Potrayal of U.S. Senator Hattie Caraway
by July 17, 2013 1:22 pm 104 views
Fort Smith Museum of History
Portrayal of U. S. Senator Hattie Caraway
Book Signing
Nancy Hendricks
Senator Hattie Caraway: An Arkansas Legend
August 1, 6:00 p. m.
August 3, 1:00 p. m.
Dr. Nancy Hendricks will portray Hattie Caraway, the first woman elected to the United States Senate. Dr. Hendricks will also sign copies of her recent book, Senator Hattie Caraway: An Arkansas Legacy.
The book features rare documents and unpublished photographs to tell the story of Caraway’s years in the Senate, 1932-1945.
Following the death of her husband in 1931, Senator Thaddeus Caraway, Arkansas governor Harvey Parnell appointed Mrs. Caraway to fill the vacancy. Caraway was reelected in 1932 and served until her defeated by J. William Fulbright in 1945. During her tenure, she was the first woman to preside over the Senate and the first to chair a Senate committee. Know as “Silent Hattie,” she rarely spoke on the Senate floor, but frequently expressed her opinions in committee meetings.
Dr. Hendricks discovered a “treasure trove of previously unseen documents” disproving the myth that Caraway was an ineffectual senator. Hendricks, Director of Alumni Communications at Arkansas State University, is an award-winning writer whose play, “Miz Caraway and the Kingfish,” depicts Caraway’s colorful 1932 election campaign with Louisiana Senator Huey Long.