M. Sylvia Donaldson (July 12, 1849 – June 15, 1937) was one of the first women elected to the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

. She was elected in 1924 at the age of seventy-three and served until 1930. Donaldson, a Republican, represented the tenth district (Plymouth/Brockton).

Life and career

Donaldson was born in

Falmouth, Massachusetts Falmouth ( ) is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 32,517 at the 2020 census, making Falmouth the second-largest municipality on Cape Cod after Barnstable. The terminal for the Steamship Authority ferri ...

on July 12, 1849. She studied to be a teacher at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

. She taught in the Brockton School District from 1873 to 1919 where she was principal and served on the school board. In 1923, the first women, Donaldson and Susan Fitzgerald, were elected to the Massachusetts State Legislature. Donaldson served as honorary Speaker of the House on February 18, 1926. In addition to her work as a teacher and legislator, Donaldson was active in the Audubon Society,

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 ...

, the National Education Association,

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 ...

, and the Women's Civic Federation.

Stonehill College Stonehill College is a Private college, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on ...

has created The Sylvia Donaldson Society for Women in Politics for female students at Stonehill College.

References

1849 births 1937 deaths People from Falmouth, Massachusetts Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Women state legislators in Massachusetts Boston University School of Education alumni Educators from Massachusetts School board members in Massachusetts 19th-century American educators 20th-century American educators 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 19th-century American women educators 20th-century American women educators {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub

Life and career

See also

References