Nora Gammon promises to clean up Thebes

Thebes, Illinois, is nestled under the big railroad bridge in this image reproduced from the May 18, 1905, Drummers Supplement to The Daily Republican newspaper in Cape Girardeau. (Southeast Missourian archive)

Running on a platform of cleaning up Thebes, Illinois -- and with the full support of her husband, Leroy "Roy" Gammon -- Nora Campbell Gammon won the mayor's seat in April 1923.

Not only did Nora win her race, but so did a whole slate of other women, who claimed Thebes' other municipal offices. Oh, there were some sour grapes. One man resigned his office, saying he wouldn't "serve with those women."

Here’s what I could find on the election and its aftermath.

Published April 18, 1923, in the Southeast Missourian:

MAYOR URGES CLEANLINESS FOR HER HOME AND THEBES

By UNITED PRESS

THEBES, Ill. — Mrs. Nora Gammon, newly-elected mayor of Thebes, will run the town "just as well as I run my kitchen," she declared today as she took over her new office. Mrs. Gammon, swept into office with three women aldermen on a straight woman's ticket pledged to "law enforcement," said she would share her time between her home and the mayor's office.

"Women should consider their homes their first duty," Mrs. Gammon said. "But in a village of this size the two can work together without interference. We were elected about 2 to 1 to enforce the law. We intend to carry out our promise. The only man elected — the policeman — was our candidate and he will help us clean up the town.

"In my home I consider cleanliness the first essential; the same rule will apply in my administration of the town."

Roy Gammon, the mayor's husband, smiled when asked whether he objected to his wife's new duties.

"If she runs the town as well as she runs our home, she'll make it a place worth living in," Gammon said.

Thebes, situated in "Egypt," has a population of about 1,500. Two hundred and ninety-five ballots were cast in Tuesday's municipal election.

Published May 9, 1923, in the Southeast Missourian:

WOMAN GOVERNMENT IS NOW RUNNING AFFAIRS AT THEBES

Special to the Missourian.

THEBES, Ill. — Mrs. Nora H. Gammon was "boss" of Thebes today and committees named by a council controlled by women named at a recent election were in charge, following the installation of the new city officers here Monday night.

The women control all the committees by appointment of the mayor, or mayoress. They have a majority on all the committees with the exception of the fire department, and the duties of this committee are only nominal. A "bucket brigade" is the only fire department in existence here.

One trustee of the council resigned at the meeting, a move expected after he publicly announced that "I won't serve with those women." Jeff Neff, a drayman, made his declaration, the women say, after he saw the power fading from the masculine hands.

Indications that Thebes is in for a general cleanup, both physically and morally, were shown in the addresses of the mayor, and the newly-elected city marshal, Oscar Garrett, a man, but the choice of the women.

'Get busy' order

"I want you members of the street committee to get busy at once, and the same thing applies to the public health department. We must clean up our little city. I have been looking around and see rubbish everywhere. And the streets are full of ruts following the spring rains."

The report of the retiring council showed that a debt of $2,400 on the city had been reduced to $200 through careful management. "We have no excuses, it is up to us. We do not have to worry about pledges, we have made none," was the way Mayor Gammon received the report.

"I took this job with the view of cleaning up the moonshine element," was the short speech of Garrett, the new city marshal, who was named by the women after some discussion.

The council is now composed of Mrs. Nora H. Gammon, president; Mrs. Nora Miller, Mrs. Maude Youart, Miss Stella King, A.E. Wilson and Dr. S.P. Spann, trustees; and W.G. Jordan, clerk. The president and clerk are elected on alternate years and half of the trustees change yearly.

Wilson is expected to hold his own on the council, being an employee of the dynamite plant, while Dr. Spann is amiable to all wishes of the women.

All are lodgewomen

Several explanations have been advanced as to how the women were put in the race on the Citizens' ticket, but none of them are definite. As the last day for filing approached, no candidates were in the field, the men going out having declined to run. Then the women's ticket appeared and shortly thereafter the People's ticket, headed by Mr. Marchildon, was advanced. But neither party had filed petitions properly. By agreement, both lists were placed on the ballot and when election day came, the women, together with George Phelps, their candidate for police magistrate, carried every office.

As aforementioned, however, it has not been learned just what led the women to run, as no objection had been raised as to the way the men were running the city. But a possible inkling was picked up during the meeting of the board when one pointed out that not a member of the old body belonged to a lodge, while all of the women were Rebekahs.

Published June 13, 1923, in the Southeast Missourian:

CLEAN-UP OF TOWN STARTS IN HER HOME

WOMAN MAYOR OF THEBES GIVES FIRST ORDERS TO HER OWN HUSBAND

The "clean up" policy of Mrs. Roy Gammon, woman mayor of Thebes, Illinois, and her council of women, has invaded her own household, so to speak, according to her husband, a merchant there, who was in Cape Girardeau today on business.

"I'm issuing an order for the town to be cleaned up and we had just as well get started here at home," Gammon said his wife told him this week. She referred to a pile of trash and boxes near the store and house where they live, he explained. The trash was moved.

The speed with which Thebes was "cleaned up," physically speaking, has characterized the general policy of law enforcement since the new regime took charge of the village of 1,100 souls on the Mississippi River 109 miles southeast of Cape Girardeau. One of the first acts of the new council was to appoint a marshal -- a man for this job -- to rid the town of "moonshiners and bootleggers." Gammon says the job has been thorough and is completed.

Gammon told a Missourian reporter today that he was one of the most surprised men in town when the election returns were counted and it was announced that his wife had beaten her male opponent by a 2 to 1 majority. He was surprised, he said, when she consented to make a race for the place. He had considered her a woman of retiring disposition, seldom taking active interest in city affairs.

The selection of Mrs. Gammon to make the race for mayor, and the naming of a woman's ticket, was an 11th hour action, according to Gammon. The petition bearing the name of Mrs. Gammon was filed only two hours before the time for filing had closed.

"My wife came home on the afternoon of that day, 15 days before the election when all the filing must be completed, and said that she had been asked to make the race," Gammon said.

Asked his advice

"She asked me what I thought about it. It told her to go ahead and do as she pleased. Of course, I didn't think she would do it, but she did. And I guess she will get along all right. If she needs any advice I will give it to her," Gammon explained.

Gammon, besides being a prominent merchant at Thebes, is a justice of the peace there and is studying law. He declares that he does not take part in any of his wife's actions with the council, for "I may have to give them legal advice later."

Gammon lost a brother and a cousin in the dynamite blast which wrecked the Hercules Powder Co. mill at Fayville (Illinois) two weeks ago. He formerly was assistant superintendent of the plant there until his health forced him to quit.

I've yet to find anything else about how Mayor Gammon and her fellow officers fared.