March 9, 1926: America’s 1st Female Big-City Mayor

March 9, 1926: Doc Brown is Mayor of Seattle. Seriously. No, Back to the Future fans, this isn't as a result of time travel, and messing with the space-time continuum: This really happened, to a real person. He was elected in 1922, and was re-elected in 1924.

But on this day, he is defeated for re-election. The winner becomes the 1st female Mayor of a major American city.

Bertha Ethel Knight was born on October 19, 1868 in Ware, in the Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, and grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts. She attended Indiana University, and returned to Worcester to teach at her Alma Mater, Classical High School. In 1894, she married Henry Landes, a geologist she met at IU. He got a teaching post at the University of Washington, and they moved to Seattle, where they raised 3 children.

Bertha Knight Landes was a Republican, and by the time her children were grown, she had become President of the Washington State chapter of the League of Women Voters. In 1922, she and the aptly-named Kathryn Miracle were elected the 1st 2 women on the Seattle City Council. Edwin J. Brown, a Democrat and a dentist, known as "Doc," was elected Mayor.

In 1924, Brown left town to serve as a Delegate to the Democratic National Convention on New York. He chose Landes to serve as acting Mayor, and the Council approved it. Big mistake, from his perspective: She fired the corrupt chief of police, and cracked down on speakeasies. (Prohibition was on.) When Brown got back, he reinstated the Chief. So Landes ran against Brown in 1926, and beat him by 6,000 votes, a landslide given Seattle's size at the time.

"I suppose some of the politicians believe I should merely stay at home and darn my husband's socks," she said in an interview. "That is a laudable occupation, no one will deny, but it certainly does not take all of a woman's time."

She built the Civic Auditorium (now named Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, in honor of a donor), brought Seattle City Light under city control, and reduced the influence of organized crime, which, given the city's status as a port city, was running rampant. Opponents derided her as "Bluenose Bertha" and, inevitably, "Big Bertha.: Her anti-Prohibition, or "dry," stance proved unpopular, and she she was defeated for re-election by a newcomer in 1928.

She continued to advocate for women in public service, and lived until November 29, 1943. Brown lived until 1941. Henry Landes had died in 1936. None of the Landes children entered politics.

Here's a list of America's "major league" cities, and when they had their 1st female Mayor -- if any:

* 1926, Seattle, Bertha Landes.

* 1948, Portland, Oregon, Dorothy McCullough Lee.

* 1974, San Jose, Janet Gray Hayes. Although San Jose had not yet had a major league team in any sport, this was the 1st time a woman had been elected Mayor of an American city with at least 500,000 people.

* 1975, Cincinnati, Bobbie Sterne.

* 1975, San Antonio, Lila Cockrell.

* 1975, Phoenix, Margaret Hance. This was the 1st time a woman had been elected Mayor of an American city with at least 700,000 people.

* 1976, Dallas, Adlene Harrison, after Wes Wise resigned to make an unsuccessful fun for Congress. Dallas first elected a female Mayor in 1986, with Annette Strauss.

* 1976, St. Petersburg, Florida, Corinne Freeman.

* 1978, San Francisco, Dianne Feinstein, after the assassination of George Moscone. She won in her own right in 1979.

* 1979, Chicago, Jane Byrne. This was the 1st time a woman had been elected Mayor of an American city with at least 800,000 people, or 1 million, or 2 million, or 3 million.

* 1981, Houston, Kathy Whitmire.

* 1982, Columbus, Kathleen McMillan.

* 1983, Sacramento, Anne Rudin.

* 1985, San Diego, Maureen O'Connor.

* 1986, Tampa, Sandra Freedman, after Bob Martinez resigned to run for Governor. She won in her own right later that year.

* 1987, Charlotte, Sue Myrick.

* 1988, Pittsburgh, Sophie Masloff, after the death of Richard Caliguiri. She won in her own right in 1989.

* 1990, Washington, Sharon Pratt Dixon.

* 1991, Salt Lake City, Deedee Corradini.

* 1991, Las Vegas, Jan Jones.

* 1992, Orlando, Glenda Hood.

* 1993, Minneapolis, Sharon Sayles Belton. She was also the city's 1st black Mayor.

* 1998, Kansas City, Kay Barnes.

* 2001, Atlanta, Shirley Franklin.

* 2001, Cleveland, Jane Campbell.

* 2006, Baltimore, Sheila Dixon, after Martin O'Malley was elected Governor. She won in her own right in 2007.

* 2010, Oakland, Jean Quan.

* 2015, Nashville, Megan Barry.

* 2017, New Orleans, LaToya Cantrell.

* 2017, St. Louis, Lyda Krewson.

* 2021, Boston, Kim Janey, after Marty Walsh was appointed U.S. Secretary of Labor. She was also the city's 1st black Mayor. She subsequently lost a Primary to Michelle Wu, who became the city's 1st Asian Mayor and its 1st elected female Mayor.

* 2022, Los Angeles, Karen Bass. This made L.A. the largest American city to have had a female Mayor.

* 2023, Philadelphia, Cherrelle Parker.

So far, none: New York, Newark, Anaheim, Buffalo, Denver, Detroit, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Memphis, Miami, Milwaukee.

UPDATE: In 2022, Ashleigh Aitken was elected the 1st female Mayor of Anaheim. In 2023, Donna Deegan was elected the 1st female Mayor of Jacksonville. In 2025, Mary Sheffield was elected the 1st female Mayor of Detroit, and Eileen Higgin was elected the 1st female Mayor of Miami.

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March 9, 1926 was a Tuesday. Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season, Professional basketball barely existed. There were 2 games in the NHL. The New York Americans beat the Boston Bruins, 1-0 at the Boston Arena (now the Matthews Arena). And the Pittsburgh Pirates (who did not survive the Great Depression) beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3 at the Mount Royal Arena in Montreal.