Kate M. Dudden

Kate Dudden was elected Librarian of Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County, New York in 1881. She received all but one of the votes cast in the race and won election. Dudden was the first woman elected to any office in Lansingburgh, although two other women ran unsuccessfully for office that year. 1880 was the first year women with property or school aged children in New York could vote for a few local offices, and several turned out to vote in Lansingburgh. Dudden was elected to a second term the following year, and a third term the year after.