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Frances Axtell, a Republican from Whatcom County, and Nena Croake, a progressive from Pierce County, took the oath of office in the State House of Representatives on January 13th, 1913.
Brian Zylstra from the Secretary of State's Office says Axtell and Croake were elected in the first election after Washington women gained the right to vote in 1910.
Although both served only one term, they were followed by increasing numbers of women in the state government.
Since then, Washington has been a national leader in women in government, and had the highest percentage of female legislators of any state from 1993 to 2004.
Washington currently ranks ninth nationally, with women making up 30 percent of this year’s legislators.
An exhibit in the lobby of the Secretary of State's Office in Wenatchee called “Moving Forward, Looking Back: Washington’s First Women in Government,” will be on display until March.
