Turn-of-the-century Westport was a conservative rural community, yet a progressive spirit was in the air. By 1904, ladies had a civics club of their own, and, in 1907, the Woman’s Town Improvement Association (WTIA; today’s Westport Woman’s Club). Such forays offered women a new-found civic power—and a political platform—as demonstrated by the triumphs of Sara Buek Crawford.

Settling here in 1907 with her realtor husband, John, Sara Crawford thrived raising a family and being in the public realm. She was among the first Westport Equal Franchise League (WEFL) members, aiding its growth from a “handful of twelve” in 1912 to an organized body of 50 by 1914, and being elected an officer in 1915. She ardently supported the WTIA too, serving as president (1919-24, 1929-31) and instilling a broader vision and more aggressive stance. 

Calling herself an “ordinary woman,” Crawford came to clench many “firsts.” She was the Westport Republican Women’s Club’s first president, was elected Westport’s first female state representative, and in 1938, she became the first female statewide elected official and first female Secretary of State (1939-41). 

When asked by a reporter in 1940 if Connecticut would ever have a woman governor, she replied: “It might happen anytime. You know Connecticut has been very progressive in its attitude towards women in public office.”