Gladys Shields Pyle
(October 4, 1890March 14, 1989) was an American educator, politician and the first
woman
A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...
elected to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
without having previously been appointed to her position; she was also the first female senator to serve as a
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and the first female senator from South Dakota. Further, she was the first female senator from outside the south. (The previous four had come from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
,
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
,
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
, and
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...
, respectively.) She was also the first unmarried female senator.
Early life
Gladys Shields Pyle was born in
Huron, South Dakota
Huron is a city in Beadle County, South Dakota, United States. It is the county seat of Beadle County. The '' Huron Daily Plainsman'', also referred to as the ''Plainsman'', is the newspaper. The first settlement at Huron was made in 1880. The ci ...
on October 4, 1890, the daughter of
John L. Pyle and
Mamie Shields Pyle
Mary "Mamie" Shields Pyle (February 28, 1866 – December 22, 1949) was a women's suffrage leader in the U.S. state of South Dakota. She was instrumental in the state's enactment of women's suffrage in 1918.
Following a failed 1910 referendum ...
, and was the youngest of their four children,
three girls and one boy.
Her father was a lawyer who served as
Attorney General of South Dakota
The Attorney General of South Dakota is the state attorney general of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The attorney general is elected by popular vote to a four-year term and holds an Executive (government), executive position as the state's chief l ...
and her mother was a leading
suffragist
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
in the state.
The family lived in a home John built,
remaining there after his death from typhoid fever in 1902.
John and Mamie were instrumental in the establishment of
Huron College, which Gladys attended.
While a student, Gladys competed in debates alongside her sisters. She graduated in 1911,
and moved to Chicago to attend the
American Conservatory of Music
The American Conservatory of Music (ACM) was a major American school of music founded in Chicago in 1886 by John James Hattstaedt (1851–1931). The conservatory was incorporated as an Illinois non-profit corporation. It developed the Conservato ...
and 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 ...
.
Early career
Pyle worked in education from 1912 to 1920.
After teaching Latin and civics for two years in Huron, she became principal of
Wessington
Wessington is a village and civil parish in the English county of Derbyshire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 576. It is in the North East Derbyshire district of the county. It is near to the towns of Matlock, Alfreton ...
's public schools.
Gladys, her mother Mamie, and two sisters were very involved in the Women's Suffrage movement and frequently hosted meetings of the local
League of Women Voters
The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...
chapter in their house. Pyle became a lecturer for the league
and traveled to Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Ohio to give speeches and make presentations.
In 1922, she ran for a seat in the
South Dakota House of Representatives
The South Dakota House of Representatives is the lower house of the South Dakota Legislature. It consists of 70 members, two from each legislative district. Two of the state's 35 legislative districts, Districts 26 and 28, are each subdivided int ...
.
After failing to gain the nomination through the Beadle County
Republicans, Pyle ran in the Independent ticket primary, which she appeared to lose, but successfully contested the result. In the general election, she was the leading vote getter for the three at large House seats, and was elected on the Independent ticket, along with two Republicans.
In 1923 she became first woman member of the state House of Representatives. She was reelected in 1924, and served from 1923 to 1927.
In addition to her part-time legislative position, Pyle was also appointed to serve as Deputy
Secretary of State of South Dakota
The secretary of state of South Dakota is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current secretary of state is Monae Johnson.
Divisions
The secretary of state's office is composed of three divisions:
*ThBusi ...
.
Secretary of State
In 1926, Pyle was the successful Republican nominee for
Secretary of State of South Dakota
The secretary of state of South Dakota is an elected constitutional officer of the U.S. state of South Dakota. The current secretary of state is Monae Johnson.
Divisions
The secretary of state's office is composed of three divisions:
*ThBusi ...
.
She was reelected in 1928, polling more votes than had ever been given any candidate for any office in the state, and served from 1927 to 1931.
In 1930, she was a candidate for the Republican nomination for governor. She won the primary, garnering nearly a third of the vote. Since no candidate received the 35% required under South Dakota law, the contest moved to the Republican Convention, where the delegates would select the nominee from the five candidates on the primary ballot. Pyle led the fourth, and sixth through eleven ballots, increasing her total votes each ballot, except for a significant loss of votes the eighth ballot as she was closing in on the nomination. During the 12th ballot, the Convention Chair suspended the roll call and over three hours later, three male candidates threw their support to Warren E. Green, who had run last in the primary with about 7.5% of the vote and who won the nomination when the roll call resumed. Pyle quickly conceded defeat without rancor or accusation but did not endorse Green until after the filing period for filing as an independent had ended. She later hinted at her disappointment when she indicated she would not seek further partisan political office.
Pyle was executive officer for the State Securities Commission from 1931 to 1933.
While pursuing her political career, Pyle also became active in the life insurance business, and worked as an agent for several companies, including
New York Life Insurance Company
New York Life Insurance Company (NYLIC) is the third-largest life insurance company in the United States, the largest mutual life insurance company in the United States and is ranked #67 on the 2021 Fortune 500 list of the largest United State ...
and
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance.
