03/08/2026
Happy International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month! 💙
Hulda Hoover McLean (1906-2006) was a naturalist, writer, artist, teacher, farmer, business woman and civic leader whose former home became the Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center. 🐻
Hulda was an inspiring person and pioneer of women’s rights. She was the only woman on the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors from 1956-1963. While on the board she worked on major projects including: establishing UC Santa Cruz with the state and building a new Santa Cruz County Courthouse. She was defeated in her attempts to route Highway One along the edge of the city instead of through Mission Street and to control dust emission from the Davenport cement plant.
“Being a woman on the board at this time, when almost no women were ever elected to anything, had its special problems. For instance, if I asked the sheriff about a budget item, the newspapers reported ‘Mrs McLean attacks sheriff.’ If another board member asked the same question, it was just considered a request for information.”
“I ran for reelection but was defeated. My opponent was a young business man who had been a war hero. He campaigned the issue ‘It’s no job for a woman.’ “
Her uncle, Herbert Hoover, was the 31st president of the United States. 🇺🇸
Still curious about her life? 👀 Her detailed and fascinating autobiography “Almost a Hundred Years” is available through the Santa Cruz Public Library System and also online. 📚
