SEPTEMBER 2024 | 11 THE OKLAHOMA BAR JOURNAL Statements or opinions expressed in the Oklahoma Bar Journal are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the Oklahoma Bar Association, its officers, Board of Governors, Board of Editors or staff. lighten the labor of drawing water for the stock.”16 The family lived and worked on the farm for five years, the amount of time required to prove their claim, and received the land patent on March 29, 1906.17 After the five years were up, Ms. Looney moved the family to Hollis so that the children could attend better schools. In 1912, Ms. Looney was elected registrar of deeds for Harmon County, the “first of a series of political triumphs that ... distinguished her as one of the state’s most successful women politicians.”18 Completing her term, she was twice elected treasurer of her county19 and, in 1916, was elected Harmon County clerk for two terms.20 Since Ms. Looney maintained that she was a staunch Democrat but not a politician, a group of her friends got together to discuss her entrance into the Oklahoma Senate race and, believing that she could win, encouraged her to enter the race. Her friends then went to Mangum to discuss the plan with the “boys,” finally convincing them that a woman could serve in the Legislature.21 In 1920, Ms. Looney entered the Democratic primary as a candidate for state senator.22 Since she had not finished her term as county clerk when the campaign for the Senate seat started, she told everyone she was “paying strict attention to being county clerk.”23 She continued by saying, “I refuse to slacken or neglect anything. My books shall be turned over in perfect order.”24 During her Senate campaign, one of her supporters was asked, “Aren’t you afraid to match a woman against the politicians in the Senate?” The supporter smiled and replied, “They won’t get anything by her.”25 Ms. Looney campaigned only in Greer County, covering the county in her own car, and had campaign expenditures totaling $149.80.26 Ms. Looney, elected as a Democrat from the 4th Senatorial District for Harmon and Greer counties, not only carried her own Harmon County 3-1, but she also carried her opponent’s county 2-1. Thus, she was seated the first woman in the Oklahoma Legislature.27 She maintained the distinction of being the only woman to be in the state Senate until 1975.28 Her daughter, Mabel Looney Parks, remembers going door-to-door seeking votes for her mother and recalls the comments of several men regarding the election. “Ms. Looney, I know you are a capable lady, but I believe a woman’s place is in the home.” Her response was, “Eating what?”29 On Jan. 4, 1921, Ms. Looney took her seat in the Oklahoma Senate, wearing a “smart brown suit and a brown hat, draped with a bit of lace veil.” In an interview, she said, “There is nothing extraordinary about me.”30 But none who knew of her past would agree with that statement. The new senator had a “chain-lightning mind of a type essentially masculine,” idealistically practical31 and was a surprise to her fellow senators. One senator said: “It is easy to prophesy that she will prove a ‘good sport,’ cooperate well, work hard, realize her mistakes with a smile – and never weep. She has a good chance of becoming a ‘fixture’ in the Senate since she has a political future in mind and has in the past pleased her constituents.”32 At the time of her election to the Senate in 1921, Ms. Looney expected to be admitted to the bar within the year, but she was not admitted until Dec. 10, 1923.33 Her application, number 2139, was by motion directly to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and her admission was granted by Chief Justice J. T. Johnson. She was 52 when she was admitted to the bar.34
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTk3MQ==