In addition, she was elected president of the Huron Life
Underwriters
Underwriting (UW) services are provided by some large financial institutions, such as banks, insurance companies and investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liabilit ...
Association, and was active in the National Association of Life Underwriters.
U.S. Senator
On
November 8, 1938, she was elected as a Republican to the United States Senate, winning over 58% of the vote and receiving about 8,500 more votes than the second highest statewide election winner. Pyle received the highest percentage of the vote for non-incumbent Republican nominees and second highest percentage of the vote for all Republican nominees for the U. S. Senate in the 1938 elections. Pyle was elected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of
Peter Norbeck
Peter Norbeck (August 27, 1870December 20, 1936) was an American politician from South Dakota. After serving two terms as the ninth Governor of South Dakota, Norbeck was elected to three consecutive terms as a United States Senator. Norbeck was ...
.
Norbeck died in December 1936, which allowed the governor of South Dakota to appoint a replacement, and he appointed Democrat
Herbert E. Hitchcock
Herbert Emery Hitchcock (August 22, 1867 - February 17, 1958) was a United States senator from South Dakota.
Life
Hitchcock was born in Maquoketa, Iowa, the son of Harriet M. Lumley and Milando Lansing Hitchcock. He attended public schools in I ...
.
Hitchcock lost the primary for the Democratic nomination for a full term, and the general election was won by Republican
Chan Gurney
John Chandler "Chan" Gurney (May 21, 1896March 9, 1985) was an American businessman and politician from South Dakota. A Republican, he was most notable for his service as a U.S. Senator from 1939 to 1951.
Early life
Gurney was born in Yankton, S ...
.
Because he lost the Democratic nomination, a quirk in South Dakota law required Hitchcock to step down following the November 1938 election, which would have created a vacancy before Gurney's term began in January 1939.
To fill the two month vacancy, South Dakota Republicans successfully pushed for a special election because of rumors that President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
would call a special session of Congress to be held before January.
State law also prevented Gurney from appearing on the ballot twice, so he was unable to run in the special election.
As a result of these circumstances and the quirks in the law, the Republican Party prevailed upon Pyle, despite her pledge not seek any further partisan political office, to run in the special election, in part because of her popularity in the state, and in part because she had the name recognition that they would not have to devote many resources to the special election campaign.
She campaigned against the
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1939. Major federal programs agencies included the Civilian Cons ...
, arguing the program had not gone far enough to help the people of South Dakota.
On the same day that Gurney won election to a full term, Pyle easily defeated Democrat J. T. McCullen Sr. for the short one, running about 6 percentage points ahead of the winning percentage of the next highest statewide office election winner.
Pyle was paid for her Senate service and allowed to hire staff, but the Congress was not in session and she was never sworn in.
After the election, Pyle traveled to Washington, D.C. at her own expense, accompanied by her mother and one aide.
No special session was called, so Pyle did not have the opportunity to perform any official Senate duties before her term ended.
She shared a Senate office with
Thomas M. Storke, an appointed interim senator from
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, and spent her time in Washington lobbying federal agencies including the
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...
and
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
for approval of projects in South Dakota.
Later career
In January 1939, Pyle returned to her insurance business, and remained closely involved in public service work.
In 1940, she became the first woman to deliver a presidential nominating speech at a national convention, speaking on behalf of candidate
Harland J. Bushfield.
In addition to resuming her career in the life insurance business, Pyle was the guardian for two orphaned boys and managed her family's 640-acre farm near Huron. She was a member of the South Dakota Board of Charities and Corrections from 1943 to 1957.
Death and burial
In 1988, Pyle became the oldest living current or former U.S. senator. She died in Huron on March 14, 1989, aged 98.
Her ashes are interred at Riverside Cemetery in Huron.
Legacy
The
Pyle House, the family home that Gladys Pyle lived in from 1894 until 1985 is on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
and has been converted into a museum.
Pyle recorded her own recollections of the home before her death, in preparation for its conversion.
It is largely unchanged from when it was built and has many of the original furnishings and interior decorations.
See also
*
Women in the United States Senate
This article covers the history of women in the United States Senate and various milestones achieved by female senators. It includes a list of all women who have served in the Senate, a list of current female senators, and a list of states repre ...
*
List of United States senators from South Dakota
South Dakota was admitted to the United States, Union on November 2, 1889, and elects United States Senate, U.S. senators to Classes of United States senators, Class 2 and Classes of United States senators, Class 3. Its current U.S. senators are ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyle, Gladys
1890 births
1989 deaths
20th-century American politicians
20th-century American women politicians
Female United States senators
People from Huron, South Dakota
Huron University alumni
Republican Party United States senators from South Dakota
Secretaries of State of South Dakota
Republican Party members of the South Dakota House of Representatives
Women in South Dakota politics
Women state legislators in South Dakota
American suffragists