Frances Farley photograph collection, circa 1910-1990

Frances Farley was born on August 27, 1923 in Grand Forks, North Dakota. She received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of North Dakota and a master's degree in marketing from New York University. Farley, a Democrat, served as Senator for District 1 from 1976 to 1982 being the first woman to be elected to the Utah Senate in 20 years. Farley unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 1982 and 1984 before again mounting a successful run for State Senate in District 1 in 1986. Farley was an advocate for women's rights and according to the Deseret News, "[Farley] staged a news conference blasting the University Club for not allowing her into its sports grill. The protest launched a movement that eventually led decades-old male-only private clubs to open memberships to women." [Deseret News. January 21, 2004.] Farley retired from the Utah Senate in 1990. She also fought for legislation that would prevent discrimination in housing, helped organize the Utah Women's political caucus in 1972 and led a movement to remove sexist language from the Utah code. Frances Farley died on January 16, 2004.