Mary K. Shell
| Mary Katherine Jaynes Shell | |
|---|---|
| 21st Mayor of Bakersfield | |
|
In office 1981–1985 |
|
| Preceded by | Donald M. Hart |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Anthony Payne |
| Member, Kern County Board of Supervisors, District 5 | |
|
In office 1985–1997 |
|
| Preceded by | John Mitchell |
| Succeeded by | Peter Parra |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
February 9, 1927 Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
(1) Don Stickler (married 1945–1948, divorced) |
| Children |
Geoffrey Richard Hosking (born 1951) of Bakersfield |
| Occupation | Journalist; Businesswoman |
|
(1) At the time of her retirement as a Kern County supervisor, Shell was called "the most popular politician in Kern County history" by the Bakersfield Californian newspaper, for which she had once worked. (2) Shell is thus far the only woman to have served as mayor of Bakersfield. (3) Mary Shell, then Mary Hosking, first caught the attention of Joe Shell when she organized formerly Democratic Kern County into a largely Republican stronghold. She went on to co-manage Shell's 1962 gubernatorial campaign in Kern County. (4) Like her third husband Joe, Mary Shell held a pilot's license and had great interest in aviation. (5) Mary Shell once challenged The Tonight Show host Johnny Carson for his dismissive line about "beautiful downtown Bakersfield". |
|
(1) Don Stickler (married 1945–1948, divorced)
(2) Richard "Dick" Hosking (married 1949–1969, divorced, died 1981)
Geoffrey Richard Hosking (born 1951) of Bakersfield
Timothy William Hosking (1952–1979)
(1) At the time of her retirement as a Kern County supervisor, Shell was called "the most popular politician in Kern County history" by the Bakersfield Californian newspaper, for which she had once worked.
(2) Shell is thus far the only woman to have served as mayor of Bakersfield.
(3) Mary Shell, then Mary Hosking, first caught the attention of Joe Shell when she organized formerly Democratic Kern County into a largely Republican stronghold. She went on to co-manage Shell's 1962 gubernatorial campaign in Kern County.
(4) Like her third husband Joe, Mary Shell held a pilot's license and had great interest in aviation.
Mary Katherine Jaynes Shell, previously Mary Hosking, usually known as Mary K. Shell (born February 9, 1927), is the first woman to have served as mayor of Bakersfield, California (1981–1985) and only the second woman to have served on the Kern County Board of Supervisors (1985–1997). At the time of her retirement from public office, Shell was termed by the Bakersfield Californian as "the most popular politician in Kern County history." She is the widow of Joseph C. Shell, Sr. (1918–2008), a former Republican minority leader of the California State Assembly from Los Angeles, Richard M. Nixon's intraparty opponent for governor in 1962, and a lawmaker who fought to bring water to southern California in the 1960s.
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