Who’s Who in Missouri

Home town: Mrs. Mayme Ousley’s home town was St. James, Missouri. She lived in St. James for 64 years.

Birth: She was born in Edgar Springs on January 2, 1887.

Death: Mrs. Mayme Hanrahan Ousley died on October 29, 1970, at the home of a friend.

Makes Person Famous: In 1919, women were granted the right of suffrage through a Constitutional Amendment. Two years later in 1921, Mrs. Ousley announced her candidacy for Mayor. The editor of the local newspaper printed, “There are those who can hardly bear the idea of a woman holding such a position and are as much opposed to a woman holding an important office as they were to giving the women the right to vote.” Of the 587 votes cast, Mrs. Ousley won by 8 votes. What makes Mayme famous is that she was the first woman Mayor in the state of Missouri!

Town commemorates this famous person? St. James does not

Commemorate this person.

Interesting Facts:

1.She successfully ran for Mayor four times.

2.She also ran for State Senator and State Representative.

3.Her nickname was “Granny.”—She got this name because she traveled with the local baseball team, and she was always after the men since they neglected their uniforms and equipment. They fondly nicknamed her “Granny” and the name stuck.

4.She only took one dollar per month for her pay as a Mayor.

5.She was so popular with the citizens that they held her installation ceremony in the town’s opera house.

6. City Park: She and her husband, a local dentist, gave property to be used as the first city park.