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218:. Women in the state were only permitted to vote on matters involving schools, and this was the only statewide office for which they could vote; consequently, Eisenhuth reasoned, there was no reason she should not be eligible for the post. She lost, with 45% of the vote, and returned to her institute work, conducting workshops in the southern part of the state.
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Due largely to the health issues from which Willis was suffering, the couple suffered great financial hardships after Laura left office. They lost the newspaper which he had founded in
Carrington, as well as the drugstore in that town and their home and possessions in Bismarck, due to unpaid county
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Not long after the couple's marriage and Laura's move to
Carrington, she was asked, thanks to her eleven years' experience as an educator, to substitute for the local schoolteacher, who had resigned one month into the school year. She was meant to be a temporary substitute, but ended up serving out
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taxes. She ran for her old position in 1896 and 1900, but lost both races. Her husband died in May 1902, while she was serving as assistant principal of
Carrington High School; she returned to teaching in Carrington that fall. She married Ludwig Alming in 1907, and moved with him to
252:. She won with a tally of 19,078 votes to Devine's 17,343. The election attracted national attention. Upon taking office in January, Eisenhuth's first action was to appoint a deputy, but her choice, W. R. Bierly, was turned down by governor
271:, which caused much trouble for the state economy. Furthermore, her husband became very ill in October, returning to Pennsylvania to recuperate; while he returned west sometime later, he spent much of his time in a hospital in
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210:, winning reelection the next year. In 1890, she received an appointment as a state institute conductor, overseeing operations for eight teacher institutes in northern North Dakota. That year the
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189:. That fall she resumed teaching in Iowa, and returned to her homestead for each of the next two summers. She married, in the fall of 1887, Willis Eisenhuth, a drugstore owner from
181:, in either 1860 or 1863; there she grew up with four siblings. She attended college and then became a teacher at DeWitt High School in her hometown. She first traveled to the
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in schools in towns with water systems, and was an advocate for fencing of school grounds. Her more ambitious goal, to build schools and improve others, was defeated by the
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In her role as superintendent, Eisenhuth emphasized professional development, conducting many teacher training workshops herself. She recommended the installation of
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In 1892, Eisenhuth was endorsed once again by the
Democratic Party for the state superintendent election, this time also picking up an endorsement from the
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Laura J. Eisenhuth, North Dakota state superintendent of public instruction from 1893-94, was the first woman elected to statewide office in the U.S.
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316:, where she is buried in Siskiyou Memorial Park. Willis is buried in Carrington. Neither her hometown newspaper nor that in
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the year; at her return the next year she was provided an assistant. In 1889, she was elected superintendent of schools for
153:) (May 29, 1859 – September 30, 1937) was an educator and politician from North Dakota. When she was elected the state's
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256:. Instead, she nominated her husband, who was accepted to the post. The couple then purchased a home in
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193:. He had come to the territory in 1882; like Laura, he had previously been a teacher in his hometown,
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493:"Suffrage at the Constitutional Convention: School votes and Laura Eisenhuth"
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From
Suffrage to the Senate: An Encyclopedia of American Women in Politics
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370:"History: ND elected first woman to be administrator of a state office"
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320:, in their obituaries, was certain of the milestone she had reached.
177:, to Thomas and Nancy (Flater) Kelly. With her parents she moved to
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in June 1885, filing a pre-emption claim on 160 acres of land near
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Emigrants from pre-Confederation
Ontario to the United States
400:"Biennial report of the Superintendent of Public Instruction"
404:
330:
List of North Dakota superintendents of public instruction
437:"How the American West Led the Way for Women in Politics"
622:"Willis H. B. Eisenhuth (1857-1902) - Find a Grave..."
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and from unaffiliated independents. Her opponent was
275:. Eisenhuth was defeated for reelection in 1894 by
260:and became friends with the governor and his wife.
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742:North Dakota Superintendents of Public Instruction
599:"Laura J. Kelly Eisenhuth Alming (1859-1937) -..."
468:Women in American Politics: History and Milestones
659:North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction
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458:
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216:North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction
44:North Dakota Superintendent of Public Instruction
287:the same year that Eisenhuth lost her post, and
521:Suzanne O'Dea Schenken; Suzanne O'Dea (1999).
335:North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
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418:"Milestones for Women in American Politics"
157:in 1892, she became the first woman in the
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308:, in 1909, where together they operated a
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406:. 1888/90-1918/20: Public document: 43 v.
214:endorsed her to run for the position of
752:19th-century American women politicians
722:People from Foster County, North Dakota
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422:Center for American Women and Politics
757:19th-century American women educators
737:People from Eddy County, North Dakota
465:Doris Weatherford (20 January 2012).
197:. The couple would have no children.
161:to win an election for state office.
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155:superintendent of public instruction
574:"Women Wielding Power-North Dakota"
550:"North Dakota Blue Book, 2017-2019"
548:North Dakota Department of State.
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747:19th-century American politicians
240:, a well-respected educator from
727:Schoolteachers from North Dakota
136:Willis Eisenhuth, Ludwig Alming
702:Women in North Dakota politics
1:
707:Politicians from Chatham-Kent
767:People from Dakota Territory
499:. 2020-08-10. Archived from
244:who would go on to serve as
762:Educators from North Dakota
527:. ABC-CLIO. pp. 226–.
497:Prairie Public Broadcasting
208:Foster County, North Dakota
169:Laura J. Kelly was born in
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471:. CQ Press. pp. 11–.
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732:American women educators
717:People from DeWitt, Iowa
147:Laura J. Kelly Eisenhuth
435:Magazine, Smithsonian.
697:North Dakota Democrats
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195:Millheim, Pennsylvania
398:North Dakota (1932).
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441:Smithsonian Magazine
306:Jacksonville, Oregon
246:lieutenant governor
16:American politician
644:Political offices
625:www.findagrave.com
602:www.findagrave.com
227:
151:Laura Kelly Alming
120:September 30, 1937
23:Laura J. Eisenhuth
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666:Succeeded by
534:978-0-87436-960-1
478:978-1-60871-007-2
281:Antoinette Peavey
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111:Blenheim, Ontario
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663:1893–1894
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238:Joseph M. Devine
212:Democratic Party
183:Dakota Territory
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89:Personal details
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254:Eli Shortridge
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505:. Retrieved
501:the original
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380:21 September
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289:Estelle Reel
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187:New Rockford
179:DeWitt, Iowa
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122:(1937-09-30)
108:May 29, 1859
74:Succeeded by
51:
692:1937 deaths
687:1859 births
175:Canada West
98:Laura Kelly
62:Preceded by
681:Categories
652:John Ogden
630:2022-03-21
607:2022-03-21
559:2022-03-21
507:2022-03-21
446:2022-03-21
341:References
310:fruit farm
299:Later life
235:Republican
191:Carrington
165:Early life
104:1859-05-29
67:John Ogden
295:in 1896.
273:Jamestown
265:bath tubs
133:Spouse(s)
56:1893–1894
52:In office
578:nwhm.org
324:See also
285:Colorado
258:Bismarck
250:governor
201:Educator
171:Blenheim
293:Wyoming
291:won in
242:LaMoure
149:(later
531:
475:
318:Fargo
585:2015
529:ISBN
473:ISBN
382:2015
248:and
117:Died
94:Born
42:4th
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.