It’s International Women’s Day. 🎉Today people worldwide are celebrating women and their achievements. This year’s theme is #ChooseToChallenge, encouraging everyone to call out + confront gender bias.
In celebration of International Women’s Day and the powerful women who’ve helped shape Columbia + South Carolina, we’re highlighting local female firsts.
Charlotta Spears Bass
Born in 1874 in Sumter, Charlotta Spears Bass ran for vice president on a Progressive Party ticket in 1952 and was the first Black female to run for national office. Prior to her run for office, she spent many years fighting against racial injustice with her husband.
Irene Dillard Elliot
Irene Dillard Elliot accepted a position as the first Dean of Women at the University of South Carolina in 1924. There she helped the university transition after it became coeducational. Elliot also established USC’s Daughters of the American Revolution chapter. Prior to her work at USC, Elliot also made history as the first female to receive her Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1924.
Lillian Ellison
Known as the “Fabulous Moolah,” Lillian Ellison made a way for women in wrestling + held the World Champion title for longer than any other wrestler, male or female, before her from 1956-1984. Ellison moved to Columbia from “Tookiedoo,” SC when she was 10 and lived here after her wrestling career as well. She was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003.
Lucile Ellerbe Godbold
Lucile Ellerbe Godbold, who was referred to as “Miss Ludy,” was born in 1900 in Marion County and was an Olympic track and field athlete. Miss Ludy was the first female to be elected into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1961. She won two gold medals and broke many world records before beginning a career as the director of physical education at Columbia College for 58 years.
Nikki Haley
Nikki Haley, born in Bamberg, SC and Clemson University alumna, made history as South Carolina’s first female and first minority governor when she won the 2010 election. Haley served as governor from 2011-2017, when she resigned from her position to serve as the US Ambassador to the United Nations. In 2016, Time Magazine named Haley as one of “The 100 Most Influential People.”
Elizabeth Ann Timothy
Elizabeth Timothy, who is believed to have traveled with her husband to Philadelphia as a French Huguenot in 1731, is recognized as the first female to own and publish a newspaper in America. Timothy took over the production of the South Carolina Gazette in 1738 following the death of her husband. She has been inducted into the South Carolina Press Association Hall of Fame and South Carolina Business Hall of Fame.
Jean Hoefer Toal
In 1988, Jean Hoefer Toal became the first female Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court and was installed as Chief Justice in 2000, a role she served until her retirement in 2015. Toal was born in Columbia in 1943 and graduated from Dreher High School. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she returned to Columbia and received her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Don’t want to stop reading about South Carolina’s female history? Check out nine more South Carolina women who made national impacts.
