And on November 2, 2010, Fallin became the first woman elected as Governor of Oklahoma. When she took the oath of office on January 10, 2011, she was inaugurated as the state’s 27th Governor.

 

     During her years in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Fallin passed more than a dozen bills, including Oklahoma’s first “anti-stalker law” and measures aimed at improving the business climate in Oklahoma. For her work to lower the health care costs of small businesses in Oklahoma, she was named "Legislator of the Year" by the American Legislative Exchange Council.

 

     Governor Fallin has cited job growth and retention, education reform, government modernization and protecting Oklahoma from the intrusions of Washington, D.C., as top priorities. Additionally, she has launched the Complete College America initiative to dramatically increase the number of college graduates in Oklahoma to help the state retain and attract jobs.

 

     The governor is a graduate of Oklahoma State University. She is married to Wade Christensen, an Oklahoma City attorney who is the state’s first “First Gentleman.” The couple has six children between them. They attend Crossings Community Church in northwest Oklahoma City.

 

     Please welcome Governor Mary Fallin to the Rotary Club of Edmond.

 

Andy

 

Answer: Alice Robertson, a Republican, bested incumbent Democrat William Wirt Hastings in 1920 by 228 votes, and became the second woman ever elected to Congress. Among her campaign slogans was the notion “there are already more lawyers and bankers in Congress than are needed.” During her one term, Robertson became the first woman to preside over a session of Congress (click here for June 21, 1921, New York Times story). In 1922, Hastings ran again for his old seat, and ousted Robertson with 58% of the votes.