Nellie Tayloe Ross

Nellie Davis Tayloe Ross served as the 14th governor of Wyoming from 1925 to 1927 and director of the U.S. Mint from 1933 to 1953. Ross was the first woman to serve as an American governor and the first to serve as director of the U.S. Mint.

Ross was born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on November 29, 1876. She attended a teacher-training college for two years and taught kindergarten for several years.

Her husband, William B. Ross, was governor of Wyoming from 1923 until his death on October 2, 1924. She succeeded him as governor when she won the special election. She lost re-election in 1926 but remained an active member of the Democratic Party.

In 1933, Ross became director of the U.S. Mint. She served five terms, retiring in 1953.

Ross died in Washington, D.C., on December 19, 1977.

Sources:

Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, March 11). Nellie Tayloe Ross: Governor of Wyoming, United States. In Britannica. Retrieved on July 20, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nellie-Tayloe-Ross.

National Governors Association. (n.d.). Gov. Nellie Tayloe Ross. Retrieved on July 20, 2020, from https://www.nga.org/governor/nellie-tayloe-ross.

Wyoming State Archives. (2014, Nov. 8). Nellie Ross. Retrieved on July 20, 2020, from https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/nellie-ross.