Women in Utah politics oral history project, 1976-1994

Overview of the Collection

Collector
American West Center
Title
Women in Utah politics oral history project
Dates
1976-1994 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.5 linear feet
Collection Number
ACCN 1855
Summary
The Women in Utah politics oral history project (1976-1994) consists of interviews with several women who have been active in political and judicial organizations in Utah. Interviews were conducted by Kathryn MacKay, Eloise McQuown, and Gregory C. Thompson under the auspices of the University of Utah's American West Center.
Repository
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860

Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu
Access Restrictions

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Languages
English

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The women in Utah politics oral history project (1976-1994) consists of interviews with several women who have been active in political and judicial organizations in Utah. Interviews were conducted by Kathryn MacKay, Eloise McQuown, and Gregory C. Thompson under the auspices of the University of Utah's American West Center.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Preferred Citation

Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Transferred from The American West Center in 2001.

Processing Note

Processed by Karen Carver in 2003 and 2010.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Folder
1 1 Reva Beck Bosone
Bosone (1895-1983) was the first woman elected to Congress from Utah. She recalls her childhood in American Fork, Utah, and ruminates on the influence of family on her career. Other topics discussed include her involvement in the theater, public school teaching, law school and practice, being a judge, alcoholism, dealing with prostitution, the Utah State legislature, minimum wage an hour law, child labor, the United States Congress, Indian affairs legislation, the Colorado River project, Hill Air Force Base, the McCarthy era, combining motherhood and a career, women in politics, Mormon culture, and the Equal RightsAamendment. 103 pages.
1976
1 2 Frances Farley
Farley (b. 1923) was born in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She recalls her childhood, education, and her experiences in the business community. She describes her political involvement in civil rights and women's issues in Minnesota, the move to Utah, the influence of the dominant culture, behind the scenes political activity, and her election to the Utah State Senate. Other topics include sales tax on food, the anti-war movement, housing, campaigning, gender discrimintion, fund raising, women's issues, and senior issues. Interviewed by Eloise McQuown, Greg Thompson, and Kathryn MacKay. 91 pages.
1977
1 3 Frances Farley
Farley continues the discussion of her political career from her early political experiences in Minnesota to her bid for the United States Senate. Topics include meetings with the LDS church hierarchy, thoughts on working mothers, influence on legislation, campaign financing, and nuclear dumping in Utah. She also recalls more childhood experiences. Interviewed by Greg Thompson and Floyd O'Neil. 55 pages.
1994
1 4 Francis Farley, "The MX: A Case Study of Citizen Involvement," Speech
Recorded at the Committee for National Security Women's Conference in Washington, D.C. 12 pages.
1982
1 5 Susanna Mae Grua
Grua details her genealogy and recalls her childhood in Pleasant Grove, Utah. She discusses her education and teaching experience, her involvement with the Business and Professional Women's Organization, equal rights, community projects, lobbying, equal pay for equal work, the Women's Legislative Council, the Salt Lake City Council of Women, women in the workplace, divorce, dramatics, and the writing of history. Interviewed by Kathryn MacKay, Eloise McQuown, and Greg Thompson. 42 pages.
1977
1 6 Nellie Jack
Jack recalls her introduction to politics, legislative terms, being a woman politician, and financing a campaign. She also talks about her political philosophy. Interviewed by Kathryn MacKay, Eloise McQuown, and Greg Thompson. 16 pages.
1976
1 7 Sonia Johnson
Speech about Mormons for ERA given in Pocatello, Idaho.
1981
1 8 Sonia Johnson
ERA and the separation of church and state, press attention, national network, pressure on legislators, unratified states, Recruiting Mormons for ERA, stumpin in Illinois. Interviewed by David Merrill Jabusch at the Mormons for ERA strategy session in Pocatello, Idaho. 32 pages.
1981
1 9 Beatrice Marchant
Marchant (b. 1903) talks about becoming a "Roosevelt Democrat" in the 1930s, New Deal programs, party philosophies, mass meetings in the 1940s, the Women's Democratic Study Club, Social Security, campaigning, and being told by a fellow-legislator "Mrs. Marchant, you've got a big heart, but you don't have any sense." Other topics include Bircher's Liberty Amendment, bill sponsorship, welfare, unequal pay, the education of women, her children, and the ERA in Utah. Interviewed by Kathryn MacKay, Eloise McQuown, and Greg Thompson. 53 pages.
1976
1 10 Eloise McQuown
McQuown talks about the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women, ERA defeat by the Utah Legislature in 1973, Phyllis Schafly, the ERA speakers bureau, the National Organization of Women, and pressure from LDS church authorities. She also recalls her childhood and early political activity, the McCarthy campaign, the Equal Rights Coalition, and the Women's Movement in Utah. Interviewed by Kathryn MacKay. 68 pages.
1977

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Women in politics--Utah

Geographical Names

  • Utah--Politics and government--20th century--Sources