September 24, 1922 – The St. Louis Post-Dispatch offers a full-page story on America’s newest political celebrity – Iowa City’s first female mayor, Emma J. Harvat.
In the spring of 1922, state and federal agents conducted sweepings raids in the Iowa City area, resulting in 86 indictments. Just after that, Iowa City Mayor Ingalls Swisher unexpectedly fired his chief of police — provoking public outrage — and when the council wouldn’t confirm Swisher’s inexperienced choice for chief, the mayor immediately resigned. So, to no one’s surprise, the crime-stopper, Emma J. Harvat – who had been doing a bang-up job as an at-large council member over the last year – was quickly elected as acting mayor by the city council, making her the first woman mayor in, not only Iowa City, but the entire United States! In 1923, she was elected for a full term by the people of Iowa City and served until 1925.
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