term_start2 = January 1, 1928
| successor2 = Elam Huddleston
| term_end2 = January 1, 1932
| birth_date = September 28, 1865
| predecessor2 = Edward Blan Dishman
| successor2 = Elam Huddleston
⚫
| birth_place = [[Simpson County, Kentucky]]
| death_date = July 19, 1952
| birth_date = September 28, 1865
| death_place = [[Frankfort, Kentucky]]
| birth_place = [[Simpson County, Kentucky]]
⚫
| death_date = July 19, 1952 (aged 86)
|alma_mater =[[University of Michigan]]
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| death_place = [[Frankfort, Kentucky]]
⚫
| occupation = state librarian and director of archives, state bond commissioner, parks director, state treasurer
| spouse = William F. Cromwell
| alma_mater = [[University of Michigan]]
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| occupation = state librarian and director of archives, state bond commissioner, parks director, state treasurer
⚫
| parents = Benjamin Ashley (or Ashley Duncan) Guy and Alice (Quisenberry) Guy
| children = William Foree
| spouse = William F. Cromwell
⚫
| parents = Benjamin Ashley (or Ashley Duncan) Guy and Alice (Quisenberry) Guy
| children = William Foree
}}
}}
'''Emma Guy Cromwell''' (September 28, 1865 &ndash; July 19, 1952) was a [[suffragist]], [[women's rights]] activist, and early female [[Democratic Party (United States)|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.<ref name="The Kentucky Encyclopedia">{{Cite book|last=Crowe-Carracco|first=Carol|title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia |editor=John E. Kleber|publisher=The University Press of Kentucky|location=Lexington, Kentucky|year=1992|pages=243|isbn=0-8131-1772-0|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=8eFSK4o--M0C&pg=PA323&lpg=PA323&dq=Mary+Elliott+Flanery&source=bl&ots=2NhLHUs-TZ&sig=jL8qeQM2p8esWxFOzPwY-LStE8M&hl=en&ei=tfmYS-C-OI-CswPty8DCAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=12&ved=0CDMQ6AEwCw#v=onepage&q=Emma%20Guy%20Cromwell&f=false|accessdate=11 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="Step Higher!">{{Cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D6kLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xlQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=1643,414213&dq=mary+elliott+flanery&hl=en|title=Step Higher! Woman Climbs to Office of Secretary of State |date=December 11, 1923|work=The Evening Independent |publisher=The Evening Independent |accessdate=11 March 2010|location=St. Petersburg, Florida}}</ref><ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State">{{Cite web|url=http://apps.sos.ky.gov/secdesk/sosinfo/default.aspx?id=62|title=Secretary of State: Emma Guy Cromwell|work=Kentucky Secretary of State|publisher=Commonwealth of Kentucky|accessdate=12 March 2010|location=Frankfort, Kentucky}}</ref> 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 in the United States|Great Depression]].<ref name="Women in Kentucky">{{Cite web|url=http://www.womeninkentucky.com/site/public_service/e_cromwell.html|title=Public Service: Emma Guy Cromwell|date=June 8, 2004|work=Women in Kentucky|publisher=The Kentucky Commission on Women|accessdate=29 March 2010|location=Frankfort, Kentucky}}</ref>
'''Emma Guy Cromwell''' (September 28, 1865 &ndash; July 19, 1952) was a [[suffragist]], [[women's rights]] activist, and early female [[Democratic Party (United States)|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.<ref name="The Kentucky Encyclopedia">{{Cite book|last=Crowe-Carracco|first=Carol|title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia |editor=John E. Kleber|publisher=The University Press of Kentucky|location=Lexington, Kentucky|year=1992|pages=243|isbn=0-8131-1772-0|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8eFSK4o--M0C&q=Mary+Elliott+Flanery&pg=PA323|accessdate=11 March 2010}}</ref><ref name="Step Higher!">{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D6kLAAAAIBAJ&pg=1643,414213&dq=mary+elliott+flanery&hl=en|title=Step Higher! Woman Climbs to Office of Secretary of State |date=December 11, 1923|work=The Evening Independent |publisher=The Evening Independent |accessdate=11 March 2010|location=St. Petersburg, Florida}}</ref><ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State">{{Cite web|url=http://apps.sos.ky.gov/secdesk/sosinfo/default.aspx?id=58|title=Secretary of State: Emma Guy Cromwell|work=Kentucky Secretary of State|publisher=Commonwealth of Kentucky|accessdate=27 March 2019|location=Frankfort, Kentucky}}</ref> Later she won elections for the position of Secretary of State and Kentucky State Treasurer, and was appointed state park director, state bond commissioner, and State Librarian and Director of Archives.


