Adella M. Parker

Adella M. Parker
Member of the Washington House of Representatives
from the District 37 district
In office
1935–1937
Personal details
Born(1870-02-01)February 1, 1870[citation needed]
Whitehall, Michigan
DiedApril 8, 1956(1956-04-08) (aged 86)
Seattle, Washington
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Charles Enoch Allen Bennett
(m. 1921; died 1929)
[1]
Alma materUniversity of Washington School of Law

Adella M. Parker (variously spelled as Adele Parker, Adele Parker-Bennett, or Adela Parker)[2] (1870 – April 8, 1956) was an American suffragist, politician, lawyer, journalist, and teacher who lived in Seattle, Washington. She was a state representative for District 37 in Washington from 1935 to 1937. In 1909, she was the president of the Washington College League.[3]

Early life and education

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Parker was born in Whitehall, Michigan[1] in 1870.[citation needed] She moved with her parents to Seattle.[1] Parker went to law school at the University of Washington, from which she graduated in 1903 as the only woman in the class.[1] She completed graduate work at the West Virginia University and the University of Wisconsin.[1]

Career

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In addition to practicing law, Parker taught political economics and government at Broadway High School.[1][4] She was the executive secretary of the Seattle High School Teachers' League from 1931 to 1934.[1]

Parker was an advocate for municipal good government and for women's suffrage.[5] She was a member of the Women's Good Government League in Seattle[4] and president of the Women's Suffrage League.[1] She drafted a recall law and led a campaign for it to be adopted by Seattle city council as a charter amendment, eventually leading to the recall of Mayor Hiram Gill, who was accused of condoning gambling.[5][6] It was noted by the media that Parker drafted the law and had it adopted before women acquired the right to vote.[5]

Parker married Charles Enoch Allen Bennett in 1921; the couple honeymooned in Siberia. From 1922 to 1923, Parker served as a Moscow correspondent for the International News Service.[1] Bennett died in 1929.[1]

From 1935 to 1937, Parker represented District 37, comprising King County, in the Washington State House of Representatives.[2] She was a member of the Democratic Party.[2]

Death

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Parker died on April 8, 1956, after a short illness.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Miss Adele Parker, Writer, Dies". Seattle Daily Times. April 9, 1956. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "Women in the Legislature | Adela Parker" (PDF). Washington State Legislature. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "Adella Parker to Speak Here". The Tacoma Times. February 5, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Baily, C.H. (1911). "How Washington Women Regained the Ballot" (PDF). Pacific Monthly. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Studying suffrage results in Oregon". The Oregon Daily Journal. August 17, 1913. p. 25. Retrieved March 29, 2020.