Zilpher Jennings
Zilpher Jennings | |
|---|---|
| Member of the House of Representatives | |
| In office 1953–1954 | |
| Preceded by | office vacant |
| Succeeded by | office vacant |
| Constituency | Swains Island |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 June 1928 Swains Island, American Samoa |
| Died | 13 August 1961 (aged 33) Fagatogo, American Samoa |
Zilpher Margaret Jennings Reed (13 June 1928 – 13 August 1961) was an American Samoan politician. In 1953 she was one of the first two women elected to the Fono, when she won a seat in the House of Representatives.
Early and personal life
Jennings was born in Swains Island in 1928, the daughter of Margaret (née Pedro) and Eli Jennings, the owner of the island. She married Fritz John Reed, with whom she had two sons in 1956 and 1958.[citation needed]
Career
Jennings worked as a secretary in the Department of Administration of American Samoa.
In the 1953 legislative elections, in her mid-twenties, she was elected to the House of Representatives from Swains Island, one of two women elected to the House alongside Mabel Reid. She was the first representative elected in American Samoa's first popular election by secret ballot, as Swain's Island's election took place earlier than the other islands due to its geographic location.
She died in 1961.
References
- ↑ Cox, Elizabeth (1996). Women, State, and Territorial Legislators, 1895-1995. McFarland & Company. Page 53. ISBN 9780786400782.
- 1 2 "First Women to Serve in State and Territorial Legislatures". National Conference of State Legislatures. 6 March 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
- ↑ Swains Island Sixteenth Census of the United States: 1940
- ↑ 'The King of Swains Island,' North of Tutuila, Dies Honolulu-Star Bulletin, 26 December 1958
- 1 2 "Samoan Secretary Is Elected Representative". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. 1953-02-01. p. 31. Retrieved 2026-11-01.
- ↑ "Samoan Girl, 20, Is Representative". Omaha World-Herald. 1953-01-30. p. 3. Retrieved 2026-11-01.
- ↑ "Jennings v. Jennings,". American Samoa Bar Association. 11 May 1992. Retrieved 1 November 2026.
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