Thyra Thomson (1916–2013) was Wyoming’s first female Secretary of State. Originally elected in 1962, she served for twenty-four years. It was the longest term for a state house official in Wyoming history. Because the state has no lieutenant governor, Thomson frequently had to step in as acting governor during the absences of both Republican and Democrat Chief Executives. Thomson was a vocal supporter of equal pay for women and an advocate in Wyoming and nationally for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Her papers include materials related to the 1973 passage of the ERA in Wyoming.
Text of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment, January 19, 1972
The joint resolution of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, proposing an amendment to the Constitution relative to equal rights for men and women. Notably, ratification by the states was required within seven years from the date of submission by Congress.
Letter from Margaret Maier Murdock to Wyoming Secretary of State Thyra Thomson, December 19, 1978
Murdock, of Casper, Wyoming, writes to inform Thomson of an anti-ERA group that has formed in Casper to lobby the state legislature to recind Wyoming's ratification of the federal Equal Rights Amendment. Murdock seeks Thomson's support in stopping the move to recind.
U.S. Senate Congressional Record which included an article written by Wyoming Secretary of State Thyra Thomson titled "Who Needs Women's Lib", March 3, 1971
Wyoming Senator Clifford Hansen entered into the Senate Congressional Record Thomson's article, originally published in Empire magazine, explaining her perspective on equal rights for women.
Outline of the history of Women's Rights, 1972
This outline of the history of Women's Rights in the U.S. was originally published in Rebirth of Feminism, by Judith Hale and Ellen Levine.
"ERA deadline extended three years", Casper Star-Tribune, October 7, 1978
This article reports on the three year extension to the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment. The extension gives backers of the ERA until June 30, 1982 to get three more state legislatures to ratify the ERA.
"Students, muscle turned ERA's tide" by Michael Myers, Casper Star-Tribune, October 9, 1978
This article details how two California law school students found a legal loophole which enabled congressional approval for a three year extension to the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment.
"Will Equality for the Sexes Become Law?", State Government News, October 1974
The article discusses the status of the ERA ratification efforts as of 1974 and outlines some of the types of laws likely to be affected, should the ERA be ratified by the required 38 states.
"The Effect Of The Equal Rights Amendment On Women In The Military", a speech by Carole L. Frings, November 1972
Frings' speech details the historical background of the Equal Rights Amendment and possible effects of the ERA on women in the U.S. Military. She concludes that the benefits and opportunities that the ERA will bring far outweigh the additional duties likely to be imposed.
"Equal Rights-Present", a speech by Wyoming Secretary of State Thyra Thomson, December 10, 1972
Thomson's speech, given just before the Wyoming Legislature convened for the year, outlines the state of Equal Rights in Wyoming and in the U.S. in 1972. She notes the emotional nature of the subject of equal rights but lays out logical arguments in support of the ERA.
"Remarks By Wyoming Secretary Of State Thyra Thomson On The Occasion Of State And ERA Rallies", June 30, 1981
Thomson's remarks, a year before the deadline for ratification, express her support for the Equal Rights Amendment.