Fanny Neal Yarborough Bickett (October 11, 1870 – July 3, 1941) was an American social worker, public official, lawyer, and lobbyist. She served as the First Lady of North Carolina from 1917 to 1921, as the wife of Governor Thomas W. Bickett, and used her influence in his administration to enact social reforms and support

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, she maintained a

victory garden Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany during World War I ...

at the

North Carolina Executive Mansion The North Carolina Executive Mansion (also referred to as the North Carolina Governor's Mansion) is the official residence of the governor of North Carolina and their family. Building began in the year 1883 and it was designed by architects Samu ...

and promoted home gardens to support the war effort. Bickett was the commandant of the Southeastern District of the U.S. Training Corps and visited American troops in France as a representative of the

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

. After serving as first lady, Bickett served in various civic roles, including as a member of the board of governors of the North Carolina School for the Blind and Deaf, as the Head of the Infant and Maternal Welfare Bureau of the North Carolina State Department of Health, and as the Superintendent of Public Welfare for

Wake County Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

. In 1929, she was appointed by Governor

O. Max Gardner Oliver Max Gardner (March 22, 1882February 6, 1947) was an American politician who served as the List of Governors of North Carolina, 57th Governor of North Carolina, governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1929 to 1933. A member of the ...

as the first woman president of the

North Carolina Railroad The North Carolina Railroad is a state-owned rail corridor extending from Morehead City, North Carolina to Charlotte, North Carolina. The railroad carries over seventy freight trains offered by the Norfolk Southern Railway and eight passenger t ...

. In her later life, she earned a law degree from

Wake Forest University Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1834, the university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina. The Reynolda Campus, the un ...

and passed the

state bar A state bar association is a bar association that represents or seeks to represent the attorneys practicing law in a particular U.S. state. Their functions differ from state to state, but often include administration of the state bar examination fo ...

Early life and education

Bickett was born Fanny Neal Yarborough on October 11, 1870, at Rose Hill, her family's plantation in Franklin County. Her father, Colonel William Henry Yarborough, was a planter and former officer in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. Her mother, Lucy "Lula" Massenburg Davis Yarborough, died when she was three years old. Her father raised her with the help of an aunt, Fannie Yarborough Neal of

Louisburg, North Carolina Louisburg is a town in Franklin County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,064. It is the county seat of Franklin County. The town is located approximately 29 miles northeast of the state capital, Ral ...

, for whom she was named. Bickett was educated by private governesses at home before enrolling at

Louisburg College Louisburg College is a private Methodist-affiliated two-year college in Louisburg, North Carolina. History Louisburg College has its roots in two schools: Franklin Male Academy, which was chartered in 1787, re-chartered in 1802 but held its fir ...

. In 1889, she graduated from St. Mary's Junior College in

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

and went on to study at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. In her later life, she studied at the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

and, following her husband's death, she attended

Wake Forest University School of Law The Wake Forest University School of Law is one of the professional graduate schools of Wake Forest University. Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest University School of Law is a private American Bar Association (ABA) accredited ...

and passed the

Career and public life

Bickett became First Lady of North Carolina in 1917, upon the election of her husband,

Thomas Walter Bickett Thomas Walter Bickett (February 28, 1869December 28, 1921) was the 54th governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1917 to 1921. He was born in Monroe, North Carolina. Bickett was a graduate of Wake Forest College. Prior to being elect ...

, as the 54th Governor of the state. She was among the most formally educated first ladies and one of the first to have a separate profession. She pioneered efforts for public assistance and was a lobbyist for the development of North Carolina's

welfare Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...

system. Due to her influence, her husband's administration introduced social reforms including the establishment of juvenile courts, stricter regulations regarding the employment of minors, better treatment and living conditions for incarcerated people, and an increase in public health services. When she and her husband moved into the

, she brought her own household staff from Louisburg. She employed the architect James Salter to conduct a complete inspection of the

, and supported his suggestions to improve the building, forwarding the request to the

North Carolina General Assembly The North Carolina General Assembly is the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Government of North Carolina, State government of North Carolina. The legislature consists of two chambers: the North Carolina Senate, Senate and the North Ca ...

