Mabel Gillespie

Mabel Gillespie (October 13, 1894 – November 24, 1982) was a farmer, teacher, journalist, and politician in Nebraska. In 1925, she was the first woman to be elected as a Nebraska state legislator when she served the first of her six terms. She was the first female reporter in Nebraska to work the general news beat, working for the Omaha Bee from 1916 to 1919. She had three failed campaigns for congress and served on the platform committee at the Democratic National Convention in 1940.

Life Mabel Gillespie was born on October 13, 1894, in Ord, Nebraska, to Hjalmar and Catheryn (Jensen) Gudmundsen, both born in Denmark. Hjalmar was born at Nysted, Denmark and served in the US Army on the frontier during the Indian Wars and was captain of Company I, Nebraska Volunteer Cavalry in the Spanish–American War. and at Creighton University while living in Omaha in the 1910s. The farm was very traditional and had no electricity as late as 1928. Mabel Gillespie died in Omaha in November 1982.

Career During World War I she joined the Omaha Bee as a reporter on the Omaha South Side. Serving from 1916 to 1919, she was the first woman in Nebraska to do straight news assignments on a metropolitan newspaper.

She served as a delegate to the 1940 Democratic National Convention and was a member of the platform committee. and ran for seats in congress three times. She lost in bid for United States House of Representatives in 1944 against Howard Buffett and lost in the primary in a bid for Senate in 1954. In 1956 she ran again for the House, losing in the primary to Joseph V. Benesch.

Outside of her political career, she served 14 years on a public power district board and worked as clerk of the district court in Sarpy County, Nebraska.