Inaugural Impressions
Shirley Osborn Bellmon (1927–2000)
Shirley Lee Osborn was born on August 10, 1927, to Ray and Laurine Osborn in Billings, Oklahoma. Her father was a farmer. She met Henry Louis Bellmon, who attended high school in Billings, and they married on January 24, 1947. They went on to have three daughters.
Although Henry pursued a career in politics, he and Shirley maintained roots on the family wheat farm near Billings. Henry became chairman of the state Republican Party in 1960 and subsequently won the 1962 gubernatorial election, becoming Oklahoma’s first Republican governor. During his campaign, Shirley became the inaugural “Bellmon Belle” and headed a group of approximately 500 female volunteers who attended rallies or hosted socials while wearing a trademark red, white, and blue dress that she designed. She often sewed early each morning while living in the Governor’s Mansion, balancing her favorite hobby with other initiatives such as statewide anti-litter and wildflower planting campaigns.
Shirley served as First Lady from 1963 to 1967 and again from 1987 to 1991, when her husband served a second term. Henry served two terms in the US Senate in the interim. Shirley started the “Shir-Lee” dress label and opened her own shop in the basement of the family’s home. Her clothing line was notable for its bright colors and incorporation of Oklahoma symbols. She also created the “First Lady Doll Factory” and opened a restaurant in Billings called the First Lady Café.
Shirley and Henry continued to reside at their wheat farm near Billings after Henry retired from politics. On July 24, 2000, Shirley died suddenly of a heart attack while on a family vacation in Massachusetts. Over 400 people attended her funeral in Perry, with many remembering her as a model public figure. She is buried in Billings Union Cemetery in Billings. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001.
Left to right: Shirley Osborn Bellmon, Governor Henry Bellmon, and Bill Morgan
(20246.7.166, John Melton Collection, OHS)
