Montana Capitol Building

As of 2022, Montana ranked 22nd out of 50 American states in terms of percentage of state legislators who are women.[1] Within the Montana State Legislature, 32.7 percent of all members were women in 2022.[1] From statehood in 1889 to 2021, the state of Montana had only one female governor, Judy Martz.[2] Although the first woman to be elected to the United States Congress was from Montana in 1916,[3] the state had not elected another woman to Congress as of 2021.[4][5]

Early participation of women in public office

Helen Clarke and Alice Nichols were the first women elected to any public office in Montana Territory in 1882, both as county school superintendents. Since then, the majority of county superintendents in Montana have been women.[6]

In 1916, Jeannette Rankin became the first woman to be elected to the United States Congress.[3] She was elected to one of Montana's two seats in the United States House of Representatives, two years after white women were given the right to vote in Montana,[7] and four years before women were nationally enfranchised in the 19th Amendment.[8]

Executive branch

Montana Governor Judy Martz (left) during the Forest Health Summit

Elected office

The only woman elected as governor of Montana, as of 2022, is Republican Judy Martz who held office from 2001 to 2005, and did not seek a second term.[2][9] She was known for her income and capital gains tax cuts, as well as a budget surplus at the end of her term.[10] Additionally, Martz led the push for the federal Healthy Forest Act amongst fellow governors.[10]

There have only been three female Lieutenant Governors out of the total 37 people who have served in the position.[9] The current Lieutenant Governor of Montana is a Republican woman, Kristan Juras. She has served since 2021, and is a lawyer who had previously ran for the Montana Supreme Court in 2016, but was unsuccessful.[11] The first Lieutenant Governor was Republican Judy Martz, who served in the position from 1997 to 2001, under Republican Governor Marc Racicot.[12] The first female Democratic Lieutenant Governor was Angela McLean, who served as Lieutenant Governor from 2014 to 2015 under Governor Steve Bullock.[9] She resigned from the position in 2015 because of her impending appointment to the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education.[13]

As of 2022, the Montana Secretary of State is a woman, Republican Christi Jacobsen.[14] Of the 22 people who have served in the position, there have been two women. The first was Democrat Linda McCulloch who became the first female Secretary of State from 2009 to 2017.[15] McCulloch previously served in the Montana House of Representatives for six years, and as a Superintendent of Public Instruction.[16][17] There has never been a female Attorney General in the state of Montana.[18] The first woman to run for Attorney General in Montana was Ella Knowles.[19] Following her successful lobbying of the 1889 Montana Legislature to allow women to take the bar exam, Knowles became be first lawyer in the state of Montana and the first female notary. She was the first woman to run for Montana Attorney General on the 1892 populist ticket.[19]

The position of Superintendent of Public Instruction has overall shown the most representation for women in any executive branch position for the Montana government.[6] The current Superintendent of Public Instruction is a woman, Elsie Arntzen.[20] First elected in 2016, she is now in her second term in the position.[20] Prior to serving in this position, she served in the Montana Legislature—both in the House and the Senate—as a Republican.[20] Since 1889, six of the Superintendents of Public Instruction have been men, and the remaining other 11 who have served have been women.[6] The first woman to be elected to the position was Mary Trumper in 1916, who went on to serve for 12 years. During her term, she instituted many reforms that female county superintendents had been proponents for, such as improved teacher training and certificate exams and the statewide mandated 180 day school term.[6] Five of the six men elected to the position were before the appointment of Mary Trumper; following her term, all but one of the Superintendents of Public Instruction have been women.[6]

Women in Statewide Elected Executive Office in Montana[9]
Name Party Position Years Served
Christi Jacobsen Republican Secretary of State 2021–
Kristen Juras Republican Lieutenant Governor 2021–
Elsie M. Arntzen Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction 2017–
Angela McLean Democratic Lieutenant Governor 2014–2015*
Denise Juneau Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction 2009–2016
Monica J. Lindeen Democratic Auditor 2009–2016
Linda H. McCulloch Democratic Secretary of State 2009–2016
Linda H. McCulloch Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction 2001–2008
Judy Martz Republican Governor 2001–2004
Judy Martz Republican Lieutenant Governor 1997–2000
Nancy A. Keenan Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction 1989–2000
Andrea Bennett Republican Auditor 1985–1992
Georgia Ruth Rice Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction 1977–1980
Hollis G. Connors Republican Treasurer 1973–1976
Dolores Colburg Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction 1969–1976
Edna J. Hinman Republican Treasurer 1961–1964*
Mary M. Condon Democratic Superintendent of Public Instruction 1949–1956
Alta E. Fisher Republican Treasurer 1949–1952*
Elizabeth Ireland Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction 1933–1948
May Trumper Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction 1917–1932

*Appointed.