==Early life and education==
==Early life and education==
Emma Guy, the daughter of Ashley and Alice (Quisenberry) Guy, was born on September 28, 1865, in [[Simpson County, Kentucky]] (or Allen County). She had one sister and two brothers.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
Emma Guy, the daughter of Ashley and Alice (Quisenberry) Guy, was born on September 28, 1865, in [[Simpson County, Kentucky]], and when her father died she spent most of her childhood in neighboring [[Allen County, Kentucky]].<ref name="Hanly">{{cite journal |last1=Hanly |first1=Rebecca S. |title=Emma Guy Cromwell and Mary Elliott Flanery: Pioneers for Women in Kentucky Politics |journal=Register of the Kentucky Historical Society |date=Summer 2001 |volume=99 |issue=3 |page=293}}</ref> She had one sister and two brothers.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>


Emma attended Howard Female College at [[Gallatin, Tennessee|Gallatin]] in [[Sumner County, Tennessee]]. Later she studied parliamentary procedures at the [[University of Michigan]].<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
Emma attended Howard Female College at [[Gallatin, Tennessee|Gallatin]] in [[Sumner County, Tennessee]]. She returned to [[Scottsville, Kentucky]] to teach at Allen Male and Female College.<ref name="Hanly" /> Later she studied parliamentary law at the [[University of Michigan]].<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>


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.<ref name="People We All Know">{{Cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8HI0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ILIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3573,4644741&dq=emma+guy+cromwell&hl=en|title=People We All Know, Local Doings Dashed with Personal Gossip, Marriages Galore|date=May 29, 1897|work=Daily [[Kentucky New Era]] |publisher=[[Kentucky New Era]] |accessdate=29 March 2010|location=Hopkinsville, Kentucky}}</ref> They had one son William Foree Cromwell. Her husband died in 1909.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
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.<ref name="People We All Know">{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8HI0AAAAIBAJ&pg=3573,4644741&dq=emma+guy+cromwell&hl=en|title=People We All Know, Local Doings Dashed with Personal Gossip, Marriages Galore|date=May 29, 1897|work=Daily [[Kentucky New Era]] |publisher=[[Kentucky New Era]] |accessdate=29 March 2010|location=Hopkinsville, Kentucky}}</ref> They had one son, William Foree Cromwell. Her husband died in 1909.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>


==Political career==
==Political career==
In 1896, Guy was appointed by the [[Kentucky General Assembly]] for the position of State Librarian making her the first female to hold a position in a Kentucky State Office.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/> 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.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
In 1896, Guy was appointed by the [[Kentucky General Assembly]] for the position of State Librarian making her the first female to hold a position in a Kentucky State Office.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/> Given that the state librarian then could not serve successive terms, she took on new roles in public service: serving as the enrolling clerk (1916 to 1918) and parliamentarian of the Kentucky House of Representatives and getting elected to the Frankfort School Board. She also volunteered in women's clubs such as the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]] and the [[United Daughters of the Confederacy]]. She also served on the state Parent Teacher Association.<ref name="Hanly"/>


In 1918 Cromwell published ''Cromwell's Compendium of Parliamentary Law''.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/> In 1939, Cromwell published her autobiography, ''Woman in Politics''.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
In 1918 Cromwell published ''Cromwell's Compendium of Parliamentary Law''.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/> She published in 1920 a booklet, "[https://archive.org/details/citizenshipmanua00crom Citizenship, A Manual for Voters]," that was dedicated to the "new voters in Kentucky"—women.
:A strong appeal is made to the women voters of our nation to prepare themselves for public life by keeping in touch with the issues of the day as well as the functions of government. While it is a great privilege to take part in public affairs, and study the questions of the day, so that we can vote intelligently and criticize justly, let us not forget that the home is the most sacred refuge of life, the nucleus around which all pure and true civilization is formed, and that the chief end of all good government is to improve and protect the home, the church and the community.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cromwell |first1=Emma Guy |title=Citizenship: A Manual for Voters |date=1920 |publisher=Emma Guy Cromwell |location=Frankfort, KY |page=introduction |url=https://archive.org/details/citizenshipmanua00crom/page/n5 |accessdate=27 March 2019}}</ref>


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.<ref name="Step Higher!"/> Cromwell discovered the records of previous administrations in the Capitol basement, and retrieved and categorized them.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
In 1922 she was parliamentarian for the Kentucky House and Senate.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/> In 1923, Cromwell was elected [[Kentucky Secretary of State]] in elections that included two other females. The Republicans had nominated Eleanor Wickliffe of Bardstown, and both Cromwell and [[Mary Elliott Flanery]] stood for the Democratic Party against three male candidates.<ref name="Hanly"/> Cromwell won both in the primary and then in the general election. She held the office from January 1, 1924, until January 1, 1928.<ref name="Step Higher!"/> 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]] of Kentucky when the two other officials in the line of succession—Governor [[William J. Fields]] and Lt. Gov. [[Henry Denhardt]]—were attending the [[1924 Democratic National Convention]] in New York City.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>

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]].<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>


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 in the United States|Great Depression]].
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 in the United States|Great Depression]].


