Jean Frances Howard

Jean Frances Howard (born 20th century) is an American law enforcement officer. She was the first female state trooper in Alaska and the "first unrestricted state officer in the United States". In 2009, she was named to the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame.

Career Howard was a dental assistant working in Grants Pass, Oregon, before she relocated to Alaska. Alaska required that a state trooper execute driving tests for individuals interested in becoming drivers. Due to the lack of state troopers available to provide the tests, Howard was made a "special" test administrator. Despite an added responsibility on top of her dispatcher position, Howard was still paid her original salary. After Alaska ratified the Equal Rights Amendment, she applied to become an Alaska state trooper. She also became "the first unrestricted state officer in the United States". Upon becoming a state trooper, Howard denied being a "women's rights advocate", and that "it just sorta happened", referring to her becoming a trooper.

Legacy In 2009, she was named to the Alaska Women's Hall of Fame.