In 1922 she was parliamentarian for the Kentucky House and Senate . In 1923 , Cromwell was elected Kentucky Secretary of State in elections that included two other females . The Republicans had nominated Eleanor Wickliffe of Bardstown , and both Cromwell and Mary Elliott Flanery stood for the Democratic Party against three male candidates . Cromwell won both in the primary and then in the general election . She held the office from January 1 , 1924 until January 1 , 1928 . Cromwell discovered the records of previous administrations in the Capitol basement , and retrieved and categorized them . Cromwell was the first woman to serve as acting governor of Kentucky when the two other officials in the line of succession -- Governor William J. Fields and Lt. Gov. Henry Denhardt -- were attending the 1924 Democratic National Convention in New York City
1924 Democratic National Convention
1924 Democratic National Convention
Emma Guy Cromwell