Amelia Elizabeth Simison McColgin (January 7, 1875 – July 9, 1972) was an American businesswoman and politician. A native of Kansas, she moved to western Oklahoma Territory in 1901. In 1920, she was the first woman elected to the

Oklahoma House of Representatives The Oklahoma House of Representatives is the lower house of the legislature of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its members introduce and vote on bills and resolutions, provide legislative oversight for state agencies, and help to craft the state's b ...

Early life and family

Amelia Elizabeth Simison was born in

Minneapolis, Kansas Minneapolis is a city in and the county seat of Ottawa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 1,946. History The community was originally called Markley's Mills, and under the latter name was laid ...

, on January 7, 1875, to Edward Harding Simison and his wife, Jane Eliza Moody. Both her parents died when she was three years old, and she was raised by relatives in

Earlville, Illinois Earlville is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,613 at the 2020 census, down from 1,701 at the 2010 census. The city is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. History The Earlville Post Office h ...

and educated at the Teachers Normal College and

Illinois Wesleyan University Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockfor ...

. She married Grant McColgin (1870-1955) in 1895, and they moved to Oklahoma Territory in 1901. The ''Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture'' states that her husband bought a relinquishment in

Roger Mills County, Oklahoma Roger Mills County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,647, making it the third-least populous county in Oklahoma. Its county seat is Cheyenne. The county was create ...

, in 1903. Bessie McColgin became a school teacher and the postmistress of the Ridgeton Post Office. A few years later, the family moved to Rankin, where she and her husband established the Rankin Telephone Company in their home. She also organized a Women's Christian Temperance Union chapter, and was a school teacher in Rankin's first public school. Her son Sterling S. McColgin also served in the Oklahoma Legislature.

Career

While pregnant with her 10th child, McColgin became the first woman elected to the

. She served in the legislature in 1921 and 1922. According to legend, men in her family entered her name in the election as a Republican without her knowledge. She was seen as a "superior orator." While in office, McColgin was heavily involved in health and safety legislation, and introduced a bill to create a Bureau of Child Hygiene. She attempted to pass legislation from Senator

Lamar Looney Mirabeau. Lamar Looney (January 16, 1871 – September 3, 1935) was the first female member of the Oklahoma Senate. Looney was elected to public office as the registrar of deeds for Harmon County in 1912 and later as Harmon County Clerk i ...

, but few bills succeeded. She was also involved in a soldiers' relief program and helped establish a Tuberculosis Sanatorium in Oklahoma. Although she was not re-elected for a second term, three new woman members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives were elected in 1923. On the last day of her term, McColgin was presented with a wristwatch from her male colleagues to commemorate her service, which they jokingly stated was because "women legislators need to be watched". Nearly 40 years after her term ended, McColgin's son Sterling was elected to the same seat she had filled. McColgin died at the age of 97 in Sayre, Oklahoma, on July 9, 1972. She was posthumously inducted into the

Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma ...

in 2005.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:McColgin, Bessie S. 1875 births 1972 deaths Republican Party members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives Women state legislators in Oklahoma 20th-century American women politicians Illinois Wesleyan University alumni People from Earlville, Illinois People from Minneapolis, Kansas People from Roger Mills County, Oklahoma Schoolteachers from Oklahoma Oklahoma postmasters 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators 20th-century members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives