Our theme for 2024 is Many Voices, celebrating our rich and diverse 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. Photograph selected and captioned by Deborah Ross on behalf of the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum, https://olympiahistory.org/many-voices-a-resource-guide/.
photo around 1918, unknown photographer, courtesy Washington State Historical Society