Catherine Rose Biggs Dobbs (1908–1974) was the first woman mayor of a major industrial city, Barberton, Ohio, in the United States. Before running for mayor she was a noted historian and lecturer. She was born in Shreve, Ohio. Studying journalism briefly at the University of Akron, she did not graduate. In 1948, she became the first woman from the Akron area to hold a seat in the Ohio Senate. She was a Democrat, and served as mayor from 1956 to 1961. In May 1962, she came in second behind Charles Babcock in the Democratic primary for Ohio Secretary of State. Electoral history References External links Biography at Akron Women's History Profile on the Ohio Ladies' Gallery website 1908 births 1974 deaths Mayors of places in Ohio Women mayors of places in Ohio Women state legislators in Ohio People from Barberton, Ohio 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians People from Shreve, Ohio