From collection Candidates
Josephine Fernald campaigned for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1916. Fernald was one of three women, including Jeannette Rankin of Montana and Frances Axtell of Washington, who campaigned for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives that year. In addition to being active in politics, Fernald was also a prominent community member in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born in Kentucky, Fernald began her professional training as a musician at an early age; she played the organ in the local church, when her family relocated to Tennessee and continued on to study at the Boston Conservatory of Music. After touring the country and performing in various West Coast cities, Fernald established the Stanford Music School in Palo Alto in 1919. She continued performing and teaching music, even as she became involved in local and national politics.
