Rebecca latimer felton full interview

What is significant about rebecca latimer felton?
Was rebecca latimer felton a reformer in georgia
Why did rebecca latimer felton only serve one day

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Rebecca L Felton

Rebecca Latimer Felton, a prominent suffragist and temperance advocate but also a white supremacist and an advocate of segregation and lynching, was the first woman to serve in the United States Senate, as a senator for Georgia. Appointed to fill a vacancy, she served only 24 hours.

Felton was born on June 10, 1835, in De Kalb County, Georgia. She graduated from Madison Female College in 1852. In 1953, she married William H. Felton, a state legislator, physician, Methodist minister and planter. She began her political career as his campaign manager, press secretary and aide. After her husband's death in 1909, Felton remained active in Georgia and national politics, and was a writer and lecturer.

Felton was appointed to the Senate while Congress was in recess by Governor Thomas Hardwick to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Senator Thomas E. Watson until a special election could be held. Gov. Hardwick, who had opposed passage of the 19th Amendment, was a candidate in the special election. He choose Felton because she would not be an opponent in the ele

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The first woman to serve in the United States Senate, Rebecca Latimer Felton (1835–1930) of Georgia was appointed to fill a vacancy on October 3, 1922. She took the oath of office on November 21, 1922, and served only 24 hours while the Senate was in session. The 87-year-old Felton's largely symbolic Senate service capped a long career in Georgia politics and journalism. When her husband, William Harrell Felton, served in the state legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives, she worked as his campaign manager, press secretary, and often his political surrogate. As she fought for temperance, populist agrarian reforms, and woman suffrage, fully embracing equality of the sexes, she was also an outspoken white supremacist and advocate of segregation. Beginning in 1899 and continuing for more than 20 years, Felton wrote a popular column for the Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal, dispensing advice on everything from child-rearing to farming to voting. In her only Senate speech, delivered to a large audience in the Senate Chamber, Felton concluded with the following prediction:

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November 21, 2022
By Senate Historical Office

On November 21, 1922, Rebecca Felton of Georgia took the oath of office, becoming the first woman to serve in the U.S. Senate. Though her legacy has been tarnished by her racism, the significance of this milestone—now 100 years old—remains. Felton’s historic appointment opened the door for other women senators to follow. One hundred years later, 59 women have been elected or appointed to the Senate, and many more women have supported Senate operations as elected officers and staff.

National Archives and Records Administration

Credentials for Rebecca Latimer Felton (D-GA), 1922

National Archives and Records Administration

On November 21, 1922, Rebecca Felton of Georgia presented her credentials to the Senate and took the oath of office. Felton answered one roll-call vote and gave one speech before relinquishing her seat to her successor on November 22.

Appointed to fill a vacant seat on October 3, 1922, Felton formally took the oath of office in the Senate Chamber on November 21 a