Spear, Lillian Sylten, 1897-1963.

The Snohomish County Public Utilities District (PUD) in the state of Washington was created in 1936 by county-wide vote. Lillian Sylten (nee Anderson) became familiar with public power issues through her position as district grange master, and her involvement with the PUD began in 1938 when she helped members of the Snohomish PUD win re-election. Before this she had worked as principal of the Silver Lake Grammar School and president of the Snohomish County PTA, but she quit after the 1938 campaign and was hired as auditor of the Snohomish PUD. It and seven other PUD's began negotiations to buy Puget Power in 1939, and Sylten served as secretary of the Puget Sound Utility Commissioners' Association, as president of the Women's Committee for Referendum 25, and as secretary of the Reference and Information Service of the Washington Public Utilities Commissioners' Association (WPUCA). She also served as secretary of the Washington Public Ownership League (WPOL), edited WPOL's semimonthly journal, and helped found the Snohomish County Legislative Council in 1944. Also in 1944 she married again and became Lillian Spear. She left the public power movement in 1947 after a personality clash with leaders of the Snohomish PUD and more conservative leaders took over the WPUCA. Later in life she relocated to California and became active in anti-pollution campaigns there. She died in 1963.

From the description of Lillian Sylten Spear papers, 1931-1963. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 40160288

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