Thread by @JohnSpiroSpero

I tweeted today about electing historians to public office & supporting our history teachers to fight white supremacy in state legislatures. Then fate dropped a historical figure into my lap to make the point. Her name was Kathryn H. Stone. I had never heard of her before. THREAD

In my line of work, I look at a lot of random auctions for historical artifacts to buy, then resell to collectors. I found a lot of composite photos of Virginia House of Delegates members between 1948 and 1956. I squinted: all white folks, and pretty much all guys too. (2/14)

Using the handy database available at history.house.virginia.gov, I checked to see if there were any women in the last of those years, 1956. There was one. Her name was Kathryn H. Stone. She was a former history & govt teacher representing Arlington. (Bottom, 2nd from right) (3/14)

She had just been elected in 1954, so this was her 2nd term in office. She was described as a “housewife and mother” when she ran, & upon being seated as the sole woman in the assembly the @WashingtonPost called her "the prettiest lawmaker in the Virginia General Assembly.”(4/14)

She wasn’t there to be pretty. Brown vs. Board of Ed. came down during her 1st term & she immediately started working against state opposition to school segregation. She understood public education (only 1 other former teacher was in the VA House) & championed civil rights (5/14)

She reminded her all-white male colleagues “you are stooping in panic as you desert the Bill of Rights, which was born in the minds and hearts of the greatest Virginians.” "The Defenders of State Sovereignty & Individual Liberties" spent money to beat her in 1956. She won. (6/14)

She stood with only 2 colleagues out of the 100-person VA House in fighting the segregationist Stanley Plan & supporting the advocacy of the @NAACP. Within a month of the Stanley Plan being declared unconstitutional in Jan 1959, her home of Arlington peacefully integrated. (7/14)

She remained in the VA House through 1965, fighting for mental healthcare, community colleges, & increased representation of women in VA politics. She continued to work for the people of Arlington as part of LBJ’s War on Poverty after her return to private life in 1966. (8/14)

When Kathryn H. Stone was elected in 1956 (36 years after women achieved equal suffrage!) no woman had served in more than 20 years, though 6 were elected between 1924 & 1934. Since the VA House of Delegates’ founding to date, 9000 men have been elected, but only 91 women. (9/14)

Stone passed away in 1995. Her obit was upstaged in @nytimes by Howard Cosell. No picture of her has made its way to the Web & she has no listing in @libraryofva’s Dictionary of Virginia Biography (just a mention in “95 Years of Women in Virginia’s House of Delegates.")(10/14)

Stone’s papers are at @uvalibrary. Among her pubs was a 1947 essay “Women as Citizens” which began “It is time we stopped talking about ‘women as citizens,’ and talked about citizens,” while underscoring the distinction in perspective & experience women bring to politics. (11/14)

"Because of the tyranny of old habits, relatively few women have participated in the process, but they have been and are potent,” Stone wrote. Today, in 2019, the 100-person Virginia House of Delegates includes 28 women. They remain, alas, relatively few, but potent. (12/14)

Kathryn H. Stone wasn’t a Virginia native. She wasn’t a millionaire or a decorated veteran. She was a teacher who understood communities & had the guts to stand up for her ideals. If you’re a woman, or teacher, or want to work for your community, run for office. Please. (13/14)

This shero deserves to be more than an historical footnote. I’m glad fate threw her across my path tonight. And I hope someday some of you will be discovered for the history you make after you get elected too. If you enjoyed this, don't thank me. Thank Kathryn H. Stone. (14/14)

Thanks to all the #Twitterstorians who bring this kind of content to Twitter on a daily basis, and to all those who support candidates like Kathryn H. Stone: @runforsomething, @emilyslist, @TheDLCC, and all the local parties, activists, and volunteers.