Lula Wardlow
Encyclopedia
Lula Ethredge Wardlow was a business
woman, United Methodist minister, and the first woman ever elected mayor
of a Louisiana
community. She served from 1926-1930 in Montgomery
(population 787 in 2000), a village
in northern Grant Parish.
Mrs. Wardlow was born in Grant Parish to Wesley Ethredge and the former Alpha Jane Baker. Both of her parents were from distinguished pioneer families. Wesley Ethredge was a planter, merchant, and owner of a cotton gin
. She was educated in the Montgomery public schools and studied for two years at the Moody Bible Institute
in Chicago
. On April 3, 1901, she married Felix Graves Wardlow, a merchant and farmer in Montgomery, located some forty miles north of Alexandria
in north central Louisiana and twenty-five miles southeast of Natchitoches
.
She became a lay preacher in 1909 and was admitted pending study and internship in the then Methodist Protestant Church
in 1912. She was ordained an elder in 1916 and was conference evangelist from 1913-1920. She was the pastor of the Hicks circuit from 1921–1922 and other circuits in north Louisiana thereafter.
She was elected mayor of Montgomery as a Democrat
but on a call for "reform" and incorporation of the Montgomery community. She was reelected to a second two-year term in 1928 but resigned in 1930 to devote more time to family and the ministry. Her great-nephew, Stephen Lee "Steve" Gunn
, was elected Montgomery mayor some seventy-two years after Mrs. Wardlow vacated the office. Gunn, an Independent was elected in 2002 and again in 2006 with minimal opposition.
Wardlow was featured in Louisiana newspaper
s in the late 1920s as the state's first woman mayor. She was remembered for gravel-surfacing of the town's dirt streets and securing the first electric, water, and gas systems for the community. There was also strict enforcement of anti-gambling
and prohibition
laws which worked to clean up the community image. Through the years governors, gubernatorial candidates, and other politicians called upon her when they campaigned in Grant Parish.
After her political stint, Mrs. Wardlow was pastor of the Methodist Church in Colfax
, the Grant Parish seat of government. In 1939, she attended the historic national conference of Methodism, which officially merged her own Methodist Protestant Church with the Methodist Episcopal churches, both South and North into what became the United Methodist Church. She retired from full-time ministerial duties in 1942 but continued to accept interim assignments in nural north Louisiana for another two decades. In 1952, at the age of seventy-six, she embarked on a short missionary assignment to villages in Cuba
. She has been called one of the three most important women in the 150-year history of Louisiana Methodism.
Mrs. Wardlaw died at ninety-four and is interred in the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery in Winn Parish
, east of Montgomery.
The Louisiana historian Hubert D. Humphreys
, whose family roots were in the Methodist Protestant Church, was among those who wrote articles on Wardlow's unique career.
The second woman mayor in Louisiana was Myrtis Lucille Gregory Methvin, who served in Castor
in Bienville Parish
from 1933-1945.
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
woman, United Methodist minister, and the first woman ever elected mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of a Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
community. She served from 1926-1930 in Montgomery
Montgomery, Louisiana
left|thumb|200px|First Baptist Church in MontgomeryMontgomery is a town in Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 787 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Alexandria Metropolitan Statistical Area. Founded in 1712, even before New Orleans, Montgomery is situated on U.S...
(population 787 in 2000), a village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in northern Grant Parish.
Mrs. Wardlow was born in Grant Parish to Wesley Ethredge and the former Alpha Jane Baker. Both of her parents were from distinguished pioneer families. Wesley Ethredge was a planter, merchant, and owner of a cotton gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
. She was educated in the Montgomery public schools and studied for two years at the Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute is a Christian institution of higher education and related ministries that was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Since its founding, MBI's main campus has been located in the Near North Side of Chicago. MBI's primary ministries are education,...
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. On April 3, 1901, she married Felix Graves Wardlow, a merchant and farmer in Montgomery, located some forty miles north of Alexandria
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
in north central Louisiana and twenty-five miles southeast of Natchitoches
Natchitoches, Louisiana
Natchitoches is a city in and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was named after the Natchitoches Indian tribe. The City of Natchitoches was first incorporated on February...
.
She became a lay preacher in 1909 and was admitted pending study and internship in the then Methodist Protestant Church
Methodist Protestant Church
The Methodist Protestant Church is a regional Church body which was officially formed in 1828 by former members of the Methodist Episcopal Church, remaining Wesleyan in doctrine and worship, but adopting congregational governance....
in 1912. She was ordained an elder in 1916 and was conference evangelist from 1913-1920. She was the pastor of the Hicks circuit from 1921–1922 and other circuits in north Louisiana thereafter.
She was elected mayor of Montgomery as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
but on a call for "reform" and incorporation of the Montgomery community. She was reelected to a second two-year term in 1928 but resigned in 1930 to devote more time to family and the ministry. Her great-nephew, Stephen Lee "Steve" Gunn
Stephen L. Gunn
Stephen Lee "Steve" Gunn is the departing Independent mayor of his hometown of Montgomery in northern Grant Parish in north central Louisiana...
, was elected Montgomery mayor some seventy-two years after Mrs. Wardlow vacated the office. Gunn, an Independent was elected in 2002 and again in 2006 with minimal opposition.
Wardlow was featured in Louisiana newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s in the late 1920s as the state's first woman mayor. She was remembered for gravel-surfacing of the town's dirt streets and securing the first electric, water, and gas systems for the community. There was also strict enforcement of anti-gambling
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
and prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
laws which worked to clean up the community image. Through the years governors, gubernatorial candidates, and other politicians called upon her when they campaigned in Grant Parish.
After her political stint, Mrs. Wardlow was pastor of the Methodist Church in Colfax
Colfax, Louisiana
Colfax is a town in and the parish seat of Grant Parish, Louisiana, United States. The town, founded in 1869, is named for the vice president of the United States, Schuyler M. Colfax , who served in the first term of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, for whom the parish is named. Colfax is part of...
, the Grant Parish seat of government. In 1939, she attended the historic national conference of Methodism, which officially merged her own Methodist Protestant Church with the Methodist Episcopal churches, both South and North into what became the United Methodist Church. She retired from full-time ministerial duties in 1942 but continued to accept interim assignments in nural north Louisiana for another two decades. In 1952, at the age of seventy-six, she embarked on a short missionary assignment to villages in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
. She has been called one of the three most important women in the 150-year history of Louisiana Methodism.
Mrs. Wardlaw died at ninety-four and is interred in the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery in Winn Parish
Winn Parish, Louisiana
Winn Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Its seat is Winnfield. In 2000, its population was 16,894.The parish has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, east of Montgomery.
The Louisiana historian Hubert D. Humphreys
Hubert D. Humphreys
Hubert Davis Humphreys was an historian formerly affiliated with Louisiana State University in Shreveport who specialized in archives, oral history, and studies of his native North Louisiana....
, whose family roots were in the Methodist Protestant Church, was among those who wrote articles on Wardlow's unique career.
The second woman mayor in Louisiana was Myrtis Lucille Gregory Methvin, who served in Castor
Castor, Louisiana
Castor is a village in Bienville Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 209 at the 2000 census. It was established in 1900. The name "Castor" refers to the genus Castoridae beaver....
in Bienville Parish
Bienville Parish, Louisiana
Bienville Parish is a parish located in the northwestern portion of the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Arcadia and as of the 2000 census, the population is 15,752....
from 1933-1945.