Cora Gaines Carrel was the first woman to serve on a city council in Ohio. Appointed by Mayor Josiah Jordan when the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote, she served on the Willoughby city council from January 1, 1921 until December 31, 1924, where she pioneered city planning and ordinances. A schoolteacher in her youth, she held every local and state office in the Order of the Eastern Star and served as Grand Worthy Matron in the fraternal organization. Her 1901 book of poems, Buckeye Ballads, hailed Ohio’s centennial. She was president of the Cleveland Press Club and was active in the Cleveland Women’s City Club and the suffrage movement. A pioneer in Ohio’s political history, she was described as “A kind and generous woman whose happiness was gained by helping others to be happy.”