Verda James was the first woman to serve a full term as Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives during the 1969-1970 sessions.
James was a Wyoming educator who worked for the Wyoming Department of Education and Casper College before becoming the assistant superintendent for elementary education for Natrona County School District 1. She was elected to serve in the House of Representatives from 1954-1970 where she chaired the House Education Committee and was the only Republican woman in the House during most of that time.
James notes that one of her proudest accomplishments was her role in the Wyoming Department of Education’s establishment of the State School for the Deaf in Casper.