Description:
Born in Texhoma, Oklahoma on August 27 1918, Patience Latting graduated from Classen High School before earning a math degree from the University of Oklahoma, and later an economics degree from Columbia University. Already politically active in various groups, she began her career as an elected official in 1967 becoming the first woman elected to the city council in Oklahoma City. She served in that position until 1971 when she became the first woman in the United States to be mayor of a city of over 350,000 people. During her 12 years as mayor, the city saw many changes, as buildings like the famous Biltmore Hotel came down while over 40 others were erected, renovated, or expanded in downtown Oklahoma City. Also under her watch Oklahoma City was named an All-American City by the National Municipal league in 1978, and she was named to the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1980. The city did see its share of troubles while she was mayor however, as the end of her tenure as mayor also saw the collapse of the Penn Square Bank and the beginning of a major economic downturn.
On the day she handed the mayoral seat over to Andy Coats, Patience Latting received no less than three standing ovations from the crowd of around 300 people watching. Years later in 2011 the Metropolitan Library System would name a library in her honor, the Patience Latting Northwest Library located in northwest Oklahoma City. Latting died on December 29, 2012 and is buried in Rose Hill Burial Park.