Georgia Neese Clark
Encyclopedia
Georgia Neese Clark Gray (January 27, 1898, Richland
, Shawnee County, Kansas
– October 26, 1995http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/gravolet-gray.html) was the first woman Treasurer of the United States
, serving from 1949 to 1953. No subsequent Treasurer has been a man.
.
Neese majored in economics at Washburn and was a member of several student organizations. She was president of the drama club and a member of the Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi
. Determined to become an actress, she moved to New York City following graduation in 1921 and enrolled at the Franklin Sargent School of Dramatic Art.
, getting to know Helen Hayes
and Charlie Chaplin
, touring the country and earning $500 a week. When the Depression and the onset of "talkies", motion pictures with sound, cut short her stage career, she returned home to care for her ailing father.
member from Kansas in 1936, a position she held until 1964. She was an articulate and well-liked representative of the party and an early supporter of Harry Truman. It was this support that brought about her nomination as the first woman to be Treasurer of the United States from 1949-1953.
She had no children.
The entire town of Richland was purchased by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1960s as a part of the land acquired for Clinton Lake. By 1974 the town was vacated and the remaining buildings were demolished shortly thereafter. After the project was announced, the Government was slow to proceed leaving property owners unsure if they should maintain their properties and unable to sell in order to relocate. Gray played a significant role in urging Congress to provide funds for the project so property owners could get on with their lives. She relocated the Richland State Bank to Topeka and renamed it Capital City State Bank, which was later changed to Capital City Bank. By the end of the twentieth century it had established several branches throughout the capitol city.
The Georgia Neese Gray Performance Hall at the Topeka Performing Arts Center is named after her.
The Georgia Neese Gray Award is reserved for presentation to Kansans who have served in elected office at the municipal and/or county level and who have performed outstanding service to their local community in the pursuit of the principles of the Kansas Democratic Party
. Such service commends a lengthy and broad participation in public service endeavors to the city, county and state. This award shall be considered the highest honor which can be bestowed by the Kansas Democratic Party to its municipal and county elected officials.
On February, 6th 2008 she was inducted into the Topeka Business Hall of Fame.
Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county's population was 177,934 for the 2010 census...
, Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County, Kansas
Shawnee County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. Its most populous city, Topeka, is the state capital and county seat. The county's population was 177,934 for the 2010 census...
– October 26, 1995http://politicalgraveyard.com/bio/gravolet-gray.html) was the first woman Treasurer of the United States
Treasurer of the United States
The Treasurer of the United States is an official in the United States Department of the Treasury that was originally charged with the receipt and custody of government funds, though many of these functions have been taken over by different bureaus of the Department of the Treasury...
, serving from 1949 to 1953. No subsequent Treasurer has been a man.
Early life
Georgia Neese was the daughter of Albert Neese, a farmer and businessman, and Ella Sullivan Neese. Her father, a self-made man, had prospered in the years before her birth and become the town's leading citizen, owning much of its property as well as the bank and general store. The family owned homes in Richland and in nearby Topeka where Neese attended high school graduating in 1917. Neese was a Presbyterian but she briefly attended Bethany College, an Episcopalian school for women in Topeka, before transferring to Washburn UniversityWashburn University
Washburn University is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, USA. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,400 undergraduate students and...
.
Neese majored in economics at Washburn and was a member of several student organizations. She was president of the drama club and a member of the Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...
. Determined to become an actress, she moved to New York City following graduation in 1921 and enrolled at the Franklin Sargent School of Dramatic Art.
Acting career
Georgia Neese began her acting career with various stock companies. Gray pursued an acting career from 1921 to 1931, living in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, getting to know Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
and Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
, touring the country and earning $500 a week. When the Depression and the onset of "talkies", motion pictures with sound, cut short her stage career, she returned home to care for her ailing father.
Family Business
Gray started working at her father's Richland State Bank as an assistant cashier in 1935. At the death of her father in 1937, she inherited control and the presidency of Richland State Bank, as well as the family's general store, grain elevator, lumber yard, insurance agency, many farms and other real estate.Political Background
Gray was active in the state Democratic Party and was elected Democratic National CommitteeDemocratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
member from Kansas in 1936, a position she held until 1964. She was an articulate and well-liked representative of the party and an early supporter of Harry Truman. It was this support that brought about her nomination as the first woman to be Treasurer of the United States from 1949-1953.
Marriages
She acquired a manager named George M. Clark, who became her first husband in 1929. Although the marriage ended in divorce in the mid-1940s, she continued to be known as Georgia Neese Clark for a time even after her second marriage. In 1953 she married Andrew J. Gray, a journalist and press agent.She had no children.
Posthumous
Gray died October 26, 1995, aged 97, and is interred at Pleasant Hill Cemetery, located at approximately 87th and Ratner Road, 1.5 miles south and 3 miles east of Berryton, Kansas.The entire town of Richland was purchased by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1960s as a part of the land acquired for Clinton Lake. By 1974 the town was vacated and the remaining buildings were demolished shortly thereafter. After the project was announced, the Government was slow to proceed leaving property owners unsure if they should maintain their properties and unable to sell in order to relocate. Gray played a significant role in urging Congress to provide funds for the project so property owners could get on with their lives. She relocated the Richland State Bank to Topeka and renamed it Capital City State Bank, which was later changed to Capital City Bank. By the end of the twentieth century it had established several branches throughout the capitol city.
The Georgia Neese Gray Performance Hall at the Topeka Performing Arts Center is named after her.
The Georgia Neese Gray Award is reserved for presentation to Kansans who have served in elected office at the municipal and/or county level and who have performed outstanding service to their local community in the pursuit of the principles of the Kansas Democratic Party
Kansas Democratic Party
The Kansas Democratic Party is the state affiliate political party of the United States Democratic Party headquartered in Topeka, Kansas. The State Party Chairman is Joan Wagnon-Overview:...
. Such service commends a lengthy and broad participation in public service endeavors to the city, county and state. This award shall be considered the highest honor which can be bestowed by the Kansas Democratic Party to its municipal and county elected officials.
On February, 6th 2008 she was inducted into the Topeka Business Hall of Fame.