Grace S. Dorris
Grace S. Dorris | |
|---|---|
| Member of the California State Assembly from the 56th district | |
| In office January 6, 1919 – January 3, 1921 | |
| Preceded by | Witten William Harris |
| Succeeded by | Franklin Heck |
| In office January 8, 1923 – January 3, 1927 | |
| Preceded by | Franklin Heck |
| Succeeded by | Robert Lincoln Patterson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Grace Storey McMillan March 14, 1887 Ventura, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 29, 1968 (aged 81) Bakersfield, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Wiley Casey Dorris
(m. 1913; died 1957) |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley |
Grace Storey Dorris (née McMillan, formerly Green; March 14, 1887 – December 29, 1968) was an American politician who served in the California State Assembly for the 56th district from 1919 until 1921 and from 1923 until 1927. A member of the Republican Party, she was one of the first four women to be elected to the California State Legislature, alongside Esto Bates Broughton, Anna L. Saylor, and Elizabeth Hughes.
While in the California State Assembly, Dorris championed numerous social reforms, including introducing the state's first bill authored by a woman. She advocated for justice reform, proposing the provision of public defenders alongside prosecutors, supported water rights for farmers in her district, and pushed for stricter child labor protections. After losing renomination to Democrat Franklin Heck in 1920, she regained her seat in 1922 and 1924 before ultimately losing renomination to Robert Lincoln Patterson.