Hattie Barnes Adkisson was born January 2, 1886, in Jewett. Her family moved to San Marcos around 1908, where she graduated from the Coronal Institute. She married James Thedford Adkisson on May 12, 1910, and they returned to Jewett, where they had two sons. Active in the community and Presbyterian Church, she entered public life after Texas women were granted the right to vote on June 28, 1919. In 1920, Jewett citizens, disenchanted with city officials, elected her and five other women as mayor and aldermen, making Jewett one of the earliest female-governed towns in the nation. During her two terms as mayor, many improvements were implemented, and she was later appointed to serve on state and federal civic work committees.