Cromwell was appointed Kentucky State Park Director in 1932.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
Governor [[Ruby Laffoon]] appointed Cromwell as Kentucky State Park Director in 1932.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>


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.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
In 1937 Governor [[Happy Chandler]] named her State Librarian and Director of Archives, a post she then held for several more terms. She arranged for the return of the Kentucky state constitution from the [[University of Chicago]] Archives.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>

In 1939, Cromwell published her autobiography, ''Woman in Politics''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cromwell |first1=Emma Guy |title=Woman In Politics |date=1939 |publisher=Standard Printing Company, Inc. |location=Frankfort, KY |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tRLVAAAAMAAJ |accessdate=27 March 2019}}</ref> which was republished in 1996 by The Kentucky Commission on Women.<ref>{{cite book |title=Woman in Politics (Book, 1996) |oclc=36270737 }}</ref> In this book, she praises the suffragist [[Laura Clay]] as "my main tutor and adviser (65)" though there is not much detail in her memoir about any work she did for the Kentucky suffrage movement.


==Later life and death==
==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 [[stroke]]. She is buried in the [[Frankfort Cemetery]], in Frankfort Kentucky.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>
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 [[stroke]]. She is buried in the [[Frankfort Cemetery]], in Frankfort Kentucky.<ref name="Kentucky Secretary of State"/>


==Legacy==
==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".<ref name="Capitol Display Honors Women From KY.'s Past">{{Cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7405587CFEED8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Capitol Display Honors Women From KY.'s Past|date=26 March 1996|work=Lexington Herald-Leader |publisher=Lexington Herald-Leader/The McClatchy Company|pages=C1 |accessdate=29 March 2010|location=Lexington, Kentucky}}</ref>
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".<ref name="Capitol Display Honors Women From KY.'s Past">{{Cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LH&s_site=kentucky&p_multi=LH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB7405587CFEED8&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Capitol Display Honors Women From KY.'s Past|date=26 March 1996|work=Lexington Herald-Leader |publisher=Lexington Herald-Leader/The McClatchy Company|pages=C1 |accessdate=29 March 2010|location=Lexington, Kentucky}}</ref>


"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.<ref name="Emma's List">{{Cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FtsrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Z2QFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2375,1592555&dq=emma+guy+cromwell&hl=en|title=Emma's List is Hoping to Increase State Rankings|date=18 May 1993|work=[[Kentucky New Era]] |publisher=[[Kentucky New Era]] |pages=13|accessdate=29 March 2010|location=Hopkinsville, Kentucky}}</ref>
"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.<ref name="Emma's List">{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FtsrAAAAIBAJ&pg=2375,1592555&dq=emma+guy+cromwell&hl=en|title=Emma's List is Hoping to Increase State Rankings|date=18 May 1993|work=[[Kentucky New Era]] |publisher=[[Kentucky New Era]] |pages=13|accessdate=29 March 2010|location=Hopkinsville, Kentucky}}</ref>


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
* {{Cite book | last = Cromwell | first = Emma Guy | title = Citizenship: A Manual for Voters | publisher = Emma Guy Cromwell | location = Frankfort, Kentucky | year = 1920 | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25598/25598-h/25598-h.htm}}
* {{Cite book | last = Cromwell | first = Emma Guy | title = Citizenship: A Manual for Voters | publisher = Emma Guy Cromwell | location = Frankfort, Kentucky | year = 1920 | url = http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25598/25598-h/25598-h.htm}}
* {{Cite book | last = Cromwell | first = Emma Guy | title = Woman in Politics | publisher = Standard Printing Co. | location = Louisville, Kentucky | year = 1939 | url = http://www.worldcat.org/title/woman-in-politics/oclc/3424932}}
* {{Cite book | last = Cromwell | first = Emma Guy | title = Woman in Politics | publisher = Standard Printing Co. | location = Louisville, Kentucky | year = 1939 | oclc = 3424932 }}
* {{Cite journal | last = Hanly | first = Rebecca S. | title = Emma Guy Cromwell and Mary Elliott Flannery: Pioneers for Women in Kentucky Politics | journal = Register of the Kentucky Historical Society | volume = 99 | pages = 287‐301 | date = Summer 2001 }}
* {{Cite journal | last = Hanly | first = Rebecca S. | title = Emma Guy Cromwell and Mary Elliott Flannery: Pioneers for Women in Kentucky Politics | journal = Register of the Kentucky Historical Society | volume = 99 | pages = 287‐301 | date = Summer 2001 }}
* Research journal posts about Emma Guy Cromwell in [http://www.kywcrh.org/?s=Cromwell History of Kentucky Women in the Civil Rights Era], University of Kentucky
* Research journal posts about Emma Guy Cromwell in [http://www.kywcrh.org/?s=Cromwell History of Kentucky Women in the Civil Rights Era], University of Kentucky
Line 67: Line 70:


