Ada E. North

Ada E. North (November 19, 1840 – January 9, 1899) was an American librarian. North served as the Iowa State Librarian from 1871 to 1878, becoming one of the first women to hold a state office in the United States. She later worked as the first full-time librarian at the University of Iowa and was one of the cofounders of the Iowa Library Association. Life and library work Ada E. Miles was born on November 19, 1840, in Alexander, New York. She was the daughter of Milo N. Miles, a Congregational minister. She married George J. North, military secretary to Governor William M. Stone, in 1865; he died in 1870. To support her two children, North found a position doing temporary clerical work in the Iowa legislature, becoming one of the first women employed as a clerk in the State House. In 1871, State Librarian John C. Merrill died, and Governor Samuel Merrill appointed North as the new Librarian. This appointment made her the first woman to hold a state office in Iowa and one of the first in the United States. Recognizing that her work was being scrutinized because of her gender, North approached her work with enthusiasm. At her suggestion, a bill was prepared and passed that provided for a board of trustees to oversee the library, consisting of multiple state officials, and providing the appointed librarian a salary of $1,200 a year.