Frances Jones Mills

Frances Jones Mills
Born	July 4, 1920 Gray, Kentucky
Died	May 24, 1996 (aged 75) Louisville, Kentucky
Occupation	teacher, career politician
Spouse(s)	Gene Mills
Parent(s)	Bertie (Steely) and William H. Jones

Frances Jones Mills (July 4, 1920 - May 24, 1996) was a state official in Kentucky for a large portion of the 1970s and 1980s. She was the first woman and first Democrat in the 20th century to win the office of State Representative for the Knox County, Kentucky district. She was also the first woman to serve three (non-successive) terms as Kentucky State Treasurer.

Mills was born in Gray, a small town in Knox County, Kentucky to Dr. William H. Jones and Bertie (Steely) Jones. She graduated from Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky and attended Eastern Kentucky State Teacher's College. She taught school in Gray for eight years and then in 1949 she married Gene Mills.

Mills was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives from Knox County, Kentucky in 1961 as a Democrat, serving one term from a heavily Republican district. She then worked as an aide to the Speaker of the House.

Mills was an unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964, winning the Democratic nomination but losing the general election to Republican Tim Lee Carter despite the nationwide Democratic landslide as Lyndon B. Johnson retained the presidency by a huge margin over Barry Goldwater.

From 1965 to 1972 she worked for the Kentucky Civil Defense, but in 1971 Mills was nominated for Clerk of the Kentucky Court of Appeals. She won that election earning her first statewide office. Mills later sought and won election to the office of State Treasurer in 1975, 1983, and 1991. She was also elected Secretary of State in 1979. Mills unsuccessfully sought the office of Secretary of State of Kentucky in 1987, losing to Bremer Ehrler, and 1995, losing to John Y. Brown III.

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