Consuelo Northrop Bailey (1899-1976) was a national pioneer among women in public service. Born and raised in Fairfield, Vermont, a 1921 graduate of the University of Vermont, Bailey was one of the first women in America to serve as lieutenant-governor, speaker of a state house of representatives, and state’s attorney.
Vice-chair of the Republican National Committee from 1952 to 1956, she was also the first Vermont woman approved to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
Kevin Graffagnino’s talk details the life and career of this extraordinary Vermont role model for women in politics and the law.
Photo Credit: UVM Special Collections
About the presenter
J. Kevin Graffagnino is author/editor of 17 books on Vermont history, including The Shaping of Vermont, Vermont in the Victorian Age, and Vermont Heritage: Essays on Green Mountain History, 1779-1920. His most recent books are Ira Allen: A Biography and Vermontiana: An Annotated Checklist, 1764-1899, both of which came out in 2024. Dr. Graffagnino was curator of Vermont history at the University of Vermont library’s Special Collections 1978-95 and executive director of the Vermont Historical Society 2003-08. Since 1980 he has spoken in more than half the towns in Vermont.