's Joint Committee on Public Buildings and Grounds. The initial request for $65,000 to fund renovations did not pass in the general assembly, but a measure enacted in March 1917 for $4,000 was granted, and a subsequent allocation of another $4,000 in 1919 went towards renovation costs. In 1920, Bickett had the second-floor ballroom converted into a bedroom, bathroom, closets, and a corridor to connect other family bedrooms together. She purchased dining room furniture, a four-poster bed for the mansion's guest room, and a consul table with a mirror for the grand hallway. In 1917, she hosted students and faculty from the East Carolina Teachers Training School at the

. During

, Bickett promoted home gardens to aid in the war effort, and maintained a

at the governor's mansion. She was actively involved in the

Young Men's Christian Association YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

and the

Young Women's Christian Association The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

and, in 1918, visited American troops in France as a representative of the

. Bickett provided housing for soldiers passing through Raleigh during the war, allowing them to stay at the governor's mansion, setting up sixty cots in the ballroom. She worked with the

Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based offic ...

to improve the physical conditions of women working in war offices and in war-related capacities. Bickett was the commandant of the Southeastern District of the Training Corps, serving for several summers at a camp near

Asheville Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

. In 1920, Bickett and her husband appeared before a joint session of the

North Carolina State Senate The North Carolina Senate is the upper chamber of the North Carolina General Assembly, which along with the North Carolina House of Representatives—the lower chamber—comprises the state legislature of North Carolina. The term of office for e ...

and the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North Ca ...

in support of

. Less than a year after her husband's term as governor ended, he died in December 1921. Shortly after his death, Bickett became the head of the Infant and Maternal Welfare Bureau of the State Department of Health, serving in this capacity until 1924. In 1924, she became the Superintendent of Public Welfare for

. She was known to have progressive views on racial policy, and hired several African-American people for professional and clerical positions in her office. In 1929, Bickett was appointed by Governor

as the first female president of the

. She was later succeeded by former First Lady

Cora Lily Woodard Aycock Cora Lily Woodard Aycock (October 11, 1868 – March 13, 1952) was an American political hostess, farmer, and railway executive. As the second wife of Governor Charles Brantley Aycock, she served as First Lady of North Carolina from 1901 to 1905. ...

in 1933. Bickett was also a member of the board of the North Carolina School for the Blind and Deaf. Bickett was a national officer of the

Colonial Dames of America The Colonial Dames of America (CDA) is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor who lived in British America from 1607 to 1775, and was of service to the colonies by either holding public office, being in th ...

and was an active member of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

and the

United Daughters of the Confederacy The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) is an American neo-Confederate hereditary association for female descendants of Confederate Civil War soldiers engaging in the commemoration of these ancestors, the funding of monuments to them, ...

Personal life and death

On November 29, 1898, she married

, a country lawyer whom she met in Louisburg. They had three children: William Yarborough Bickett, Thomas Walter Bickett, Jr., and Mary Covington Bickett. Bickett was

Episcopalian Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

and was an active parishioner at Christ Church in Raleigh. She died on July 2, 1941, at

Rex Hospital UNC Rex Hospital is a general hospital located in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is the capital city's oldest hospital, founded by a bequest from John T. Rex (1771-1839), a local tanner. Originally located on what is now Dorothea Dix campus, and ...

, following a heart attack. Her funeral was held at Christ Church. She was buried beside her husband at Oak Lawn Memorial Cemetery in Louisburg.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bickett, Fanny Yarborough 1870 births 1941 deaths 20th-century American railroad executives American health officials American political hostesses American social workers American suffragists Colonial Dames of America Daughters of the American Revolution people Episcopalians from North Carolina First ladies and gentlemen of North Carolina Louisburg College alumni Harvard University alumni Members of the United Daughters of the Confederacy North Carolina Democrats People from Louisburg, North Carolina St. Mary's School (North Carolina) alumni University of Chicago alumni University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni Wake Forest University School of Law alumni Women in North Carolina politics YMCA leaders