Kansas Republican Womens Series 1928: 1st Women KS Senator Elected Patricia N. Solander (R) Elected in 1928 as the first female Kansas senator, she represented Miami County (east-central KS). She was born in 1897 and had a lifetime of civic work, served on the board of the Kansas Historical Society, the KS Safety Commission, Daughters of the American Revolution, Republican Women’s Clubs and president of the Kansas Federation of Business. She served one Senate term. Many historians have noted that after the surge of women activists breaking down barriers, by the 1930s there was a lack of women in state politics. The 1931 legislature had one woman representative and one woman senator. The way they were described by the media and how they spoke changed from a mere decade before. For instance, reporters described Senator Solander as wearing “chic dresses. . . . cleverly tailored and usually softened with a bit of lace . . . There is something feminine about the Kansas Senator, even while she discusses labor or railroad legislation.” She frequently felt the need to assure the media that she was only serving in the Senate out of the “generosity and indulgence” of her husband, a railroad engineer, and would never have considered serving if she had children. In one noted instance, while presiding over the Senate, she took an indirect swipe at some other senators stating “Gentlemen of the Senate, I call you to witness that contrary to all the traditions concerning women, I have remained silent and allowed you to do all the talking.”
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 13:50:23 +0000
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