# Alice Harrell Strickland

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American politician

Alice Harrell Strickland Born Alice Harrell (1859-06-24)June 24, 1859 Forsyth County, Georgia Died September 8, 1947(1947-09-08) (aged 88) Known for First woman mayor in state of Georgia Spouse(s) Henry Lenoir Strickland, Jr. (1881–1915) Children 7

**Alice Harrell Strickland** (June 24, 1859 – September 8, 1947) was an American politician and activist from [Duluth, Georgia](/source/Duluth%2C_Georgia). Strickland was the first woman to be elected [mayor](/source/Mayor) in the U.S. state of [Georgia](/source/Georgia_(U.S._state)). She was also known for philanthropic work including establishing the first community forest in Georgia. In 2002 she was posthumously named a [Georgia Woman of Achievement](/source/Georgia_Woman_of_Achievement).

## Early life and family

Alice Harrell was born June 24, 1859, in [Forsyth County, Georgia](/source/Forsyth_County%2C_Georgia),[1] the daughter of Newton Harrell and Mary Ellender (Harris) Harrell.[2] She married Henry Lenoir Strickland, Jr. (a lawyer and businessman) in [Forsyth, Georgia](/source/Forsyth%2C_Georgia), on November 10, 1881[3] when she was 22.[4]

The married couple moved into Strickland's home in [Duluth, Georgia](/source/Duluth%2C_Georgia). Mrs. Strickland became active in the Duluth Civic Club and Duluth Methodist Church.[2] The couple would have seven children, all of whom attended college and inherited "their mother's pioneering spirit and courage."[4] They built a new home on three acres of land in 1898, and it was designed by Mrs. Strickland.[5] Her husband died at age 55 in 1915, leaving her with two children still at home.[4]

## Activities

Strickland remained active after this. As president of the Duluth Civic Club, she volunteered an entire floor of her home to be used for sick children at a time when Duluth had no hospitals of its own.[4] She also donated a portion of her land to Duluth to become the first community conservation forest in Georgia.[4]

Strickland was a "[suffragist](/source/Suffragist) from childhood."[6] In 1919 she was among many women who lobbied the [Georgia General Assembly](/source/Georgia_General_Assembly) (unsuccessfully) in favor of the state's passage of what was then called the "[Susan B. Anthony](/source/Susan_B._Anthony) Amendment"[7] in favor of [women's suffrage](/source/Women's_suffrage_in_the_United_States).

## Political career

Just a year after that amendment was finally enacted as the [Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution](/source/Nineteenth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution) in 1920, Strickland ran for mayor of Duluth. She was elected in 1921 at age 62, becoming the first woman elected mayor in Georgia.[5][4] Duluth at that time had a reputation for drunkenness and violence, and Strickland ran on a pledge to "clean up Duluth and rid it of demon rum".[8] In office, she was "considerate to petty offenders, but severe with those who willingly and flagrantly disregarded the rights of others".[4] She was re-elected in 1922.[1]

When [Georgia Power](/source/Georgia_Power) planned to run an electric line across her property against her will. She held a [shotgun](/source/Shotgun) as she blocked the workers from entering.[1] Strickland lived in her same home until she died on September 8, 1947.[2] She was buried in Duluth.

## Legacy

Strickland was named to the [Georgia Women of Achievement](/source/Georgia_Women_of_Achievement) hall of fame in 2002.[4]

Strickland's [Victorian home](/source/Folk_Victorian) still exists at 2956 Buford Highway in Duluth. It was among the first sites for the [Georgia Historical Society](/source/Georgia_Historical_Society)'s new historical marker program in 1998, when the house turned 100 years old.[9] It was listed on the Georgia Register of Historic Places in 1999.[5] Since at least 1977, some locals have claimed that the house is haunted by Strickland's ghost.[8]

