Mary Godat Bellamy

Mary Godat Bellamy (December 13, 1861 – January 28, 1955) was an American teacher, politician, and suffragist who served as the first female member of the Wyoming House of Representatives.

Early life

Mary Godat Bellamy was born on December 13, 1861, in Richwoods, Missouri, to Charles Godat and Catherine Horine.

In 1878, she became a teacher and worked in Tybo, Nevada. In 1886, she married Charles Bellamy and later had three children with him (Benjamin Charles, Fulton Dodd). In 1895, she and her family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Following the death of Associate Justice John Marshall Harlan, Bellamy attempted to start a movement to have President William Howard Taft appoint a woman to replace him.

In 1912, she chose to not seek reelection and did not run in the 1914 or 1916 elections. In 1918, she ran for a seat in the state House of Representatives with the Democratic nomination and won. During her tenure she voted in favor of the 18th Amendment which established the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.