From collection Candidates
Ella Gale from Groton, New York, was elected School Commissioner of Tompkins County-Second District in 1892, becoming the first woman to occupy that position in New York. She won despite being a Democratic and Prohibition nominee in a primarily Republican county. 1892 was the first year that women were eligible to vote in the School Commissioner election and declare themselves candidates for the post as well. Many women voted in this election, 150 in Dryden, and 64 at Varna.