A Municipal Mother: Portland's Lola Greene Baldwin, America's First Policewoman
 |
By Gloria E. Myers
1995. 240 pages. Illustrated with photographs. Bibliography.
Index.
ISBN 0-87071-386-8. Hardcover, $29.95.
Table of Contents
Introduction
|
On April 1, 1908, Lola G. Baldwin, aged forty-eight, was sworn in "to
perform Police Service" for the city of Portland, Oregon. She was the
first woman hired by an American municipality to carry out regular enforcement
duties. The municipal policewoman movement originated in Portland, and first
proved its viability in the cities of the Northwest.
In telling Lola Baldwin's story, Gloria Myers examines the social and cultural impulses that gave rise to the policewoman idea. The Progressive Era redefined the role of women in society; Baldwin's career benefited from the Progressive belief that women could ameliorate urban evil as they had earlier civilized the household. The need for the urban policewoman arose out of concern for the moral and physical welfare of families, single working women, and children
living in the cities. Supported by socially active women's organizations and informed by the ideals of "social hygeine," the first policewoman led a crusade against urban vice, deviance, and corruption in the Rose City. Preventive policing strategies developed by "municipal mothers" like Baldwin aid and influence policing policies to this day.
Lola Baldwin's fascinating story evokes the flavor of urban life in ragtime America, when police power increasingly became the watchdog of social morality.
A bang-up research job . . . Baldwin was a pioneer in her field, whose influence spread across the country, and Myers does her justice in this timely, thorough book."
--The Oregonian
Written clearly and concisely, the book should interest general readers as well as students and faculty in criminal justice and women's studies programs.
--Choice
The Author
Gloria E. Myers is a freelance researcher and historical writer in Portland. She earned an M.A. in History from Portland State University in 1993, and is currently researching the life of a Portland suffragist.
Back to top of page
Secure online ordering form (Orders go to our distributor - The University of Arizona Press). For a complete listing of available books, check out our catalog of books in print.
