Changes

| death_date=December 22, 1957 (aged 57)​

| death_date=December 22, 1957 (aged 57)​

| death_place=[[Baton Rouge]], Louisiana​

| death_place=[[Baton Rouge]], Louisiana​

| resting_place=St. John's Cemetery in Plaquemine​

| resting_place=St. John's Cemetery in Plaquemine, Louisiana​

| office=Louisiana Register of State Lands​<br>(no longer an elected office)

| office=Louisiana Register of State Lands​<br>(no longer an elected office)

| term_star=1931​

| term_star=1931​

| term_end2=1957​

| term_end2=1957​

| preceded2=Ellen Bryan Moore​

| preceded2=Ellen Bryan Moore​

| succeeded2= ​

| succeeded2= Missing​

| nationality=[[United States|American]]​

| nationality=[[United States|American]]​

| residence= Baton Rouge, Louisiana​

| residence= Baton Rouge, Louisiana​

'''Parents''':<br>

'''Parents''':<br>

Fred J. and May Dardenne Grace​

Fred J. and May Dardenne Grace​

| religion   =[[Roman Catholicism]]​

| religion=[[Roman Catholicism]]​

| party       = [[Democratic Party|Democrat]]​

| party=[[Democratic Party|Democrat]]​

| alma_mater =Academy of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau<br>​

| alma_mater=Academy of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau<br>​

[[Louisiana State University]] ​

[[Louisiana State University]]}}

​

​

​'''Lucille May Grace''', a.k.a. '''Mrs. Fred Columbus Dent Sr.''', (October 3, 1900 &ndash; December 22, 1957), was the first woman to attain statewide elected office in [[Louisiana]]. A [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], "Miss Grace," as she preferred to be called, became Register of the State Land Office in 1931 on appointment of Governor [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long Jr.]]<ref>''Minden Herald,'' April 28, 1955, p. 1.</ref> She succeeded her father, who died in office, for whom she had previously worked. She was elected register in her own right in 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, and 1956.​<ref name=dict>"Lucille May Grace," ''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography.''</ref>​

​'''Lucille May Grace''', a.k.a. '''Mrs. Fred Columbus Dent Sr.''', (October 3, 1900 &ndash; December 22, 1957), was the first woman to attain statewide elected office in [[Louisiana]]. A [[Democratic Party|Democrat]], "Miss Grace," as she preferred to be called, became Register of the State Land Office in 1931 on appointment of Governor [[Huey Long|Huey Pierce Long Jr.]]<ref>''Minden Herald,'' April 28, 1955, p. 1.</ref> She succeeded her father, who died in office, for whom she had previously worked. She was elected register in her own right in 1932, 1936, 1940, 1944, 1948, and 1956.​<ref name=dict>"Lucille May Grace," ''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography.''</ref>​

​

​

==Background==

==Background==

Lucille Grace was born in Plaquemine in Iberville Parish, located south of the capital city of [[Baton Rouge]], to Fred J. Grace (1871-1931) and the former May Azema Dardenne (1873-1960). She graduated in 1919 from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau near Opelousas in St. Landry Parish. She thereafter received a bachelor's degree from [[Louisiana State University]] in Baton Rouge. She was secretary-treasurer of her LSU freshman class, the first woman to have attained that distinction. She was also a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society, the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]], and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.<ref name=dict/>​

Lucille Grace was born in Plaquemine in Iberville Parish, located south of the capital city of [[Baton Rouge]], to Fred J. Grace (1871-1931) and the former May Azema Dardenne (1873-1960). She graduated in 1919 from the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Grand Coteau near Opelousas in St. Landry Parish. She thereafter received a bachelor's degree from [[Louisiana State University]] in Baton Rouge. She was secretary-treasurer of her LSU freshman class, the first woman to have attained that distinction. She was also a member of Phi Kappa Phi honor society, the [[Daughters of the American Revolution]], and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.<ref name=dict/>​

Though in 1933, she married Fred Columbus Dent Sr. (1909–1973), of Baton Rouge, she kept the name "Miss Lucille May Grace" because that was the name by which voters recognized her. While Miss Grace was of an "aristocratic" bearing, she ran on the "populist" Long ticket and became well liked among her state's voters, both in the Long faction and the anti-Long group as well. A newspaper editor wrote of Miss Grace in 1939 that: "the mere placing (of) her name on a state ticket means she will be returned... to the position of Register of the State Land Office by a larger vote than she received four years ago..."​<ref name=lmg>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924112220/http://www.sec.state.la.us/archives/women/bio-grace.htm|title=Lucille May Grace|publisher=Internet Archive Wayback Machine through Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=Septembe3r 2, 2019}}</ref>

