Thelma Stovall | |
|---|---|
 Thelma Stovall in 1967: official portrait as Kentucky Secretary of State | |
| 47th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky | |
| In office December 9, 1975 – December 11, 1979 | |
| Governor | Julian Carroll |
| Preceded by | Julian Carroll |
| Succeeded by | Martha Layne Collins |
| 70th, 72nd, & 76th Secretary of State of Kentucky | |
| In office January 3, 1972 – December 9, 1975 | |
| Governor | Wendell Ford Julian Carroll |
| Preceded by | Kenneth F. Harper |
| Succeeded by | Drexell R. Davis |
| In office January 6, 1964 – January 1, 1968 | |
| Governor | Ned Breathitt Louie Nunn |
| Preceded by | Henry H. Carter |
| Succeeded by | Elmer Begley |
| In office January 2, 1956 – January 4, 1960 | |
| Governor | Happy Chandler Bert Combs |
| Preceded by | Charles K. O'Connell |
| Succeeded by | Henry H. Carter |
| Kentucky State Treasurer | |
| In office January 1, 1968 – January 3, 1972 | |
| Governor | Louie Nunn Wendell Ford |
| Preceded by | Emerson Beauchamp |
| Succeeded by | Drexell R. Davis |
| In office January 4, 1960 – January 6, 1964 | |
| Governor | Bert Combs Ned Breathitt |
| Preceded by | Henry H. Carter |
| Succeeded by | Emerson Beauchamp |
| Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from the 38th district | |
| In office January 1, 1950 – January 1, 1956 | |
| Preceded by | Charles L. Spilman |
| Succeeded by | Clarence Miller |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Thelma Loyace Hawkins April 1, 1919 Munfordville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Died | February 4, 1994 (aged 74) Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Spouse | Lonnie Raymond Stovall |
| Parent(s) | Addie Mae (Goodman) and Samuel Dewey Hawkins |
| Occupation | Politician, labor and civil rights activist |
Thelma Loyace Stovall (née Hawkins; April 1, 1919 – February 4, 1994) was a pioneering American politician in the state of Kentucky. In 1949, she won election as state representative for Louisville and served three consecutive terms. Over the next two decades, Stovall was elected Kentucky State Treasurer twice and Secretary of State of Kentucky three times. She capped her career as the 47th Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky (1975–1979) in the administration of her fellow Democrat, Governor Julian Carroll. She was the first woman to hold the office.
Stovall was known for her assertive style. Several times in her career, when she found herself in the position of acting governor, she was unafraid of exercising that power – she issued gubernatorial pardons, called the Kentucky General Assembly into session to consider bills, and, most famously, issued an executive injunction against the Assembly's attempt to repeal Kentucky's ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. Throughout her career, Stovall was an ardent advocate of labor and women's rights.