Mary Gordon Ellis: South Carolina's First Female State Senator

Mary Gordon Ellis (1890-1934), born in Gourdin, SC, was elected as South Carolina's first female state senator in 1928, serving as a legislator from 1929-1932.  It would take 50 years for the next woman to be elected as a SC state senator (Liz. J Patterson).  

Education:  Kingstree High School (1909); Winthrop College (1913) Bachelor's Degree

Public Career:  Jasper County School Superintendent (elected 1924); SC State Senator (1929-1932).

Office of the SC Senate; Legislative Printing, Information & Technology Systems

When asked why she went into politics as a woman, she replied, "Why not? Women meet unpleasant situations in other phases of life, why not in politics?" (The News and Courier, May 24, 1931, p. B-4)

Ellis is most known for her efforts to improve educational resources for rural children in South Carolina.  She particularly sought to improve the quality of education for black children, who were grossly underserved in S.C.'s segregated, public school system (For example, in 1911, S.C.'s average per capita expenditure for black students was $1.71; for white students it was $12.62 (Botsch, p. 401)).  As Superintendent, Mary Gordon Ellis acquired private funding from the Rosenwald Fund to build new schools for African American children, but when she tried to obtain buses and additional resources for them, she was fired.   (Botsch, p. 42, 431). Later, she ran for S.C. State Senate against the man that asked her to resign as superintendent, H. Klugh Purdy, and won!

Unfortunately,  Mary Gordon Ellis was only able to serve one term in the State Senate.  She lost her reelection bid in 1932, due in part to her battle with cancer, which made her unable to campaign.  She passed away in 1934 when she was only 44 years old, but her legacy of trying to improve the educational opportunities for rural children will be remembered.  

(1) Carol Sears Botsch, "The Politics of Race and Gender From Schoolhouse to Statehouse" in South Carolina Women: Their Lives and Times, Volume 3, edited by Marjorie Julian Spruill, Valinda W. Littlefield, and Joan Marie Johnson. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2012.

Mildred Blount--Milliner & Designer of Scarlett O'Hara's Hats in Gone with the Wind

As we discuss modern-day diversity in the fashion industry, I just want to pay a quick tribute to Mildred Blount (1907-1974).  Mildred Blount was widely recognized as a leading milliner in the 1930's and 1940's.  She made hats for many films, including all of Scarlett O'Hara's hats in Gone with the Wind, those worn by Margaret Sullivan in Back Street, and those worn by Marlene Dietrich in The Lady is Willing.

She designed hats for singers and actresses, such as Marian Anderson, Mary Pickford, Ginger Rogers and Rosalind Russell, among others.  Blount also designed Gloria Vanderbilt's bridal veil for her first marriage in 1941.

Other Facts about Mildred Blount

• Born in North Carolina, but orphaned as an infant  
• Attended Cooper Union in NYC, but did not complete her studies due to illness
• Designed 87 miniature hats, representing styles from 1680 to 1937 at the New York World's Fair in 1939, for which she received critical acclaim
• Julius Rosenwald Fellowship recipient
• World War II volunteer for four years with the Red Cross and Los Angeles USO
• Civil Rights: Fought for inclusion in Hollywood unions, which restricted membership to white artisans, and refused to enter through the back door of establishments when working at weddings, sets, or any business

Mildred Blount enjoyed researching styles from past centuries to inspire period pieces

Here are some of Mildred Blount's designs

Diverse American Women--Why I Decided To Blog

I am dedicating this blog to little-known and often forgotten American women who have contributed in some way to improving American society.  I have found in doing my own doctoral research that so many women have accomplished amazing feats, but have not been prominently featured in most historical texts.  I have also found that a lot of times when we talk and write about American "women" we think of this group as monolithic, failing to account for the diverse ways in which women experience "womanhood."

This Blog intends to feature a wide range of American women from different backgrounds.  These women may have some things in common, such as their race or religion, but may differ in others, such as their industry of work or where they reside.

Sometimes this Blog will feature clips of historical newspaper articles, magazines or books that raise interesting questions about what it means to be a woman. 

I hope that you find this Blog insightful!  I appreciate any feedback you may have on women to feature, or general thoughts on the content.

---Tauk