She was the first woman in the United States elected by the people and qualified under the law to hold the office of clerk of a court of record.


A Joplin Mo. street is named after her, & a stone is placed near the Jasper County Courthouse acknowledging her name in the construction of the Carthage Mo. courthouse building.


Annie White Baxter, born in Pittsburgh, Pa. March 2nd, 1864. Her parents were John B & Jennie (Black) White. She spent her early school years in Newark, Ohio. Her parents moved to Carthage Missouri, in 1877. She was 1 of 6 that graduated from the high school department of the Carthage public schools in 1882, and in July of the same year, she went to work as an assistant in the county clerk's office under George Blakeney, then clerk of the county court of Jasper county, Mo.

Mrs. Baxter continued to perform the duties of that position with much success and went on under Mr. Blakeney's successor until November, 1885, when she was appointed and sworn as a regular deputy clerk ot the county court, with power and authority to affix the clerk's signature and the county seal to all official documents, and to perform all other official acts under the law. The need to place a woman to a general of the State was needed before the county court would approve the appointment. The duties of this office were considered the most complicated of any office in the county, embracing the entire tax levy and extension, in a county of more than 50,000 people and keeping account and making settlements with the state treasurer, state auditor, county treasurer, county collector and all county and township officers trusted with the collection and custody of state and county revenues, as well as writing the records and executing the acts and orders of the county court. She hS performed her duties so well that under the next incumbent of the clerkship she was again appointed and qualified as principal deputy.

She was married to Charles W. Baxter, of Carthage, Mo., January 14th, 1888, and retired from official duty to take more interest in domestic life, but, the county clerk becoming disabled , she was again placed in the position to take charge of the office. Annie & Charles then divorced sometime around 1895.

In 1890, she was nominated for county clerk by the regular Democratic county convention for county clerk. Jasper county at that time voted a large Republican majority, but, although her rival was regarded as a popular and competent man, Mrs. Baxter received a majority of 463 votes at the polls. She took the office as clerk under a commission signed by Governor David Rowland Francis
& was then credited as the first woman in the United States elected by the people and qualified under the law to hold the office of clerk of a court of record.

Because of Mrs. Baxters hard work & dedication, she paved the way for other women in Jasper county, namely Carthage Mo., after her to accomplish what orginally was thought to be a mans world, one of those was, Della Ann Sharp