Edness Kimball Wilkins

Edness Kimball Wilkins (January 31, 1896 − September 15, 1980) was the first female speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives.[1]

Edness Kimball Wilkins
Member of the Wyoming State House of Representatives from Natrona County
In office 1972-1980 and 1954-1967
Speaker of the Wyoming State House of Representatives
In office 1966-1967
Preceded by	Walter B. Phelan
Member of the Wyoming State Senate
In office 1967-1972
Personal details
Born	31 January 1896
Died	15 September 1980
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Ronald Wilkins
Alma mater	University of Kentucky, University of Nebraska

Life

She was born Edness Kimball to parents Wilson, mayor of Casper, and Edness Merrick Kimball in Casper, Wyoming, on January 31, 1896.[1] She studied at both the University of Nebraska and the University of Kentucky.[1] She was married to Ronald Wilkins, and together they had one son.[1] During her life she was an active member of the League of Women Voters.[1]

Career

She worked as an assistant for Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first woman to be governor of a US state,[2] from 1931 to 1935 when Ross was director of the US Mint.[1] Later, Wilkins ran the Water and Sanitation Department for Casper, Wyoming, from 1950 to 1953.[1]

In 1954, Wilkins was elected for the first time to the Wyoming House of Representatives to represent Natrona County.[1] She went on to serve five more terms in the state legislature.[1]

Wilkins was originally rejected as Speaker, and instead Walter B. Phelan was elected Speaker of the House in 1965, despite the fact that Wilkins was leader of the majority party, the Democrats.[3] At the time, she commented she was used to "stepping aside for the men".[3] However, Phelan died in 1966, and as the leader of the majority party, Wilkins assumed the office of Speaker.[4] However, because the House met only on odd numbered years and the next year Wilkins was elected to the State Senate, she never actually served in session as speaker.[5]

In 1966, Wilkins ran for and won election to the Wyoming State Senate.[1][4] In 1972, she again won election to the Wyoming House of Representatives, and she continued to serve there until her death on September 15, 1980.[1]

Legacy

The Edness K. Wilkins State Park near Casper, Wyoming, was named for Wilkins.[6]

See also

• Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives

References

1. Sharp, Nancy Weatherly; Sharp, James Roger; Ritter, Charles F.; Wakelyn., Jon L. (1997). American Legislative Leaders in the West 1911-1994. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 031330212X. OCLC 833126991.
2. "Today in History - December 10". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
3. Larson, T. A. (April 1965). "Woman Suffrage in Wyoming". The Pacific Northwest Quarterly. 56 (2): 57–66. JSTOR 40488005.
4. "Wyoming Women in the Legislature" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. January 2013.
5. "Verda James, First Full-term Woman Speaker of Wyoming's House of Representatives | WyoHistory.org". www.wyohistory.org. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
6. "Edness K. Wilkins State Park" (PDF). Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources.

Political offices
Preceded by Walter B. Phelan	Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives 1966–1967	Succeeded by William Swanton