In 2008 the Duluth Historical Society attempted to raise funds to purchase the house, which had come up for sale, intending to use it as a museum.[5] The purchase effort did not succeed, but they were able to lease the house as a site to replace the previous historical museum, whose building had been razed.[10] In late 2014 the society moved to the Duluth Train Depot, another historic building.[11]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-bramblett_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-bramblett_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-bramblett_1-2) Bramblett, Annette (2002). [*Forsyth County: History Stories*](https://books.google.com/books?id=LfcqEaqsTZwC&pg=PA76). Charleston, SC: Arcadia. pp. 76–78. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780738523866](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780738523866). [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [52601069](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/52601069). Retrieved November 16, 2018 – via [Google Books](/source/Google_Books).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-hall_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-hall_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-hall_2-2) Hall, Sharon (August 29, 2014). ["Feisty Females: Alice Harrell Strickland"](http://digging-history.com/2014/08/29/feisty-females-alice-harrell-strickland/). *Digging History*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171127221203/http://digging-history.com/2014/08/29/feisty-females-alice-harrell-strickland/) from the original on November 27, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-marriage_3-0)** [""Georgia, County Marriages, 1785-1950," database with images"](https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KXV3-LX2). *[FamilySearch](/source/FamilySearch)*. November 4, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2018. Henry Strickland and Alice Harrell, 10 Nov 1881; citing Marriage, Forsyth, Georgia, United States, county courthouses, Georgia; FHL microfilm 329,928

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-gawomen_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-gawomen_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-gawomen_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-gawomen_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-gawomen_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-gawomen_4-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-gawomen_4-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-gawomen_4-7) ["Strickland, Alice Harrell (1859 - 1947) / Inducted 2002"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130713102931/http://www.georgiawomen.org/2010/10/strickland-alice-harrell/). *Georgia Women of Achievement*. March 2002. Archived from [the original](http://www.georgiawomen.org/2010/10/strickland-alice-harrell/) on July 13, 2013.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-edmundson_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-edmundson_5-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-edmundson_5-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-edmundson_5-3) Edmundson, Faye (May 30, 2008). ["'To become the gateway to our town' Duluth Historical Society wants Strickland House"](https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/archive/to-become-the-gateway-to-our-town-duluth-historical-society/article_b02326af-496e-52f0-8d62-5f4c30a7ff06.html). *[Gwinnett Daily Post](/source/Gwinnett_Daily_Post)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181117023300/https://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/archive/to-become-the-gateway-to-our-town-duluth-historical-society/article_b02326af-496e-52f0-8d62-5f4c30a7ff06.html) from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-richmond_6-0)** ["News Events of the Day, Seen Through the Eye of the Camera"](https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=RPD19230104.1.12&srpos=3&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-alice+strickland------). *Richmond Palladium and Star-Telegram*. Vol. 93, no. 4. Richmond, Indiana. January 4, 1923. p. 12. Retrieved November 18, 2018. Mrs. Alice Strickland has just been elected mayor of Duluth, Ga., the first woman mayor elected in that state. She is sixty-one years old and the mother of four sons and three daughters. She has been a suffragist from childhood. She declares she will make Duluth "clean inside and out."

1. **[^](#cite_ref-const1919_7-0)** ["Suffrage Amendment Foes Win First Round But by Narrow Margin"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25471941/alice_strickland_on_suffrage_effort_in/). *Atlanta Constitution*. July 8, 1919. pp. 1, 2. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181117161719/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25471941/alice_strickland_on_suffrage_effort_in/) from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018 – via [newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com). The action followed a lengthy hearing ...at which a large number of suffragists, some among the leading women of Atlanta and other Georgia towns...urged ratification of the amendment....Mrs. Alice Strickland, of Duluth, also made an appeal on behalf of the country women of the state, declaring that it was not true as had been asserted that the suffrage movement was limited entirely to the city women. She called out suddenly: "Where is this man Jackson? I want to see him." This gave Mr. Jackson the very opportunity he desired to appear and receive an ovation from the opponents of suffrage.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-torrance_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-torrance_8-1) Torrance, Kay (July 11, 1993). ["Howell's Cross Roads - Cotton was king, moonshine plentiful in wild early days"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25459466/cotton_was_king_22_page_j4/). *[Atlanta Journal-Constitution](/source/Atlanta_Journal-Constitution)*. pp. J1, J4. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181117133943/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25459466/cotton_was_king_22_page_j4/) from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018 – via [newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com). Includes a photo of Strickland.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-davis_9-0)** Davis, Jingle (August 1, 1998). ["Duluth home tops list of sites"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25470458/alice_strickland_house_to_get/). *Atlanta Journal-Constitution*. p. D2. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181117150206/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25470458/alice_strickland_house_to_get/) from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 17, 2018 – via [newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cauley_10-0)** Cauley, H.M. (November 9, 2011). ["History moves resident to preserve museum"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25454775/strickland_house_in_2011/). *Atlanta Journal-Constitution*. p. B5. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20181117142650/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25454775/strickland_house_in_2011/) from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018 – via [newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-edmundson2_11-0)** Edmundson, Faye (September 19, 2011). ["Duluth Train Depot - A Little Bit About The Depot"](http://www.duluthhistoricalsociety.org/duluth-train-depot/). *Duluth Historical Society*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171229171650/http://www.duluthhistoricalsociety.org/duluth-train-depot/) from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2018.

