Early life:
Ruth Maynard was born December 30, 1874 in the old town of Barber originally located on the outskirts of Boise, Idaho. Her father, John Maynard of Dalton Massachusetts, traveled to Boise with the first immigrant train into Idaho City in 1862. After establishing himself in Boise, John brought his bride, Jane Tyler, West to live on the ranch he had built. Ruth and her two brothers grew up on the ranch learning to ride and shoot until they were old enough to attend school. John purchased land on Warm Springs Avenue in Boise and signed his children up for school. Ruth attended Mrs. Mann’s School and St. Teresa’s Academy. She studied the violin and became widely known in Boise for her talent.
First Wife:
Ruth married Frank Hunt, a young senator from Lemhi County, in 1896. Frank and Ruth lived well off of his investments in numerous mines in Idaho and eventually moved to Boise to continue his career in politics. Frank was elected the youngest governor in Idaho history when Ruth was only 26 years old.
Idaho at this time was one of the few enfranchised states in the Union, meaning Idaho was one of the first states to give women the right to vote. Ruth, being Idaho’s First Wife at the time, was invited by Susan B. Anthony and Carrie Chapman Catt to speak at the National Convention of Suffragettes in Minneapolis.
Later years:
After Frank’s political career came to an end and after they lost their first child in 1905 they moved to Emmett, Idaho. They had their first and only child Katherine on March 7, 1906. Frank Hunt contracted pneumonia soon after Katherine was born and died on November 25, 1906. Faced with the reality of a newborn child and being a widow Ruth was left in charge of a large quantity of mining stocks and no ability to manage them from her location. The young and vulnerable age of her daughter and the harsh winter climate of that year made it impossible for Ruth to set out and manage her dead husband’s investments. Ruth lost almost all of her stocks nearly overnight. Ruth was thrust into the investment world with no experience and no access. Over the next year there were nine lawsuits filed against her estate. Ruth fought off and won every lawsuit brought against her.
Ruth Maynard Hunt died in Boise, Idaho on March 25, 1962 leaving behind her daughter Katherine.___________________________________________________________________
All information was discovered through the Special Collections and Archives at Boise State University. For more information visit their online collection or their offices located in the Albertson's Library on BSU's campus.
