Today, we’re highlighting the life and work of “Pistol Packin’” Pearl Carter Pace. Born in 1896 in Thompkinsville, Kentucky, Pearl was the first Kentucky woman elected to a four-year term as sheriff, in Cumberland County, during which she gained the nickname “Pistol Packin’ Pearl.” When Pearl’s term as sheriff was over, she decided to continue a career in politics. In 1953, she became was appointed by President Eisenhower to the War Claims Commission (later called the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission), eventually becoming chairman of the committee, making Pearl the second-highest ranking woman in Eisenhower’s administration and the first Kentucky woman appointed by a president to a national post.
