Who was Fern Hobbs? As we found out last week, she was Governor Oswald Hobbs’ personal secretary. Her position was unusual enough that an article appeared in The Indianapolis News when she was promoted from chief clerk to private secretary in March 1913. The brief article mentions she was the “first woman to occupy such a position in Oregon,” and her salary would be $3,000 a … [Read more...] about A “Frail Little Woman” Who Tamed a Town, part 2
Fern Hobbs
A “Frail Little Woman” Who Tamed a Town, part 1
The newspapers of Oregon in January 1914 were full of excitement over the exploits of one “little woman.” Saloonkeepers in the town of Copperfield, Oregon, were at war among themselves. Many of them were on the town council, granting themselves licenses and refusing them to other saloonkeepers. Events came to a head after the city election, with saloons burning to the ground, … [Read more...] about A “Frail Little Woman” Who Tamed a Town, part 1