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Ola Babcock
Miller
"Not
only did Miller launch the Highway Patrol, she scored another triumph
for women; she was Iowa's first female secretary of state."
— Walt Shotwell, The Des Moines Register, August 12,
1989
Ola Babcock
Miller was Iowa's first female Secretary of State. Initially
elected in 1932, she was reelected twice. Miller died in 1937
at age 65 while serving her third term. Born in 1872 in Washington
County, Miller attended Iowa Wesleyan College. Although she was
active in the late 19th-century Women's suffrage movement, Miller
is best remembered as the founder of the Iowa State Patrol. While
Secretary of State, she convinced the state legislature that
a statewide law enforcement agency was needed, particularly to
enforce highway safety laws. The patrol was created in 1935 and
placed under her control, where it grew from a force of 50 men
to 150 patrol officers by 1938. Miller also served as state and
national president of the P.E.O. Miller was inducted into the
Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1975.
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