Frances Cleveland Axtell

Frances Sevilla Cleveland Axtell (June 12, 1866 – May 27, 1953) was an American clubwoman, suffragist, politician, and federal official. She was one of the first female legislators in the United States of America, elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1912. She was an appointed member of the Federal Employees' Compensation Commission during the Wilson administration.

Early life and education

Cleveland was born in Sterling, Illinois, the daughter of William A. Cleveland and Mary Humaston Cleveland. Her father was a farmer and stock-raiser. Axtell earned a bachelor's degree (Ph.B.) in 1889 and a master's degree in 1892, both at DePauw University in Indiana, where she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta.

Career Cleveland taught Latin and mathematics at Northwest Normal School as a young woman.

Axtell nearly became a U.S. senator in 1916, losing by about three thousand votes. Her relationship with her brother Frederick, who worked in the administration of President William Howard Taft, coupled with the publicity surrounding her 1916 attempt as a senator, brought her to the attention of President Woodrow Wilson. On January 5, 1917, President Wilson appointed her to the Federal Employees' Compensation Commission. She was one of the highest ranked women in the Wilson administration. She served as chair of the Commission in 1918 to 1921. again without success. From about 1930 to 1936, she was Supervisor of Mothers' Pensions and a probation officer in Bellingham. She moved to Seattle in 1944, where she continued active in clubs and churchwork.