Edna Beard

Edna Louisa Beard (July 25, 1877 – September 18, 1928) was the first woman legislator in Vermont; she was the first woman elected to the Vermont House of Representatives, and the first woman elected to the Vermont Senate.[1][2]

Edna Beard
From the November 9, 1922 edition of The Bethel Courier newspaper (Bethel, VT)
Member of the Vermont Senate from Orange County
In office 1923–1925
Preceded by	John C. Sherburne
Succeeded by	Frederick H. Bickford
Chairwoman of the Vermont Senate Committee on the Library
In office 1923–1925
Preceded by	Harlow A. Bottum
Succeeded by	Daniel Johnson
Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Town of Orange
In office 1921–1923
Preceded by	Sherman Chamberlain
Succeeded by	Charles Colby
Town Treasurer of Orange, Vermont
In office 1912–1928
Preceded by	Royal Edson Beard
Succeeded by	Earl D. Emerson
Personal details
Born	(1877-07-25)July 25, 1877 Chenoa, Illinois
Died	September 18, 1928(1928-09-18) (aged 51) Orange, Vermont
Resting place	Orange Center Cemetery, Orange, Vermont
Political party	Republican
Other political affiliations	Citizen's Party (September–November 1920)
Parents	Royal Edson Beard (1845-1912) Flora (Curtiss) Beard (1849-1920)
Education	Spaulding High School, Barre, Vermont
Occupation	School teacher and administrator Town treasurer

A native of Illinois, her parents were from Orange, Vermont, and returned there in the early 1880s. Beard was raised and educated in Orange, graduated from Spaulding High School in Barre, and became a school teacher and administrator. She also served in local offices including town treasurer, and operated a dairy farm in partnership with one of her brothers.

In 1920, the Constitution's Nineteenth Amendment made it possible for women to vote in statewide and national elections. Beard ran for the Republican nomination to represent Orange in the Vermont House of Representatives. She lost, and subsequently filed to run as a third party candidate. 40 women in Orange registered to vote between the primary and general elections, and enough supported her to tip the scales for Beard, who won the seat and became Vermont's first woman state legislator. She served one term, 1921 to 1923, and in 1922 was a successful candidate for the State Senate, becoming the first woman to serve in that body. She left politics in 1924 because of ill health, but remained active on her farm and in her church.

Beard never married or had children. She died in Orange, and was buried at Orange Center Cemetery.

Early life

Beard was born in Chenoa, Illinois, the daughter of Royal Edson Beard (1845-1912) and Flora (Curtiss) Beard.[3] Her family was originally from Orange, Vermont, and they moved back to Orange in 1883.[4] She was educated in Orange, and graduated from Barre's Spaulding High School in 1896.[5]

Beard received her qualification as a teacher, and taught at several local area schools.[5] She was both a teacher and superintendent of the Orange town schools beginning in 1906.[5] She also served on the school board, was the town's assistant postmaster, and spent 16 years as town treasurer (1912-1928), after succeeding to the office following the death of her father, who was the incumbent.[1][5] Beard never married or had children, and she resided on a dairy farm she operated in partnership with her brother Frank.[5]

Political career

Vermont House

In 1920, passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution enabled women to vote in state and federal elections in Vermont.[1] Beard ran for the Vermont House of Representatives, and lost the Republican primary, then tantamount to election in most Vermont towns, by six votes to Burt L. Richardson.[1] Beard decided to run in the general election on the "Citizen's Party" line.[1] Between the primary and general elections, 40 women in Orange registered to vote for the first time; in November, Beard defeated Richardson by 38 votes, and became the first woman elected to the Vermont House of Representatives.[1][6]

She was given the first choice of seats in the House, and, as reported by the Rutland Herald, "She chose seat no 146, and for a long time no man had the courage to select seat no. 145, which adjoined hers.[6] The seat stood vacant for over an hour until Horatio Luce of Pomfret took the dare of his fellow members and sat down beside Miss Beard amid a storm of laughter and applause."[6]

Her first bill in the Vermont House of Representatives, Act 218, was signed into law.[2][6] It provided $2 a week child support for women whose husbands were "incapacitated by an incurable disease."[2] Her maiden speech in the House was to second the renomination of Judge Stanley C. Wilson to the Vermont Superior Court, which contemporary news accounts indicated was received with "hearty applause."[7]

Vermont Senate

In 1922 she was elected to Orange County's seat in the Vermont Senate, and was the first woman to serve in that body.[5] She served one term, 1923 to 1925 and held a leadership role as chairwoman of the Senate Library Committee.[7] Her first successful bill as Senator made it possible for county sheriffs to hire women as deputies.[1]

Later life

She was urged by supporters to enter the race for lieutenant governor in 1924, but left politics because she was in ill health.[7] She was active in her local Congregational church, including teaching Sunday school, singing in the choir, and serving as its clerk, and remained involved with the church until her death.[7]

Death and burial

Beard died in Orange on September 18, 1928.[8] She was buried in the Beard family plot at Orange Center Cemetery in Orange.[9]

Legacy

A portrait of Edna Beard by artist Ruth Mould is on display at the Vermont State House.[10]

References

1. Edna Louisa Beard. "Person Detail". Womenshistory.vermont.gov. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
2. "Edna Beard". Vermonttoday.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
3. "Orange Sends Woman to Senate". The Bethel Courier. Bethel, VT. November 9, 1922. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Duffy, John J.; Hand, Samuel B.; Orth, Ralph H. (2003). The Vermont Encyclopedia. University Press of New England. p. 51. ISBN 9781584650867.
5. "Orange Sends Woman to Senate", p. 4.
6. "Vermont Women: Edna Beard". VPR. Retrieved 2013-09-07.
7. The Vermont Encyclopedia, p. 4.
8. "Pioneer Woman Senator, Orange Official, Dies". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. September 19, 1928. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Funeral of Miss Edna L. Beard". Burlington Free Press. Burlington, VT. September 22, 1928. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Then again: Vermont's first female lawmaker helped women claim a stake in the Statehouse". VTDigger. 2016-10-16. Retrieved 2016-10-23.

External links

• Edna Beard at Find a Grave
• "Beard Family Papers" (PDF). Vermont Historical Society. 1831–1945.