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Florence McRaven (May 11, 1877 - October 22, 1975) was a member of the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1927 to 1930.

Early life and education

McRaven was born on May 11, 1877, in Tate County, Mississippi. [1] She had fourteen siblings. [1] In 1878, her family moved to Arkansas, where her father became a deputy sheriff for Franklin County. [1] [2]: 107  McRaven attended the Central Collegiate Institute and earned a master's degree in English literature from Hirarm and Lydia College in 1895. [1] McRaven studied at the Chautauqua Institution several times over the course of her life. [1]

Career

McRaven started her career in the post office for Altus, Arkansas. [1] She was active in the Pulaski County community, supporting women's educational funding and volunteering for the county library. [1] McRaven worked as an investigator for the Arkansas Department of Labor from 1923 to 1925. [3]

In 1926, McRaven launched a campaign for the Arkansas House of Representatives as a Democrat. [1] Her only prior political involvement had been as a member of the Women of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group that otherwise ascribed to Progressive politics. [1] [4] Her campaign did not heavily rely on her status as a woman, rather, she disseminated promotional material arguing that she had the "right motives, intelligence, and strength of character" for the job. [2]: 108  She won her election and was reelected in 1928. [5] [1]

While serving in the House, McRaven actively sponsored progressive legislation, especially legislation relating to the rights of female workers. [6] She supported efforts to end capital punishment and to promote the teaching of evolution in schools. [1] [2]: 80  She opposed other efforts to combine church and state, arguing that recreational activities such as baseball should be allowed on Sundays. [2]: 108 

McRaven ran for the Arkansas Senate in 1930. [6] She was the first female candidate for the Arkansas Senate in the state's history. [6] She lost the race, coming in fifth. [7] [1] After losing, she worked at the Pulaski County Courthouse and campaigned for John L. McClellan and Benjamin T. Laney. [1] She also wrote an autobiography titled Swift Current which was published in 1954. [1] [8]

Personal life

McRaven married John Sanders McRaven in 1898. [1] The two had three children. [1] [2]: 107  She was an aunt to the novelist Janice Holt Giles. [9] McRaven died on October 22, 1975. [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Smith, Stephen A.; Smith, Lindsley Armstrong (2023-08-25). "Florence Emily McGraw McRaven (1877–1975)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  2. ^ a b c d e Smith, Lindsley Armstrong; Smith, Stephen A. (2022). Stateswomen: A Centennial History of Arkansas Women Legislators, 1922-2022. University of Arkansas Press. doi: 10.2307/j.ctv322v54j.
  3. ^ "Inspector Finds Children Under 12 With Social Security Cards". Northwest Arkansas Times. Fayetteville, Arkansas. 1946-06-13. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ McGehee, Margaret T. (2023-06-16). "Women of the Ku Klux Klan (WKKK)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  5. ^ "World News About Women". The Woman's Journal. 11 (8): 36. January 1927 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ a b c "Mrs. Florence McRaven State Senate Candidate". The Courier News. Blytheville, Arkansas. 1930-03-29. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "McRaven Defeated". Hope Star. Hope, Arkansas. 1930-08-20. p. 6. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ McRaven, Florence McGraw (1954). Swift Current. Central Collegiate Institute.
  9. ^ Stuart, Dianne W. (2021). Janice Holt Giles: A Writer's Life. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN  9780813184548.
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