Alice robertson biography

Congresswoman opened the door for goad women Centennial Countdown: Alice Robertson

Alice Robertson, 66, a cafeteria proprietor who campaigned through her restaurant's newspaper advertisements, was an small candidate.

Known as "Miss Alice," she had worked as a clergyman, teacher, postmistress and entrepreneur.

She had dabbled in politics on the contrary never before run for be in power. She didn't even support women's suffrage.

Still, she became only excellence second woman elected to loftiness U.S. House of Representatives zone her victory. She was honesty only congresswoman in Oklahoma wildlife until earlier this month, during the time that Mary Fallin, 51, won justness 5th District seat.

"She certainly was a courageous woman back go round 80 years ago to sustain in a male-dominated Congress.

Additional she was a trailblazer, come first she opened up opportunities plan women like me to sign in her footsteps," Fallin aforesaid after the Nov. 7 plebiscite. "She certainly was an ground for me."

Five years ago, Fallin wrote the foreword to primacy book "Alice Robertson: Congresswoman circumvent Oklahoma" by Reba Neighbors Highball and Bob Burke.

She attract that she and Robertson public the same first name stream were members of the Protestant Church and Republican Party.

Mary Ill feeling Robertson was born Jan. 2, , at Tullahassee Mission nonthreatening person the Creek Nation, Indian Neighbourhood. Her parents were second-generation missionaries William Schenk and Ann Eliza (Worcester) Robertson.

She eventually dropped representation "Mary," but sometimes used "M" as her middle initial, according to the book.

Robertson was cultured alongside the Creek children out parents taught.

The family ephemeral a simple pioneer existence, which became even tougher when probity Civil War forced them get on to exile in the north.

As cool teenager, she attended Elmira Institute in New York. A existence trip to Washington, D.C., sparked her interest in politics.

In , she left school and afflicted as a clerk in distinction Office of Indian Affairs.

She briefly returned to teach take up Tullahassee, then worked as position superintendent's secretary at Carlisle Asian School in Pennsylvania.

When the Tullahassee Mission School burned down doubtful , Robertson returned to Amerind Territory to raise money progress to a new mission school equal Nuyaka, near Okmulgee.

She was forename head of the Presbyterian Faculty for Indian Girls in Muskogean in , said David Hamby, University of Tulsa's university communications director.

The school grew at an earlier time became Henry Kendall College, unadulterated co-ed institution for Indian lesson. Robertson taught English, history reprove civics there until

In , the college moved to Metropolis. It became the University assault Tulsa in Retired TU Head Ben Henneke, 92, met Guard at a TU event during the time that he was a boy.

"She was active in the Indian transfer and making sure Indians got an education and had be over opportunity to participate in society," he said.

"I think she was a person who in point of fact had a sense of mission."

Robertson left the college to enquiry for the Census Bureau follow Washington, D.C. She returned give your approval to Muskogee in after President Theodore Roosevelt named her the good cheer federal supervisor of Creek education.

Roosevelt, a personal friend, appointed unlimited Muskogee's postmaster in She was the first woman to bolt a first-class post office, uncut job she held until

In , at age 56, Guard built her dream home, Sawokla, on 55 acres in Muskhogean.

She opened a photo mill at her home and blue the land into a grange and dairy. She later unfasten a downtown cafeteria, also labelled Sawokla, according to the book.

During World War I, "Miss Alice" — who never married playing field had no children — gave out refreshments to soldiers short through Muskogee on troop trains.

Her efforts led to greatness formation of the Muskogee Flush Cross, according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.

"She had what you'd call spunk," said Oklahoma Historical Society Worry Director Bob Blackburn. "She was sort of ahead of concoct time, and she wasn't intimidated to try new things."

When she ran for Congress, she bones her campaign messages into description newspaper ads for her restaurant.

Her platform was "I guild a Christian, I am threaten American, I am a Republican." Her slogan promised, "I cannot be bought, I cannot mistrust sold, I cannot be intimidated."

Robertson also was inventive. She chartered a pilot to fly necessitate airplane over one of jettison campaign events pulling a standard 2 that said "Vote for Require Alice."

A Republican landslide swept counterpart to victory over incumbent William Wirt Hastings in the option.

She was the only public during her term, and she became the first woman assail preside over a session.

"I imagine the big irony of give someone the brush-off life that is hard storeroom us to understand in greatness 21st century was that she was an anti-feminist. She didn't believe women should have picture right to vote," Blackburn said.

She was vice president of authority executive committee of the state's anti-suffrage association, Tally Fugate wrote in the article "Where Angels Belong: The Oklahoma Anti-Suffrage Movement," published in "The Chronicles fine Oklahoma." She didn't believe opt would solve the problems signify women and society.

Robertson actor the ire of women's working group by opposing birth control enthralled sex education.

Some of her joker political preferences sound familiar nowadays. She favored a bill hold on to make English the nation's not working properly language. She opposed unrestricted inmigration. And she was opposed persist the League of Nations, primacy predecessor to today's United Nations.

Although she was in demand all over the country as a fiery, colorful tub-thumper, she lost her re-election charge to Hastings.

President Harding appointed the brush welfare director of the Muskhogean Veterans Hospital, which she helped build.

She also worked purchase the state Historical Society.

Heavily patent debt and unable to easiness her cafeteria, she had count up mortgage her home and hurl into a smaller one. Be pleased about , Sawokla burned down. She struggled with poverty in restlessness later years.

On July 1, , Robertson died of cancer enviable age 77 at the Muskogean Veterans Hospital.

She was in the grave at nearby Greenhill Cemetery. She bequeathed her papers to TU's McFarlin Library.

Contributing: News researcher Redbreast Kickingbird.