Stabenow & Peters Introduce Legislation to Name Baraga County Post Office After First Woman Elected to the Michigan House of Representatives

Anderson Was Also First Native American Woman Elected to Serve in Any State Legislature

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (MI), and Gary Peters (MI), Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, introduced legislation to designate the U.S. Postal Facility located at 404 US-41 North in Baraga County, Michigan as the “Cora Reynolds Anderson Post Office.” Cora Reynolds Anderson, a member of the Ojibwa tribe, was the first woman elected to the Michigan House of Representatives and represented parts of Baraga County. She was also the first Native American woman elected to serve in any state legislature.   

 

“Cora Reynolds Anderson is such an important part of Michigan’s history. As the first woman elected to the Michigan House of Representatives – and the first Native American woman to serve in any state legislature – she paved the way for so many women, including me, to hold public office. Naming this post office in the county she represented after her is one special way that Michiganders can honor and remember her for generations to come,” said Senator Stabenow.                                                                                          

 

“Cora Reynolds Anderson was a dedicated public servant who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Michiganders across the Upper Peninsula – including by bolstering public health in Baraga by helping to secure the county’s first public health service,” said Senator Peters. “Naming this post office after this prolific trailblazer – in the county she represented – will help honor her legacy as a devoted educator and legislator.”

 

 

Photograph of Cora Reynolds Anderson as published in the Mining Journal

Cora Reynolds Anderson was born in L’Anse, Michigan in 1882. She was first elected to the Michigan House of Representatives in 1925 where she represented Baraga, Iron, Keweenaw, and Ontonagon Counties. While serving in Michigan’s Legislature, she chaired the Industrial Home for Girls Committee and served on the Committees for Agriculture, Insurance, and the Northern State Normal School. Her work included fighting to recognize Native American fishing rights, and combatting the alcoholism and tuberculosis epidemics. In 2001, she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame for her contributions to society.

 

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