Kate Barnard

Kate Barnard

Catherine Ann "Kate" Barnard (May 23, 1875 – February 23, 1930) was the first woman to be elected as a state official in Oklahoma, and the United States in 1907. She served as the first Oklahoma Commissioner of Charities and Corrections for two four year terms (this position was the only one that the 1907 Oklahoma State Constitution permitted a woman to hold).

Before being elected to office, Barnard had worked as a teacher and in clerical patronage positions in the territorial government. She was also heavily involved in charity work.