From collection Candidates
Luella Atkin McAllister, born in St. George, Utah, was elected as a trustee, or council member, on November 5, 1911 in Kanab, Utah. In what has been termed a "prank" election, local men drew up an all-female slate for the council, entering the names of five local women, including that of McAllister, the mother of six children. Though "unsolicited and unwanted," (Turley, p. 328) the women accepted election and worked effectively to address earlier acts of mismanagement and neglect. They passed ordinances that improved flood control while trying to regulate peddlers, stray livestock, gambling, drinking, and Sabbath breaking. McAllister was 26 when she took office in January, 1912. She did not seek re-election.