Clara Campbell Explained

Clara Permilia Little Campbell (February 12, 1846 – December 16, 1931) was a state legislator in Idaho. Born in Somers, Connecticut, she married American Civil War veteran William Orlando Campbell in 1867 and they moved to Eugene, Oregon where her husband became superintendent for the Indian school at the Nez Perce Reservation in northern Idaho. They later moved to Moscow, Idaho and then Boise, Idaho. She was one of the first women to serve in the Idaho House of Representatives. She was a Republican.[1]

Women were allowed to vote in Idaho in 1896. Two years later, Campbell, Harriet Noble and Mary Allen Wright became the first women elected to the Idaho House. They were photographed.[2] A plaque in a hallway commemorating their achievements was moved to the Idaho Capitol's rotunda after a letter from a fourth grader.[3]

She represented Ada County, Idaho along with representatives S. M. C. Reynolds, C. B. Kingsley, and O. W. Hall as well as Senator C. M. Hays, all Republicans.[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Biographical Sketch of Clara Permilia Little Campbell | Alexander Street Documents. documents.alexanderstreet.com.
  2. Web site: Biennial Report of the Board of Trustees of the State Historical Society of Idaho. Idaho State Historical Society (Boise. Idaho). July 31, 1922. Idaho State Historical Society. Google Books.
  3. Web site: Plaque Honoring Idaho's Female Legislators Moved To Better Location. November 11, 2019. Maine Public.
  4. News: Returns on Legislature . 31 July 2022 . The Idaho Statesman . 11 November 1898 . 4.