## External links

- ["Historical Marker "Home of Alice Harrell Strickland — Georgia's First Woman Mayor""](https://georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/home-of-alice-harrell-strickland/). *[Georgia Historical Society](/source/Georgia_Historical_Society)*. 16 June 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2018.

- [Alice Harrell Strickland](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/89891828) at [Find a Grave](/source/Find_a_Grave)

v t e Georgia Women of Achievement 1990s 1992 Martha Berry Lucy Craft Laney Juliette Gordon Low Flannery O'Connor 1993 Dicksie Bradley Bandy Mary Musgrove Cassandra Pickett Durham Viola Ross Napier Ma Rainey 1994 Julia Flisch Carson McCullers Margaret Mitchell Ruth Hartley Mosley Emily Harvie Thomas Tubman 1995 Selena Sloan Butler Anna Colquitt Hunter Hazel Jane Raines 1996 Susan Cobb Milton Atkinson Nellie Peters Black Ellen Craft Corra Harris Lugenia Burns Hope 1997 Rebecca Latimer Felton Mary Ann Harris Gay Nancy Hart Lucy Barrow McIntire 1998 Lettie Pate Whitehead Evans Julia Collier Harris Rhoda Kaufman Carrie Steele Logan 1999 Moina Michael Lillian Smith 2000s 2000 Sallie Ellis Davis Laura Askew Haygood Ellen Axson Wilson 2001 Julia L. Coleman Catherine Evans Whitener 2002 Wessie Gertrude Connell Lula Dobbs McEachern Alice Harrell Strickland 2003 Madeleine Kiker Anthony Helena Maud Brown Cobb Julia Lester Dillon Leila Ross Wilburn 2004 Mathilda Beasley Louise Frederick Hays Helen Dortch Longstreet Sarah McLendon Murphy Emily Barnelia Woodward 2005 Alice Woodby McKane Nina Anderson Pape Jeannette Rankin 2006 Eliza Frances Andrews Grace Towns Hamilton Sarah Porter Hillhouse 2007 Margaret O. Bynum Edith Lenora Foster Helen Douglas Mankin Sara Branham Matthews 2008 Elfrida De Renne Barrow Amilee Chastain Graves Susan Dowdell Myrick 2009 Caroline Pafford Miller Jane Hurt Yarn Harriet Powers 2010s 2010 Mary Ann Lipscomb Celestine Sibley Madrid Williams 2011 Lillian Gordy Carter Mary Francis Hill Coley May duBignon Stiles Howard 2012 Sarah Randolph Bailey Beulah Rucker Oliver Ethel Harpst 2013 Lollie Belle Wylie Mary Gregory Jewett Henrietta Stanley Dull 2014 Rebecca Stiles Taylor Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas Bazoline Estelle Usher 2015 Allie Carroll Hart Frances Freeborn Pauley Nell Kendall Hodgson Woodruff 2016 Sarah Harper Heard Ellamae Ellis League Katie Hall Underwood 2017 Carolyn Mackenzie Carter Clermont Huger Lee Lucile Nix 2018 Ludie Clay Andrews Susie Baker King Taylor Mamie George S. Williams 2019 Leila Denmark Mary Dorothy Lyndon 2020s 2020 Clarice Cross Bagwell Katharine DuPre Lumpkin Juanita Marsh Jean Elizabeth Geiger Wright 2021 Ruby M. Anderson Mary G. Bryan Laura Pope Forester Allie Murray Smith 2022 Lizzie Lurline Collier Josephine Fields Sanders Hedy West Josephine Wilkins 2023 Phyllis Jenkins Barrow Alice Coachman Luck Flanders Gambrell Dorothy Rogers Tilly 2024 Beatrice Hirsch Haas Adella Hunt Logan Valerie Murphey Elizabeth "Bessie" Tift 2025 Jessye Norman Alma Thomas

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alice Harrell Strickland](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Harrell_Strickland) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alice_Harrell_Strickland?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.