Margaret S. Roberts

Margaret Stevenson Roberts (March 21, 1872 – May 25, 1952) was an American librarian known as Idaho's "Petticoat Governor" for her influence in advocating for women's suffrage. She was the main force behind the Idaho Free Traveling Library for over thirty years, encouraging reading and the establishment of public libraries.

Early life and education

Margaret Stevenson Roberts was born March 21, 1872. She was the daughter of Civil War general George H. Roberts and his wife Julia. She graduated from Saint Mary-of-the-Wasatch Academy and Brownell Hall boarding school. She studied voice in Philadelphia.

Roberts was in her early twenties when her father moved the family from Nebraska to Hailey, Idaho to take a job as a lawyer for the rapidly expanding Union Pacific Railroad.

Political efforts

Roberts was known as the "Petticoat Governor of Idaho" for her efforts supporting women's suffrage and other progressive reforms. She frequently disagreed with Carrie Chapman Catt, who urged Roberts to put more pressure on Idaho's Senator William Borah to vote in favor of national women's suffrage.

Work in librarianship

For many years, Roberts was a librarian for the Idaho Free Traveling Library, which would later become the Idaho State Library.

Roberts called the first meeting of the Idaho State Library Association (later the Idaho Library Association) in December 1915.

Death and recognition

Roberts died in Boise on May 25, 1952.

In 2020, USA Today named Roberts one of the ten most influential women in the history of Idaho as part of its "Woman of the Century" series.