Governor Jane; a Story of the New Woman.
Niverville, New York: M.S. Boyce, 1913. First edition. We could find very little information on Frank M. Boyce Jr. (1879- ?). Governor Jane seems to be his only published book. Boyce’s foreword states that “‘Governor Jane’ is a character of real life,’” and the frontisportrait of a woman is labelled as “Miss Jane Laurence,” though it is unclear if the character was based on a real historical figure. The novel tells the story of Jane Laurence being elected governor of the “State of Columbia.”. Frontisportrait and tipped-in dedication slip. A remarkably fine, bright copy. Publisher’s dark red cloth, titled in gilt. In a glassine dust jacket. Octavo. 266 pp. Item #17514
At the time of this book’s publication, a woman had never been elected governor of any state, though Carolyn B. Shelton (1876 - 1936) acted as governor of Oregon for one weekend in 1909 and Soledad Chávez de Chacón (1890 - 1936) served as governor of New Mexico for two weeks in 1924. The first woman elected governor in the United States was Nellie Ross (1876 - 1977), who served as the governor of Wyoming between 1925 and 1927.
OCLC records eight physical copies, only one west of the Mississippi (University of Washington).
Price: $1,250.00