Mirabeau. Lamar Looney (January 16, 1871 – September 3, 1935) was the first female member of the
Oklahoma Senate
The Oklahoma Senate is the upper house of the two houses of the Legislature of Oklahoma, the other being the Oklahoma House of Representatives. The total number of senators is set at 48 by the Oklahoma Constitution.registrar of deeds for Harmon County in 1912 and later as Harmon
County Clerk
A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keepin ...
in 1916 before women received the right to vote. In 1920, an
amendment
An amendment is a formal or official change made to a law, contract, constitution, or other legal document. It is based on the verb to amend, which means to change for better. Amendments can add, remove, or update parts of these agreements. They ...
to the U.S. Constitution gave all women of the United States voting privileges, the same year that Looney ran for and was elected to the Oklahoma Senate. Looney served from 1920 until 1928, representing District 4. In 1926, she considered running for
Lieutenant Governor
A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
but abandoned the race knowing that the courts would hold to the Oklahoma constitutional requirement that a man hold the office. Looney then decided to run for a spot in the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...
but lost her bid and returned to her fourth and final term in the Oklahoma Senate. Looney would remain the only woman in the Oklahoma Senate until 1975.
Early life
Lamar Looney was born Mirabeau Lamar Cole on January 16, 1871 in
Talladega, Alabama
Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state's la ...
. She was named after the second president of the sovereign
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas (), or simply Texas, was a country in North America that existed for close to 10 years, from March 2, 1836, to February 19, 1846. Texas shared borders with Centralist Republic of Mexico, the Republic of the Rio Grande, an ...
, Mirabeau B. Lamar. Looney's father was a lawyer and as a child she enjoyed reading his law books in her spare time. In 1891, Looney married "Doc" Tourney Looney and the two crossed into the future Greer/Harmon County area in the southwestern part of
Oklahoma Territory
The Territory of Oklahoma was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 2, 1890, until November 16, 1907, when it was joined with the Indian Territory under a new constitution and admitted to the Union as ...
. Soon after, Looney was widowed, left to raise five children all under the age of ten by herself. Doc had served as the
postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
of
Hollis, Oklahoma
Hollis is a city in and the county seat of Harmon County, Oklahoma, Harmon County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 2,060 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census.
History
The city was named for George W. Hollis, a local busine ...
, and in the event of his death, Looney succeeded him in that job and became the postmistress. In addition to the postmistress position, she taught music at their home for a year to provide for herself and her children. Looney sold her musical instruments in order to purchase farming equipment and filed a claim on a quarter section of land one mile from Hollis and with the help of her ten-year-old son planted their first crop of 20 acres. In 1906, a year prior to statehood, she received the land patent for the farm and Looney moved her family to Hollis in order for the children to attend better schools.
Career
In 1912, Looney was elected as the registrar of deeds for Harmon County and was later elected as the county treasurer. In 1916, she was elected as the Harmon County Clerk, and served in all of these public offices before women had received the constitutional right to vote.
With women's suffrage on the horizon, several friends convinced Looney to run for the Oklahoma Senate. Looney purchased a car and drove around to campaign for votes. Looney was for universal suffrage and was an advocate for care of the elderly and children.
Oklahoma Senate
During her campaign, Looney's expenditures totaled $149.80. On the ballot she used her middle name, Lamar, because it is generally considered a masculine name and she figured this would be a successful tactic for voting. She was a progressive democrat that fought for women's right to vote and serve in public offices. She was also passionate about increasing funding for rural schools, as she was for helping the Oklahoma farmer. During her first term in office, Looney introduced 28 bills. On December 10, 1923, while in office, Looney was admitted to the Oklahoma Bar Association. Looney was idealistically practical and was always searching for ways to save taxpayer's money.
Senate Committees
*Chair of the State and County Affairs Committee
*Chair of the Agricultural Committee
*Chair of the Prohibition Enforcement Committee
On September 3, 1935, Looney died due to a heart disease in a hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.'Woman Politician Dies,' Miami Daily News-Record (Miami, Oklahoma), September 4, 1935, pg. 1 Her casket was placed in the Capitol Rotunda and the flags were flown at half-mast in her honor. Her portrait now hangs on the fourth floor of the
Oklahoma State Capitol
The Oklahoma State Capitol is the house of government of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the building that houses the Oklahoma Legislature and executive branch offices. It is located along Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City and contains 452,50 ...