Sara W. Mahan was a progressive era

Progressive Era

The Progressive Era in the United States was a period of social activism and political reform that flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. One main goal of the Progressive movement was purification of government, as Progressives tried to eliminate corruption by exposing and undercutting political...

  social reformer, and early Democratic Party

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...

 female politician from Kentucky in the United States. Mahan was one of the founders of the Democratic Women's Club of Kentucky. She was one of the first women to become a member of the Kentucky Democratic State Central and Executive Committee.

Family and early life

Sara W. Mahan, daughter of George D. and Katherine Cain (White), was born in Clay County, Kentucky

Clay County, Kentucky

- Demographics :As of the census of 2011, there were 21,000 people, 8,556 households, and 6,442 families residing in the county. The population density was 52 people per square mile . There were 9,439 housing units at an average density of 20 per square mile...

 on February 26, 1870. She never married. She is interred in Bellevue Cemetery.

Political career

In 1907 Mahan began her political career when she managed the campaign headquarters of the Kentucky Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Judge S. W. Hagar. The Frankfort Journal took note of her work and said, "Miss Mahan displayed remarkable exec. ability and was the first woman to have charge of the successful management of a campaign for the nomination for the chief office of this Commonwealth."

Appointed positions

In 1908, Mahan became assistant state librarian and remained in the position until 1920. From 1920 to 1921, she served as Centre College

Centre College

Centre College is a private liberal arts college in Danville, Kentucky, USA, a community of approximately 16,000 in Boyle County south of Lexington, KY. Centre is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution. Centre was founded by Presbyterian leaders, with whom it maintains a loose...

 librarian.

Elected office

Mahan was Boyle County Circuit Court Clerk from 1921 to 1929. She was Secretary of State of Kentucky

Secretary of State of Kentucky

The Secretary of State of Kentucky is one of the constitutional officers of the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is now an elected office, but was an appointed office prior to 1891. The current Secretary of State is Democrat Elaine Walker, who was appointed by Governor Steve Beshear to fulfill the...

from 1932 to 1936.

Civic and political clubs

Mahan was a member of many Women's Clubs and other community organizations, including the Democratic Women's Club of Kentucky, Woman's Club of Frankfort, and the Business and Professional Women's Club.