Hattie Barnes Adkisson
Jewett, Leon County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Hattie Barnes was born January 2, 1886, in Jewett. Her family moved to San Marcos around 1908 where Hattie graduated from the Coronal Institute. Hattie married James Thedford Adkisson on May 12, 1910. They returned to Jewett and had two sons. Hattie was active in the community and Presbyterian Church. Texas women were granted the right to vote on June 28, 1919. In 1920, Jewett citizens, disenchanted with city officials, elected Hattie and five other women as mayor and aldermen. Jewett became one of the earliest female-governed towns in the nation. During Mayor Adkisson's two terms, many improvements were implemented. Hattie was ultimately appointed to serve on state and federal civic work committees. (2016)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Jewett in 1886, Hattie Barnes Adkisson returned to her hometown after schooling in San Marcos and became a leading figure in community and church life. In 1920—barely a year after Texas women won the vote—frustrated Jewett citizens elected Hattie and five other women as mayor and aldermen, making the town one of the earliest female-governed municipalities in the nation. She oversaw civic improvements across two terms and later served on state and federal committees.
Why it matters
Hattie Adkisson's all-woman town government stands as a striking early example of women exercising political power in the immediate wake of suffrage.
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Related people
- · Hattie Barnes Adkisson
- · James Thedford Adkisson
Related events
- · Texas women's suffrage (1919)
Themes & tags
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