Why It Matters
Susan Wissler’s election as mayor of Dayton, Wyoming in 1912 marked a watershed moment in American local politics — she became the state’s first woman to hold the office at a time when women could not yet vote in federal elections. Her tenure demonstrated that women could manage civic infrastructure and public order in ways that reshaped her town’s character.
What Happened
On May 14, 1912, Wissler won election to the mayoral seat in Dayton on an independent ticket, defeating incumbent C. H. Ketcham, who was seeking his fifth consecutive term. Local women encouraged Wissler to run, and she prevailed by a narrow margin — nine votes — in an election where voters hand-wrote her name on ballots since no printed ballot options existed.
Wissler, who owned and operated a millinery shop at 406 Main Street in Dayton, brought substantial civic credentials to the office. She had served on the Dayton board of education and taught in a log cabin school, building a reputation for community involvement. During her two years as mayor, from 1911 to 1913, she oversaw the installation of the city’s first waterworks system, a major infrastructure undertaking. She also moved to curb gambling establishments, regulated saloon operations, and implemented a 5-mile-per-hour speed limit for automobiles within town limits.
Wissler, who had been widowed for 15 years before her election and raised one daughter and one son, drew national attention for her accomplishments. Her mayoral work was featured in publications including Technical World Magazine in 1912 and Good Housekeeping in 1913, reflecting broader interest in women’s expanding civic roles.
By the Numbers
9 votes — Wissler’s winning margin over the incumbent mayor
1911 to 1913 — years Wissler served as Dayton’s mayor
5 miles per hour — the traffic speed limit she established in town
15 years — how long Wissler had been widowed before running for office
1938 — the year Wissler died
Zoom Out
Wissler’s election occurred nearly a decade before the 19th Amendment granted women the right to vote nationwide in 1920. Wyoming’s legal environment, shaped by its territorial history and the state’s early adoption of women’s suffrage rights, created unusual openings for female political participation at the local level. Several states and territories experimented with women’s involvement in municipal affairs in the early 20th century, but Wissler’s tenure as a chief executive was notable for the scope of her administrative authority and the durability of her reforms.
In a 1934 interview with the Sheridan Press, Wissler reflected on the significance of women’s political advancement. She described Wyoming’s early grant of voting rights to women as “a very advanced movement” and noted that skeptics initially dismissed it as “a great joke,” yet “less than 50 years later it proved to be what the whole country demanded.”
Historical Recognition
Wissler’s legacy received formal acknowledgment decades after her tenure ended. A historical marker was erected at Dayton Town Hall in 1965 by the Wyoming State Archives and Wyoming State Historical Society, though the marker contains an error — it lists her election date as May 9, 1911, rather than the correct date of May 14, 1912. An additional plaque commemorating her was placed at the 406 Main Street building in 1976, which was still standing 114 years after Wissler’s era.
What’s Next
Wissler’s historical significance remains anchored in local and state records, though her name appears less frequently in broader narratives of American women’s political history. Her tenure offers a case study in how municipal governance advanced women’s leadership at the local level before federal suffrage was secured, a pattern worth examining as historians continue cataloging women’s early civic contributions across the American West.