Mary Katherine Shell (; February 9, 1927 — May 19, 2018) was an American Republican politician who served as the 23rd Mayor of Bakersfield for a single term between 1981 and 1985. She also served as a member of the Kern County Board of Supervisors.

Life and career

Shell was born Mary Katherine Jaynes on February 9, 1927, in

Bakersfield Bakersfield is a city in and the county seat of Kern County, California, United States. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley, which is located in the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's population as of the ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. She worked in her father's auto shop as a child, later becoming a news reporter at 17, and wrote for '' The Bakersfield Californian''. She attended

Bakersfield College Bakersfield College (BC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Bakersfield, California. BC serves about 31,000 students each semester or 46,500 annually, and offers associate degrees, certifica ...

, but dropped out shortly before graduation, instead choosing to work a variety of jobs relating to agriculture and aviation before becoming a political organizer. During this time, she also earned a pilot's license. Her third husband was Joseph C. Shell, a California Assemblyman and

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

navy A navy, naval force, military maritime fleet, war navy, or maritime force is the military branch, branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral z ...

veteran. They met when Shell worked on his gubernatorial campaign for the 1962 election. Following her husband's retirement from politics, she again wrote for ''The Bakersfield Californian'' and worked in the oil industry alongside him.

Mayor of Bakersfield

Shell decided to run for mayor in the 1980 election, and came narrowly behind Kern County Sheriff Charles Dodge in the primary. She won the runoff with 61% of the vote and became the first female Mayor of Bakersfield. Shell attempted to connect with the city's minorities, and tried to clean up the city, creating a city beautification committee called the Beautiful Bakersfield Committee. Shell also established a historic preservation commission, created a city flag, and created one of the first

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

memorials in the U.S. She also relaunched the city's Downtown Christmas parade and established the annual Bakersfield Prayer Breakfast. Because Bakersfield uses a weak mayor system of government, her role was largely ceremonial, so she decided to not seek reelection in 1984, and was succeeded by Bob Price.

Later life

Shell served three terms on the Kern County Board of Supervisors between 1985 and 1996, being an opponent of government regulation. She was the second woman to serve on the Board of Supervisors. Pete Parra succeeded her on the county board after her retirement. She considered running for the

State Senate In the United States, the state legislature is the legislative branch in each of the 50 U.S. states. A legislature generally performs state duties for a state in the same way that the United States Congress performs national duties at ...

's 15th district, but decided against it. Shell died in Bakersfield in 2018. The Mark K. Shell Mental Health Center in Bakersfield is named after her.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shell, Mary K. 1927 births 2018 deaths 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century mayors of places in California California Republicans County supervisors in California East Bakersfield High School alumni Politicians from Bakersfield, California Spouses of California politicians Women mayors of places in California