Though in 1933, she married Fred Columbus Dent Sr. (1909–1973), of Baton Rouge, she kept the name "Miss Lucille May Grace" because that was the name by which voters recognized her. While Miss Grace was of an "aristocratic" bearing, she ran on the "populist" Long ticket and became well liked among her state's voters, both in the Long faction and the anti-Long group as well. A newspaper editor wrote of Miss Grace in 1939 that: "the mere placing (of) her name on a state ticket means she will be returned... to the position of Register of the State Land Office by a larger vote than she received four years ago..."​<ref name=lmg>{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060924112220/http://www.sec.state.la.us/archives/women/bio-grace.htm|title=Lucille May Grace|publisher=Internet Archive Wayback Machine through Louisiana Secretary of State|accessdate=Septembe3r 2, 2019}}</ref>

==Democratic runoff politics, 1944==

==Democratic runoff politics, 1944==

In 1944, [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]], who had been governor for an abbreviated term from 1939 to 1940, ran for lieutenant governor but faced a Democratic runoff against J. Emile Verret, a school board member from Iberia Parish. Long lost the runoff to Verret, but he had been the high votegetter in the first primary. If there had been no gubernatorial runoff that year, Long would have been the automatic lieutenant governor nominee. Louisiana law at the time provided that there would be no second primaries for other constitutional offices unless there was also a gubernatorial contest. Long hence could have won if the "Long" candidate for governor, Lewis Lovering Morgan of Covington in St. Tammany Parish, had withdrawn from the runoff with [[Jimmie Davis]].​<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.louisiana101.com/rr_earl_long.html|title=Long, Earl Kemp|publisher=Louisiana101.com|accessdate=September 2, 2019}}</ref>

In 1944, [[Earl Long|Earl Kemp Long]], who had been governor for an abbreviated term from 1939 to 1940, ran for lieutenant governor but faced a Democratic runoff against [[J. Emile Verret]], a small businessman and a school board member from Iberia Parish. Long lost the runoff to Verret, but he had been the high votegetter in the first primary. If there had been no gubernatorial runoff that year, Long would have been the automatic lieutenant governor nominee. Louisiana law at the time provided that there would be no second primaries for other constitutional offices unless there was also a gubernatorial contest. Long hence could have won if the "Long" candidate for governor, Lewis Lovering Morgan of Covington in St. Tammany Parish, had withdrawn from the runoff with [[Jimmie Davis]].​<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.louisiana101.com/rr_earl_long.html|title=Long, Earl Kemp|publisher=Louisiana101.com|accessdate=September 2, 2019}}</ref>

Miss Grace was among a group of Democrats who persuaded Morgan to remain in the runoff against Davis. In effect, she was helping to sink Earl Long. Having lost his 1940 bid for governor and then his 1944 race for lieutenant governor, Earl Long might no longer be a viable candidate in Louisiana politics. Miss Grace had nothing to lose with the runoffs proceeding, for she had already been nominated in the first primary for another term as Register of State Lands<ref name=bdodd/>

Miss Grace was among a group of Democrats who persuaded Morgan to remain in the runoff against Davis. In effect, she was helping to sink Earl Long. Having lost his 1940 bid for governor and then his 1944 race for lieutenant governor, Earl Long might no longer be a viable candidate in Louisiana politics. Miss Grace had nothing to lose with the runoffs proceeding, for she had already been nominated in the first primary for another term as Register of State Lands<ref name=bdodd/>

Miss Grace ran for governor in 1951, fifty-two years before Louisiana elected its first ever female governor, Democrat [[Kathleen Blanco]] in 2003. Miss Grace ran eighth among nine primary candidates — Louisiana voters would not then seriously consider a woman as governor, but she made headlines in her race.​<ref name=lmg/>

Miss Grace ran for governor in 1951, fifty-two years before Louisiana elected its first ever female governor, Democrat [[Kathleen Blanco]] in 2003. Miss Grace ran eighth among nine primary candidates — Louisiana voters would not then seriously consider a woman as governor, but she made headlines in her race.​<ref name=lmg/>

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==Miss Grace targets opponent Hale Boggs==

==Miss Grace targets opponent Hale Boggs==