Ross, Nellie Tayloe, 1876-1977
Enlarge text Shrink text- NUCMC data from Wyoming State Archives for Her Papers, 1925-1927(Governor Nellie Tayloe Ross, 1925-1927; b. 1880; d. 1977; wife of Gov. William B. Ross; elected in the gen. election of 1924 to finish Gov. Ross's unexpired term, thereby becoming the first woman governor in the U.S.; appt. dir of U.S. Mint, 1933; vice chairman of Demo. National Committee and superintended the Demo. women's office in Washington, D.C.)
- WWWA, 1897-1942(Ross, William Bradford; married Nellie Davis Tayloe, Sept. 11, 1902)
- Wyoming, a 20th century history of its citizens, businesses & institutions, c1999:p. 82-83 (Nellie Davis Tayloe Ross, b. Nov. 29, 1876 near St. Joseph, Missouri; d. November 19, 1977, Washington, DC; age 101)
- Social Security Death Index, viewed Feb. 24, 2006(Nellie Ross, b. 29 Nov 1876; d. Dec 1977)
Nellie Davis Ross (née Tayloe; November 29, 1876 – December 19, 1977) was an American educator and politician who served as the 14th governor of Wyoming from 1925 to 1927, and as the 28th and first female director of the United States Mint from 1933 to 1953. She was the first woman to serve as governor of a U.S. state, and remains the only woman to have served as governor of Wyoming. She was a Democrat and supported Prohibition. She ran for re-election but refused to campaign herself. Ross was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, to James Wynns Tayloe, a native of Tennessee, and Elizabeth Blair Green, who owned a plantation on the Missouri River. Her family moved to Miltonvale, Kansas in 1884, and she graduated from Miltonvale High School in 1892. She attended a teacher-training college for two years and taught kindergarten for four years. On September 11, 1902, Ross married William B. Ross, whom she had met when visiting relatives in Tennessee in 1900. William B. Ross was governor of Wyoming from 1923 to his death on October 2, 1924. Ross succeeded her late husband's successor Frank Lucas as governor when she won the special election, becoming the first female American governor on January 5, 1925. She was a staunch supporter of Prohibition during the 1920s. She lost re-election in 1926, but remained an active member of the Democratic Party. In 1933, Ross became the first female Director of the United States Mint. Despite initial mistrust, she forged a strong bond with Mary Margaret O'Reilly, the assistant director of the Mint and one of the United States' highest-ranking female civil servants of her time. Ross served five terms as Director, retiring in 1953. During her later years, she wrote for various women's magazines and traveled. Ross died in Washington, D. C., at the age of 101.
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