Reba Hurn came to Spokane in 1906. She graduated from the University of Washington Law School and joined her father in his law practice in Spokane in 1913. Miss Hurn was elected to the State Senate in 1922, the first woman to have filled that position in the State of Washington. She served two terms, during which she was chairman of the Public Morals and State Library committees. While in the legislature Hurn worked for reform in the treatment of female prisoners in the state correctional institutions. Hurn continued to practice law in Spokane until her retirement in 1946.
From the guide to the Reba J. Hurn Diaries, 1907-1908, (Eastern Washington State Historical Society/Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture Joel E. Ferris Research Library and Archives)