Employees

In calendar year 2020, there were 11,450 full- and part-time employees in the executive branch of the Montana state government.[21] According to the Montana Department of Administration, there were nearly equal numbers of women and men in the executive branch workforce.[21]

Legislative branch

Montana House of Representatives, 2012

Emma Ingalls and Maggie Smith Hathaway were the first women elected to the Montana House of Representatives in 1916, Ingalls as a Republican and Hathaway as a Democrat.[22][23] The first woman elected to the Montana State Senate was Ellenore M. Bridenstine, who represented Prairie County from 1945 to 1949.[24] By 2021, 49 out of 150 members of the Montana State Legislature were women, including 12 in the state senate and 37 in the state house.[1]

State house and senate leadership

In the 67th Legislative Session (2021), both the House Majority Leader and Minority Leader were women, Republican Sue Vinton as Majority Leader and Democrat Kim Abbott as Minority Leader.[25] The first woman in House leadership was in 1979, with Democrat Ann Mary Dussault serving as Minority Leader. Marian Hanson was the first Republican woman in House leadership, serving from 1993 to 1997 as Speaker Pro Tempore.[25] In 1999, Emily Swanson served as House Minority leader, followed in 2001 by Kim Gillan.[25] In 2007, a second Republican woman served as Speaker Pro Tempore, Debby Barrett. Jenny Eck served as Minority Leader in 2017.[25] In total since 1889, eight women have served in Montana House leadership.[25] There has never been a female House Speaker.[25]

In the 67th Legislative session (2021), of the four Montana Senate leadership positions, only the Senate Minority Leader was a woman, Democrat Jill Cohenour.[25] The first woman in Senate leadership was Democrat Carroll Graham in 1975, who served as President Pro Tem.[25] The next woman to serve in Senate leadership was Democrat Carol Williams, who served three legislative sessions in leadership, from 2007 as Minority Leader to 2009-2011 as Minority Leader.[25] The first Republican woman in Senate leadership was in 2013, with Debby Barrett serving as president pro tem.[25] She served again in 2015 as Senate President.[25] In total, there have been four women since 1889 that have served in Senate leadership in any capacity.[25]

Judicial branch

In 2022, three of the seven justices of the Montana Supreme Court justices are women.[26] They are Justice Laurie McKinnon, who has served since 2013; Justice Beth Baker, who has served since 2011; and Justice Ingrid Gustafson, who has served since 2018.[27] Historically, only six of the 105 justices of the Montana Supreme Court have been women. The first woman to serve on the Montana Supreme Court was Diane Barz, who served between 1989 and 1991.[27] Karla Gray, who served 1991 to 2000, was the first Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court from 2001 to 2008. Patricia Cotter was a Justice from 2001 to 2016.[27]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "State Legislature – Numbers and Percentage of Officeholders by Year". CAWP – Center for American Women and Politics. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  2. 1 2 "Judy Martz, Montana's First Female Governor, Dies at 74". New York Times. October 31, 2017. pp. B14. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  3. 1 2 "The Swearing-In of the First Woman Elected to Congress, Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives". history.house.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  4. ↑ Greenspan, Jesse (September 1, 2018). "7 Things You May Not Know About Jeannette Rankin". History.com. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  5. ↑ "Montana – Congress – Current and Historic". CAWP – Center for American Women and Politics. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 WHM (2014-11-20). "Expanding Their Sphere: Montana Women in Education Administration and Public Health". Women's History Matters. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  7. ↑ "Suffrage". Women's History Matters. 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  8. ↑ "The Women Behind the 19th Amendment Had a Grander Vision Than Just the Right to Vote". Human Rights Documents Online. doi:10.1163/2210-7975_hrd-9970-2016073. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Montana – Statewide Elective Executive – Current and Historic". CAWP – Center for American Women and Politics. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  10. 1 2 "Montana Former Governors". formergovernors.mt.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  11. ↑ "About Greg Gianforte & Kristen Juras". governor.mt.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  12. ↑ "Montana Governor - Biography of Governor Judy Martz". formergovernors.mt.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  13. ↑ Associated Press. "Lt. Gov. McLean resigns to take education job". Billings Gazette. pp. A1. Retrieved 2022-05-04 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Montana Secretary of State – Christi Jacobsen – Business, Elections, Voter, Notary & Other Services". Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  15. ↑ "History of the Office – Montana Secretary of State – Christi Jacobsen". Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  16. ↑ Smith, Ericka Schenck (August 12, 2001). "New state schools Superintendent Linda McCulloch says kids are her Top Priority". The Independent Record. pp. C1. Retrieved 2022-05-04 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Three vie for Secretary of State". The Montana Standard. September 29, 2008. pp. A8. Retrieved 2022-05-04 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Montana Former Attorneys General - NAAG". National Association of Attorneys General. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  19. 1 2 WHM (2014-01-28). "Ella Knowles: Portia of the People". Women's History Matters. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  20. 1 2 3 "Office of the Superintendent". opi.mt.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  21. 1 2 State of Montana, January – December 2020, Employee Profile. State Human Resources Division, Department of Administration. 2021.
  22. ↑ "Office of the Secretary of State highlights Montanans for Women's History Month". media.sosmt.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  23. ↑ "Emma Ingalls". Women's History Matters. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  24. ↑ Bridenstine, Ellenore M. (Winter 1989). "My Years as Montana's First Woman State Senator". Montana: The Magazine of Western History. 39 (1): 54–58. JSTOR 4519197.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Leadership - Montana State Legislature". leg.mt.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  26. ↑ "Biographies". courts.mt.gov. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  27. 1 2 3 "Montana Supreme Court Justices" (PDF). 2019.
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