Frances Falwell Threadgill
Frances Falwell Threadgill
“Remarkable character and breadth of thought…an estimable and cultured wife; she has been one of the most active civic workers in the West.”
Biography
A native of Tennessee, Frances Falwell Threadgill is most famous for her historic work as a member of the Oklahoma Federation of Women. Working during the session of the state’s constitution convention, this organization successfully incorporated several key elements within the legislation, including juvenile courts for children under 16, compulsory education for children from 8 to 16, and a child labor law regulating the employment of children. Mrs. Threadgill presided over the foundation’s state convention of 1909, at which time the Frances F. Threadgill Education Loan Fund was established. By 1939 a total of 273 girls had benefited from the fund. Ultimately the federation was known for “rendering service for the advancement of the individual and general human welfare.”
Fun fact
In 1902 Frances Threadgill conducted one of the nation’s first campaigns to place kindergartens in the public school system.
Oklahoma connections
Threadgill became president of the Territorial Federation in 1906.