Background
CRAIG, Minnie D. was born on November 4, 1883 in Phillips, Maine, United States. Daughter of Marshall H. and Aura Prescott (Cushaman) Davenport.
CRAIG, Minnie D. was born on November 4, 1883 in Phillips, Maine, United States. Daughter of Marshall H. and Aura Prescott (Cushaman) Davenport.
After graduating from the Farmington State Normal School she attended the New England Conservatory of Music and became a school teacher.
Born in Phillips, Maine on November 4, 1883 to Marshall and Aura (Prescott) Davenport, Minnie Davenport was a bright student. She became known by the affectionate nickname, "Minister", but also had a reputation as a serious and meticulous legislator. A 1927 report noted, On January 3, 1933, she made history when she was elected Speaker of the House, the first time a woman had led a legislative body in the United States of America (in a permanent capacity).
However, the session proved challenging for Craig.
The House assembled in a temporary auditorium as the State Capitol had been consumed by fire. In addition, North Dakota was suffering from an agricultural depression caused by drought.
The following year she returned to the House in an administrative role, as assistant to the chief clerk. In the 1937 and 1939 sessions she fulfilled the role of chief clerk.
Craig moved back to Phillips, Maine, in 1959 and died in Farmington on July 2, 1966.
Craig"s collected papers, consisting of her handwritten autobiography, correspondence, pamphlets and scrapbooks detailing her political and family life, are held at the North Dakota State University Institute for Regional Studies. The United Nations declared 1975 "International Women's Year" and North Dakota chose the occasion to honor Craig for her pioneering work.
Her tenure as an elected member of the legislature ended with that session, when she left to become a state worker for the Federal Emergency Relief Administration.
Spouse Edward O. Craig, July 15, 1907, Phillips, Maine.