==External links==
==External links==
* {{Gutenberg author | id=Cromwell,+Emma+Guy | name=Emma Guy Cromwell}}
* {{Gutenberg author | id=31444| name=Emma Guy Cromwell}}
* {{Internet Archive author}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Emma Guy Cromwell}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Fred A. Vaughn]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Secretary of State of Kentucky]]|years=1924–1928}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ella Lewis]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Edward Blan Dishman]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Kentucky State Treasurer|Treasurer of Kentucky]]|years=1928–1932}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Elam Huddleston]]}}
{{s-end}}


{{Kentucky Women Remembered|state=collapsed}}
{{Kentucky Women Remembered|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME =Cromwell, Emma Guy
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = American politician and activist
| DATE OF BIRTH = September 28, 1865
| PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Simpson County, Kentucky]]
⚫
| DATE OF DEATH = July 19, 1952
| PLACE OF DEATH = [[Frankfort, Kentucky]]
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cromwell, Emma Guy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cromwell, Emma Guy}}
[[Category:Kentucky Democrats]]
[[Category:Kentucky Democrats]]
Line 92: Line 96:
[[Category:Women in Kentucky politics]]
[[Category:Women in Kentucky politics]]
[[Category:University of Michigan alumni]]
[[Category:University of Michigan alumni]]
[[Category:American suffragists]]
[[Category:Suffragists from Kentucky]]
[[Category:People from Simpson County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:People from Simpson County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:Kentucky women in politics]]
[[Category:Librarians from Kentucky]]
[[Category:American women librarians]]
[[Category:Activists from Kentucky]]

Latest revision as of 05:16, 6 January 2024

Emma Guy Cromwell
62nd Secretary of State of Kentucky
In office
January 1, 1924 – January 1, 1928
GovernorWilliam J. Fields
Preceded byFred A.Vaughn
Succeeded byElla Lewis
21st Treasurer of Kentucky
In office
January 1, 1928 – January 1, 1932
GovernorFlem D. Sampson
Preceded byEdward Blan Dishman
Succeeded byElam Huddleston
Personal details
BornSeptember 28, 1865
Simpson County, Kentucky
DiedJuly 19, 1952 (aged 86)
Frankfort, Kentucky
SpouseWilliam F. Cromwell
ChildrenWilliam Foree
Parent(s)Benjamin Ashley (or Ashley Duncan) Guy and Alice (Quisenberry) Guy
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
Occupationstate librarian and director of archives, state bond commissioner, parks director, state treasurer

Emma Guy Cromwell (September 28, 1865 – July 19, 1952) 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.[1][2][3] Later she won elections for the position of Secretary of State and Kentucky State Treasurer, and was appointed state park director, state bond commissioner, and State Librarian and Director of Archives.

Early life and education[edit]

Emma Guy, the daughter of Ashley and Alice (Quisenberry) Guy, was born on September 28, 1865, in Simpson County, Kentucky, and when her father died she spent most of her childhood in neighboring Allen County, Kentucky.[4] She had one sister and two brothers.[3]

Emma attended Howard Female College at Gallatin in Sumner County, Tennessee. She returned to Scottsville, Kentucky to teach at Allen Male and Female College.[4] Later she studied parliamentary law at the University of Michigan.[3]

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.[5] They had one son, William Foree Cromwell. Her husband died in 1909.[3]

Political career[edit]

In 1896, Guy was appointed by the Kentucky General Assembly for the position of State Librarian making her the first female to hold a position in a Kentucky State Office.[3] Given that the state librarian then could not serve successive terms, she took on new roles in public service: serving as the enrolling clerk (1916 to 1918) and parliamentarian of the Kentucky House of Representatives and getting elected to the Frankfort School Board. She also volunteered in women's clubs such as the Daughters of the American Revolution and the United Daughters of the Confederacy. She also served on the state Parent Teacher Association.[4]

In 1918 Cromwell published Cromwell's Compendium of Parliamentary Law.[3] She published in 1920 a booklet, "Citizenship, A Manual for Voters," that was dedicated to the "new voters in Kentucky"—women.

