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LLANDUDNO, Wales — People in the Welsh hometown of a woman who became the first female state senator in U.S. history in Utah now want a statue for her.
Martha Cannon was born in Llandudno, Wales, and later immigrated to the United States. She moved to Utah and became the first female state senator in 1896, defeating her own husband during the election.
The Utah State Legislature voted in January to replace a statue of TV inventor Philo T. Farnsworth with a statue of Cannon in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Now, a campaign has begun to also create a permanent memorial in Cannon’s hometown of Llandudno, Wales, according to the BBC.
Welsh Member of Parliament Guto Bebb told the BBC that Cannon’s accomplishments should be commemorated in Wales.
"Renowned and revered in Utah and the United States, I think we should aspire to respect her achievements here in Llandudno," Bebb said.
Cannon immigrated to Utah with her family, who were converts to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She began attending the University of Utah, then known as the University of Deseret, at the age of 16. She later graduated with a degree in chemistry.
Cannon took an interest in local politics and women’s suffrage when she was living in Salt Lake City. She died in 1932.
