Fae Searcy () was an American politician who served as clerk of the
Supreme Court of Illinois
The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...
. She was the first woman to hold a statewide elected office in the state of
Illinois.
Biography
Searcy was born in
Shelby County,
Illinois as Fae Isenberg.
She attended
public school
Public school may refer to:
* State school (known as a public school in many countries), a no-fee school, publicly funded and operated by the government
* Public school (United Kingdom), certain elite fee-charging independent schools in England an ...
in
Shelbyville.
Searcy attended
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest Mixed-sex education, coeducational liberal arts college in the United S ...
, and graduated from the Hinshaw Conservatory of Music in
Chicago.
She married
Earle Benjamin Searcy
Earle Benjamin Searcy was an American politician who served as clerk of the Supreme Court of Illinois, Illinois state senator, and Illinois state representative.
Early life
Searcy was born on May 4, 1887, in Palmyra, Illinois. He worked as a rep ...
in 1917,
taking his surname.
The Searcy's would be parents to daughter Barbara Jane Searcy Damewood and son Earle B. Searcy.
Searcy's husband became a politician. She joined he frequently on campaign trips, and was involved in
Republican Party
Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party.
Republican Party may also refer to:
Africa
*Republican Party (Liberia)
* Republican Part ...
women's clubs.
Clerk of the Supreme Court of Illinois
In 1955, Searcy's husband, serving in the statewide elected office of Clerk of the
Illinois Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Illinois is the state supreme court, the highest court of the State of Illinois. The court's authority is granted in Article VI of the current Illinois Constitution, which provides for seven justices elected from the five ap ...
,
died in office
A death in office is the death of a person who was incumbent of an office-position until the time of death. Such deaths have been usually due to natural causes, but they are also caused by accidents, suicides, disease and assassinations.
The dea ...
of a
heart attack.
On April 13, 1955, in an instance of
widow's succession, she was appointed by the court to fill the vacant office, becoming the first woman to fill a statewide elected office in Illinois.
She won election as a Republican to a full term
in 1956.
Searcy was reelected to an additional full term
in 1962.
Death
On March 23, 1968, Searcy died at the age of 75, after having ailed from a lingering illness.
Searcy still placed second out of three candidates in the June 1968 Republican
primary election
Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...
for the office of Clerk of the Illinois Supreme Court,
which she had already filed to appear on the ballot fore prior to her death.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Searcy, Fae
Year of birth missing
1968 deaths
People from Shelby County, Illinois
Illinois Republicans
20th-century American women politicians
20th-century American politicians