Women's Activism NYC

Dixie Bibb Graves

1882 - 1965

By: St | Date Added:

Dixie Bibb Graves is a woman with a remarkable past. She was a woman that accomplished a lot for her people and society, Graves broke many barriers throughout her journey. Dixie Bibb Graves was known as a First Lady from the state of Alabama, and the first woman United States Senator from Alabama. In her early career Graves became a civic leader. She was a trustee of Alabama Boys' Industrial School in Birmingham and president of the United Daughters of the Confederacy from 1915 to 1917. She was for the people and in her tenure Graves was active in many causes, including public welfare, health, and education. Appointed on August 20, 1937, as a Democrat by her husband, Governor Bibb Graves, to the United States Senate to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Hugo L. Black, Graves was the first woman Senator from Alabama, and the first married woman to serve in the Senate. Dixie Bibb Graves was born on July 26, 1882 in Montgomery, Alabama. Her mother and father Peyton and Isabel Thorpe Bibb gave birth to her on their family plantation, she grew up in a very southern household. Dixie was a very educated and advanced young lady but shortly after attending the public schools, in 1900, at the age of 18, she married state legislator and first cousin David Bibb Graves. Dixie Bibb Graves, unfortunately, passed away in Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama, on January 21, 1965 at the age of 82 years. She was named to the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1972. She served from August 20, 1937, until her resignation on January 10, 1938. Governor Graves' decision to appoint his wife as interim senator until a special election could be held, was made in order to favor none of the possible candidates over any other. He wanted their continued support for his programs. During her term, she voted in support of New Deal programs directed at agriculture, crop control, and labor policy. Her legacy will continue to inspire many women and people around the world to get into politics and make an effort to change society.

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