Inaugural Impressions
Lillian Gallup Haskell (1862–1940)
Lillian Elizabeth Gallup was born on December 12, 1862, in Ottawa, Ohio, to Josiah and Naomi Jane Cox Gallup. Lillian was the ninth generation of Gallups, a distinguished family whose ancestors initially emigrated to North America from Plymouth, England, in 1630. She married lawyer Charles N. Haskell on September 4, 1889. Charles, a widow, had three children from a previous marriage. Lillian and Charles went on to have three more children.
Although they kept a large house in Ottawa, Lillian and her children resided in San Antonio, Texas, each winter and returned to Ohio in the spring by private railcar. The family relocated to Muskogee, Indian Territory, in 1901 when Charles agreed to build a rail line from Muskogee to Fayetteville, Arkansas. He became involved in other business ventures and entered territorial politics. He participated in the Sequoyah and Oklahoma constitutional conventions, where he emerged as one of the most important advocates for statehood. He was elected governor of Oklahoma in September 1907 and served until 1911.
Lillian was a great help and companion to Charles throughout his tenure as governor. Charles praised “Miss Lillie” in many speeches, and Lillian supported his work on the campaign trail and in office. She often took over the preparation of her husband’s meals whenever he stopped at a hotel or restaurant while on the campaign trail. Once in office, Lillian installed her sewing machine in the Capitol building so she could be near Charles while he worked. In 1908, she was among ninety-two women appointed by Governor Haskell to sew a US flag with 46 stars to commemorate Oklahoma statehood.
Charles returned to private business and reopened a law practice after leaving office in 1911. He died in Oklahoma City in 1933, after which Lillian moved to San Antonio. She died on July 13, 1940, and is buried alongside her husband in Greenhill Cemetery in Muskogee. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1939.
Lillian Gallup Haskell
(23139.G245, John Dunning Political Collection, OHS)
