The Sunday Olympian’s Looking Back theme for 2024 was Many Voices, celebrating our diverse and rich history. Josephine Corliss Preston was the first woman to hold statewide public office, Superintendant of Public Instruction, in Washington State. She is shown here in a photograph from around 1918, holding her own among the other elected male statewide officials. Preston championed education throughout the state, and particularly focused on improving teacher and school conditions in rural areas.
photo around 1918, unknown photographer, courtesy Washington State Historical Society, catalog C1947.1124.13
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2024