Lamar Looney Inducted Into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame

Marabeau Lamar Looney was born in 1871 in Talladega, Alabama. She and her husband D.T. "Doc" Looney moved to Oklahoma Territory (now Greer County). In 1900, her husband of 12 years died suddenly leaving her with five children under the age of ten. She moved to Hollis and worked as a music teacher, a postmistress and was elected in 1912 registrar of deeds for Harmon County. She went on to be elected county treasurer, county clerk and, in 1920, the first woman elected to the Oklahoma Senate. At age 52, she was admitted to the Oklahoma bar. After serving 3 terms in the State Senate, in 1926 Mrs. Looney considered running for Lieutenant Governor but abandoned the idea because the Oklahoma constitution barred women from holding the office. Instead, she ran for the U.S. Senate, lost that race but won her fourth and final term in the Oklahoma Senate in 1927. As a Senator, Looney pushed for legislation that would allow women to serve in all state offices but didn't live to see that come about. She was worked actively for women's right to vote. She died September 3, 1935. To read more click HERE and HERE and HERE and HERE. Looney dies in 1935 and was inducted posthumously into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame on March 26, 2009.