Luella Kirkbride Drumm

Luella Kirkbride Drumm (June 17, 1872 – February 11, 1962) was a 20th-century American politician and Democrat who was elected to the Nevada State Legislature in 1939. The representative for Churchill County, she was the only woman to serve in the Nevada Assembly that year. During her tenure, she chaired the Agriculture, Engrossment, Federal Relations, and Fish and Game committees, and advocated for legislation that improved the rights of women.[1][2][3]

Luella Kirkbride Drumm
Born
Mary Luella Kirkbride

June 17, 1872
Vermont, Illinois
DiedFebruary 11, 1962
Sparks, Nevada
OccupationThe only female member of the Nevada Assembly in 1939
Spouse(s)Andrew Dellard Drumm, Sr.
Parent(s)Andrew Briner Kirkbride and Ellen Alice Randolph

One of her first accomplishments was to successfully sponsor a bill which eliminated the state requirement that married women in Nevada “use the designation ‘Mrs.’” when “[registering] to vote under their own first names.”[4]

Formative years and family

Born in Vermont, Illinois, on June 17, 1872, Luella Kirkbride Drumm was a daughter of Andrew Briner Kirkbride (1833—1877) and Ellen Alice Randolph. On April 3, 1895, she wed Andrew Dellard Drumm (1872—1939) in Wilmington, Nebraska. They had three children: Andrew D. Drumm, Jr., Gertrude Drumm, who later wed David H. Smith, and Marguerite Drumm. After initially settling in Colorado where her husband was employed as an irrigation specialist, they subsequently relocated to Santa Cruz, California, and then to Goldfield, Nevada, before making their final move in 1906 to a farm in Fallon, Nevada, where her husband established a thriving business in contracting. Married to Andrew Drumm, Sr. for more than four decades, Luella K. Drumm was widowed by him on March 2, 1939.[2]

Political career and other civic activities

Initially elected to the Nevada State Legislature as a Democrat in 1939,[5] she represented Churchill County. The only woman to serve in the Nevada Assembly that year, she successfully sponsored a bill that eliminated the state requirement that married women in Nevada “use the designation ‘Mrs.’” when “[registering] to vote under their own first names.”[4] In July 1940, she announced that she would run for reelection, but she was ultimately defeated by her male Republican opponent. During her tenure, she chaired the Agriculture, Engrossment, Federal Relations, and Fish and Game committees. In the late 1940s, she was appointed by Governor Vail Pittman to serve as a delegate to a United Nations conference in San Francisco, California.[1][2]

In addition, she was an active member of the following civic and social organizations:[2][5][6][7]

Preceded in death by her husband in 1939, she continued to reside in Fallon into the 1950s.[8][5]

Death and interment

During her final years, Luella Drumm was a resident of the Good Luck Nursing Home in Sparks, Nevada. She died there on February 11, 1962 at the age of 89.[2] Following funeral services and cremation, she was interred at the Churchill County Cemetery in Fallon.[8]

See also

References
  1. “Luella K. Drumm to Seek Office.” Reno, Nevada: Nevada State Journal, July 15, 1940, p. 3.
  2. Corkill, Bunny. “Luella Kirkbride Drumm.” Reno, Nevada: Nevada Women’s History Project, retrieved online June 19, 2021.
  3. Louella Drumm, in “Legislature.” Reno, Nevada: Nevada State Journal, February 11, 1939, p. 2.
  4. Cegavske, Barbara K. Political History of Nevada (Twelfth Edition). Carson City, Nevada: Office of the Nevada Secretary of State and the Research Division, Legislative Counsel Bureau, 2018.
  5. “Assembly Resolution No. 12 (Palludan)–Memorializing the late Assemblywoman Luella Drumm.” Carson City, Nevada: Nevada State Assembly, 1963.
  6. “V.F.W. Install Officers.” Reno, Nevada: Nevada State Journal, May 9, 1943, p. 16.
  7. “Session Enjoyed by Fallon Group.” Reno, Nevada: Nevada State Journal, July 11, 1940, p. 7.
  8. “Luella Drumm” (obituary). Reno, Nevada: Nevada State Journal, February 13, 1962, p. 13.
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