A strong appeal is made to the women voters of our nation to prepare themselves for public life by keeping in touch with the issues of the day as well as the functions of government. While it is a great privilege to take part in public affairs, and study the questions of the day, so that we can vote intelligently and criticize justly, let us not forget that the home is the most sacred refuge of life, the nucleus around which all pure and true civilization is formed, and that the chief end of all good government is to improve and protect the home, the church and the community.[6]

In 1922 she was parliamentarian for the Kentucky House and Senate.[3] In 1923, Cromwell was elected Kentucky Secretary of State in elections that included two other females. The Republicans had nominated Eleanor Wickliffe of Bardstown, and both Cromwell and Mary Elliott Flanery stood for the Democratic Party against three male candidates.[4] Cromwell won both in the primary and then in the general election. She held the office from January 1, 1924, until January 1, 1928.[2] 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 of Kentucky when the two other officials in the line of succession—Governor William J. Fields and Lt. Gov. Henry Denhardt—were attending the 1924 Democratic National Convention in New York City.[3]

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.

Governor Ruby Laffoon appointed Cromwell as Kentucky State Park Director in 1932.[3]

In 1937 Governor Happy Chandler named her State Librarian and Director of Archives, a post she then held for several more terms. She arranged for the return of the Kentucky state constitution from the University of Chicago Archives.[3]

In 1939, Cromwell published her autobiography, Woman in Politics[7] which was republished in 1996 by The Kentucky Commission on Women.[8] In this book, she praises the suffragist Laura Clay as "my main tutor and adviser (65)" though there is not much detail in her memoir about any work she did for the Kentucky suffrage movement.

Later life and death[edit]

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 stroke. She is buried in the Frankfort Cemetery, in Frankfort Kentucky.[3]

Legacy[edit]

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".[9]

"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.[10]

Bibliography[edit]

  • Cromwell, Emma Guy (1920). Citizenship: A Manual for Voters. Frankfort, Kentucky: Emma Guy Cromwell.
  • Cromwell, Emma Guy (1939). Woman in Politics. Louisville, Kentucky: Standard Printing Co. OCLC 3424932.
  • Hanly, Rebecca S. (Summer 2001). "Emma Guy Cromwell and Mary Elliott Flannery: Pioneers for Women in Kentucky Politics". Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. 99: 287‐301.
  • Research journal posts about Emma Guy Cromwell in History of Kentucky Women in the Civil Rights Era, University of Kentucky

References[edit]

  1. ^ Crowe-Carracco, Carol (1992). John E. Kleber (ed.). The Kentucky Encyclopedia. Lexington, Kentucky: The University Press of Kentucky. p. 243. ISBN 0-8131-1772-0. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Step Higher! Woman Climbs to Office of Secretary of State". The Evening Independent. St. Petersburg, Florida: The Evening Independent. December 11, 1923. Retrieved 11 March 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Secretary of State: Emma Guy Cromwell". Kentucky Secretary of State. Frankfort, Kentucky: Commonwealth of Kentucky. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d Hanly, Rebecca S. (Summer 2001). "Emma Guy Cromwell and Mary Elliott Flanery: Pioneers for Women in Kentucky Politics". Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. 99 (3): 293.
  5. ^ "People We All Know, Local Doings Dashed with Personal Gossip, Marriages Galore". Daily Kentucky New Era. Hopkinsville, Kentucky: Kentucky New Era. May 29, 1897. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  6. ^ Cromwell, Emma Guy (1920). Citizenship: A Manual for Voters. Frankfort, KY: Emma Guy Cromwell. p. introduction. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  7. ^ Cromwell, Emma Guy (1939). Woman In Politics. Frankfort, KY: Standard Printing Company, Inc. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
  8. ^ Woman in Politics (Book, 1996). OCLC 36270737.
  9. ^ "Capitol Display Honors Women From KY.'s Past". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky: Lexington Herald-Leader/The McClatchy Company. 26 March 1996. pp. C1. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
  10. ^ "Emma's List is Hoping to Increase State Rankings". Kentucky New Era. Hopkinsville, Kentucky: Kentucky New Era. 18 May 1993. p. 13. Retrieved 29 March 2010.

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State of Kentucky
1924–1928 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Treasurer of Kentucky
1928–1932 		Succeeded by
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