Cherry, Bertha

In 1916, four years after Oregon women gained suffrage, Bertha Cherry was elected recorder of Umatilla, Oregon, part of a group of women who took control of the local government, with Laura Stockton Starcher heading their ticket as mayor. They were effective in improving public services and infrastructure. One source reported that Cherry was also a Justice of the Peace. She was elected mayor of the city in 1918 as were several of the women from the 1916 council.