Susanna Salter Won Prank Election

The first woman to serve as a mayor in the United States was Susanna Madora Salter, who won the election in Argonia, Kansas, on April 4, 1887, at age 27. Several men placed her name on the Prohibition Party ticket without her knowledge as a joke, expecting her defeat to humiliate the local Woman's Christian Temperance Union and discourage women from politics. Once the scheme became known, temperance supporters and local Republicans rallied behind Salter, giving her a two-thirds majority and turning the prank into a historic victory.

Previous Fact Next Fact