Jane Y. McCallum

Jane Yelvington McCallum (1877 - 1957), women's suffrage activist, was the longest-serving Secretary of State of Texas.

Jane Yelvington was born December 30, 1877 in LaVernia, Texas. She married Arthur McCallum and they moved to Austin in 1903, where he became school superintendent. She became active in the movement for women's suffrage and was elected president of the Austin Women Suffrage Association in 1915. Despite opposition, she gave speeches and wrote newspaper articles in support of women's right to vote, while raising five children. After 1920, when women were able to vote, she became active in the Texas League of Women Voters.

She was first appointed to the position of Secretary of State in January 1927 by Governer Dan Moody. The next Governor, Ross S. Sterling, kept her on in the position, and she continued serving until 1933. While serving in this office, she discovered an original copy of the Texas Declaration of Independence in a vault.

In 1954, she became the first female commissioner of a Travis County Grand Jury after women won the right to serve on juries.

McCallum died August 14, 1957 and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery, in Austin.

...
Wikipedia