Emma E. Brigham

Emma E. Brigham
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 6th Hampden district
In office
1928–1936
Personal details
Born
Emma Elizabeth Neal

(1872-06-10)June 10, 1872
Hartford, Vermont
DiedJuly 17, 1973(1973-07-17) (aged 101)
Hackettstown, New Jersey

Emma Elizabeth Brigham (née Neal; June 10, 1872 – July 17, 1973) was an American politician.

Personal life

Brigham was born on June 10, 1872, in Hartford, Vermont.[1] She was a descendant of colonial Massachusetts Governors John Winthrop and Thomas Dudley.[1]

She married Fred C. Brigham in 1900 and they had a daughter, Mrs. J. Kendall Joy.[1] She died on July 17, 1973, in Hackettstown, New Jersey, and was survived by two sisters, Alleda T. Neal and Mrs. A.C. Pasini.[1] Her funeral was held at Springfield's Hope Congregational Church and was buried in the city's Oak Grove Cemetery.[1]

Career

After passing the state exam to receive a teacher's certificate at the age of 13, Brigham taught in a rural Vermont school for two years.[1] She then attended the Randolph Normal School before earning a nursing diploma from the Massachusetts General Hospital.[1]

Brigham was the first woman on Springfield, Massachusetts' Common Council and the first woman to serve on its Board of Aldermen.[1] She was inaugurated to the city council on January 1, 1923.[2]

From 1928 to 1936, Brigham represented Springfield's Ward 4 in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a Republican.[1][2][3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Emma Brigham". The Boston Globe. July 19, 1973. p. 34. Retrieved July 5, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Newsroom, The Republican (2011-03-05). "Celebrating Women's History Month with historian Frances Gagnon: Springfield women left permanent legacies as museum exhibit shows". masslive. Retrieved 2024-03-05. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ "History of Women in the Massachusetts Legislature 1923 – 2015" (PDF). Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators. 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2021.