E. Maude Ferguson

E. Maude Ferguson (August 28, 1883 – June 23, 1932) was an American politician who became the first woman to serve in the New Hampshire Senate.

E. Maude Ferguson
Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
In office c. 1927 – c. 1930
Member of the New Hampshire Senate
In office 1931 – June 6, 1932 (1932-06-06)[citation needed]
Constituency	5th State Senate district[a]
Personal details
Born	Edna Maude Fowler (1883-08-28)August 28, 1883 Danvers, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	June 23, 1932(1932-06-23) (aged 48) Bristol, New Hampshire, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Samuel Ferguson (m. 1912)[3]
Education	Tilton School

Early life

Ferguson was born Edna Maude Fowler in Danvers, Massachusetts, on August 28, 1883. She was the daughter of Dr. Edgar Omera Fowler, a doctor with a large medical practice, and Addie (Bucklin) Fowler. She graduated from Tilton School, in Tilton, New Hampshire (then Tilton Seminary) in 1900. She then attended and graduated from the Greeley School of Elocution and Dramatics in Boston in 1903.^[4] Ferguson became involved in her local community in Grafton County, New Hampshire, becoming chairman of the Republican Women of Grafton County and involved in Bristol Women's Club and the League of Women Voters.^[4]

Career

Ferguson, a Republican, was elected to serve in the New Hampshire House of Representatives representing Bristol, New Hampshire, in 1926; she was re-elected in 1928.^[2][5] In November 1930,^[6] she was elected to the New Hampshire Senate for the 1931–1933 term, becoming the first female to serve in that body.^[4] She was not reelected to the 1932 term,^{[clarification needed]} even though her fellow Republicans had elected her to their caucus in 1931.^[7] Rising in the political sphere in New Hampshire, Ferguson was elected as a delegate to the 1932 Republican National Convention held in Chicago.^[8]

Death

Ferguson died by suicide on June 23, 1932, a week after she should have attended the Republican National Convention.^[2] She had stayed away from the convention and had been "ill" for some time according to her doctors.^[9] Her husband found her in their garden, dead from a self-inflicted wound.^[8][9]

See also

• New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 269: E. Maude Ferguson, New Hampshire’s First Woman State Senator

Notes

1. Bristol is currently in the 2nd State Senate district; contemporary sources indicate that when Ferguson served, she represented the 5th State Senate district.^[1][2]

References

1. "Women Sit in Vermont Senate". Rutland Daily Herald. Rutland, Vermont. September 19, 1930. p. 4. Retrieved June 29, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
2. "Mrs. Ferguson a Suicide". Montpelier Evening Argus. Montpelier, Vermont. AP. June 24, 1932. p. 4. Retrieved June 29, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
3. Caldwell-Hopper, Kathi (October 14, 2020). "Notable NH Women in Politics". The Laker. Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
4. Brown, Janice (March 4, 2015). "New Hampshire's first Female Senator: Bristol's E. Maude (Fowler) Ferguson (1883-1932)".
5. "Three Women Beaten in New Hampshire". The Boston Globe. AP. November 7, 1928. p. 23. Retrieved June 29, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
6. Ainsworth, Lillian M. (November 14, 1930). "Of Interest To Vermont Women". Springfield Reporter. Springfield, Vermont. p. 11. Retrieved June 29, 2021 – via newspapers.com.
7. Weatherford, Doris (2012). Women in American Politics: History and Milestones. Congressional Quarterly Press. ASIN B01FJ16Q5C.
8. "Woman Delegate Ends Own Life". The Evening Independent. Massillon, Ohio. June 24, 1932. p. 20 – via newspapers.com.
9. Duckler, Ray (March 2, 2017). "For these three women, a woman's work was never done". Concord Monitor. Concord, New Hampshire.

External links

• Senate Bill 142 (2017 Session) "AN ACT relative to honoring E. Maude Ferguson, the first woman elected to the New Hampshire senate."