Wilmans, Edith Eunice Therrel (1882–1966)

Edith Eunice Therrel Wilmans, the first woman elected to the Texas legislature, was born on December 21, 1882, at Lake Providence, East Carroll Parrish, Louisiana. Her parents, Benjamin Franklin and Mary Elizabeth Grier Therrel, moved the family to Dallas, Texas, in 1885. Edith married Jacob Hall Wilmans on December 25, 1900, and the couple had three daughters. In 1914 Wilmans helped to organize the Dallas Equal Suffrage Association. She also helped to organize the Dallas Housewives League and the Democratic Women of Dallas County. She served as president of the Democratic Women's Association of Texas. Wilmans decided to go to law school to gain a better understanding of the legal problems involved in improving the status of women and children.

Wilmans was admitted to the Texas ...