Dora McGrath

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Dora McGrath
BornNovember 15, 1868
North English, Iowa, U.S.
DiedFebruary 22, 1949 (age 80)
Thermopolis, Wyoming, U.S.
Known forFirst woman to serve in the Wyoming Senate

Dora Delena Thomas McGrath (November 15, 1868 – February 22, 1949)[1] was an American politician and clubwoman. In 1930, she became the first woman elected to the Wyoming Senate.[2][3]

Early life

McGrath was born in North English, Iowa, the daughter of George Wallace Thomas and Nancy Jane Miller Thomas. Her father was a recent Union Army veteran of the American Civil War.[4]

Career

McGrath ran a boarding house[4] and a grocery store, and was a buyer for the McGrath department store in Thermopolis, Wyoming.[5][6][7] She was also president of the McGrath Royalty Company,[6] and in 1929, she was founder of the Hot Springs County Pioneer Association.[8] She was first president of the Wyoming chapter of American War Mothers,[9][10] and successfully campaigned to establish a veteran's hospital in Wyoming.[4] She was active in women's activities at the Protestant Episcopal Church in Thermopolis.[6]

In 1930, McGrath was elected to represent Hot Springs County in the Wyoming Senate.[8] She also served as a delegate from Wyoming to the 1932 Republican National Convention.[11][12] In 1933 she was assigned to the senate's committee on education and public libraries.[13] She campaigned and voted for the repeal of Prohibition as an unenforceable set of laws.[5][14]

Personal life

Dora Thomas married twice. Her first husband was James T. Barker; they married in 1885, moved to Wyoming, and had four children. James Barker died from a gunshot wound in 1899,[4] and their daughter Nina died from typhoid fever in 1900. Her second husband was Martin McGrath, her sister's widower; they married in 1902. She gave birth to her fifth child in 1918, at age 50, and her second husband died in 1922.[14] She died in 1949, at the age of 80, in Thermopolis,[6] Her son, Harry Barker, and her grandson Harry Barker Jr. both served in the Wyoming House of Representatives.[15]

References

  1. Birth and death dates, birth place, and parents' names confirmed in McGrath's Wyoming death certificate, via Ancestry.
  2. "Wyoming Women in the Legislature" (PDF). Historical Information. Wyoming: Wyoming Secretary of State Office. 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 21, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  3. "Nation's 147 Women Legislators Active". The Palm Beach Post. Associated Press. January 19, 1931. Archived from the original on February 16, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  4. Wolfson, Leo (March 31, 2024). "Wyoming History: First Female State Senator Anti-Prohibition, Pro Veteran's Hospital". Cowboy State Daily. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  5. Larson, T. A. (1990). History of Wyoming (Second Edition). U of Nebraska Press. p. 442. ISBN 978-0-8032-7936-0.
  6. "Death Calls Dora McGrath, First Woman State Senator". Jackson's Hole Courier. February 24, 1949. p. 1. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Torrington Man Purchases Store at Thermopolis". Casper Star-Tribune. July 21, 1929. p. 16. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "About the Museum: Our History". Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center. Thermopolis, Wyoming: Hot Springs County Museum and Cultural Center. 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  9. "Thermop Woman in 'Who's Who'". Casper Star-Tribune. July 10, 1939. p. 2. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. "National President of War Mothers Will Visit Thermopolis". Casper Star-Tribune. April 20, 1930. p. 17. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. Female Politicians in Wyoming, The Political Graveyard, Retrieved March 29, 2010
  12. Wyoming Delegation to the 1932 Republican National Convention, The Political Graveyard, Retrieved March 29, 2010
  13. "Committees of Senate Named". Casper Star-Tribune. January 17, 1933. p. 2. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. Dorothy, Jackie (January 2026). "Dora McGrath: Advocate for Wyoming & Veterans" (PDF). Wyoming History News. 73 (1): 1–3.
  15. "Harry Barker Jr. Files Petition for State Senator". The Jackson Hole Guide. May 21, 1964. p. 15. Retrieved May 26, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  • "Dora McGrath: Lady of the Wild West" Pioneers of Outlaw Country: Wyoming History (February 1, 2023); a podcast episode about McGrath, made by the Hot Springs County Pioneer Association