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Nellie Tayloe Ross papers, 1880s-1998

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Ross, Nellie Tayloe, 1876-1977
Title
Nellie Tayloe Ross papers
Dates
1880s-1998 (inclusive)
Quantity
22.50 cubic ft. (39 boxes and digital content)
Collection Number
00948
Summary
Papers of the first woman governor of Wyoming and of the United States, who served from 1924 to 1926. Includes Ross family material, campaign material from Nellie and her husband William B. Ross, speeches and writings, diaries, photographs, and material relating to Nellie Ross's tenure as director of the United States Mint.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Nellie Tayloe Ross (1876-1977) was the first woman governor in the United States. Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, she married William Bradford Ross in 1902 and they lived in Cheyenne, Wyoming. William B. Ross, a Democrat, was elected Governor of Wyoming in 1922. Three weeks before election day in 1924, William B. Ross died and Nellie Tayloe Ross, a housewife of twenty-two years, was elected in his stead. Nellie Ross lost in her bid for reelection in 1926, but had gained national prominence as the first woman governor and began a national speaking tour. In the early 1930s she served as vice chair of the Democratic National Committee in charge of women’s activities. She was appointed Director of the U.S. Mint in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served in that capacity until her retirement in 1953. Ross lived in Washington D.C. until her death at age 101 in 1977.

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Content Description

Collection contains materials relating to Nellie Tayloe Ross’s professional and political career and the Ross family. Correspondence contains both personal and professional letters, including letters to and from family members. Several scrapbooks containing clippings, letters, and photographs document Ross’s time as governor and as director of the U.S. Mint. There are a number of speeches and manuscripts, some handwritten by Ross, about a variety of topics written and presented throughout her career. The collection also contains audio records and interviews documenting Ross’s life and career. Additionally there is legal and financial information largely related to real estate and properties owned by the Ross family. There is also information about the Ross family and several documents pertaining to Ross’s son, William Bradford Ross II. Biographical and general information can be found in clippings, an interview with son William Bradford Ross II, day planners, and publications on Ross. There are also a number of photographs documenting the Ross family, Ross’s term as governor and director of the U.S. Mint, and miscellaneous individuals.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

Family maintains copyright except for material in boxes 1-25 and Digital Content. The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Restrictions on Use

Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in Collections

The American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.

Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Alternative Forms Available

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital reproductions of select material from this collection are available at https://digitalcollections.uwyo.edu/luna/servlet/uwydbuwy~56~56.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection has been arranged primarily in chronological order within each series. This arrangement was changed to alphabetical arrangement in series I, II, and V in 2013. Previous series VIII and IX were absorbed into series I through VII.

Related Materials

Nellie Tayloe Ross Papers, Wyoming State Archives (Cheyenne, Wyo.)

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

Nellie Tayloe Ross donated parts of the collection circa 1960. Lewis Gould donated material in 1986. The Ross Family donated parts of the collection in 1996, 1997, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2015. Mrs. Norman Gray donated three letters in 2002. The DVD was purchased in 2005.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Monte G. Kniffen and Melanie Francis in 1997 and 2003 and updated by Laura Uglean Jackson in 2013.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Governors -- Wyoming
  • Politics, Practical -- Wyoming
  • Women -- Political activity
  • Women chief executive officers -- United States

Corporate Names

  • United States Mint
  • United States Mint -- Officials and employees

Geographical Names

  • Wyoming -- History -- 1919-1945
  • Wyoming -- History -- 1946-
  • Wyoming -- Politics and government.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Artifacts
  • Diaries
  • Phonograph records
  • Scrapbooks

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Ross, William Bradford

Processed by Monte G. Kniffen, Melanie Francis, and Laura Uglean Jackson
2013, 2015

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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