By Stephen D. Bowling

On January 7, 1974, she raised her hand and took the oath, breaking the gender ceiling in the city of Jackson. Rome Sewell became the first woman elected to serve on the Jackson City Council.

Juliet “Rome” Sewell announced her intention to run for Jackson’s legislative body in a front-page story in The Jackson Times on October 4, 1973. 

Born in Alabama, Rome worked as a registered nurse after completing her studies at Vanderbilt University.

She acquired the nickname “Rome,” in reference to the shortened version of Romeo, a play on her first name.

While at Vanderbilt, she met a young man from Jackson, Henry Price Sewell, Jr, who was completing his medical degree at the same Nashville university. She also studied at Columbia University for some time.

On December 27, 1940, the couple married and moved to Jackson in 1946, following the end of World War II.

For many years, the “nice young nurse” worked as a receptionist, nurse, and office manager in her husband’s medical office on Main Street. They often treated patients who knocked on their door at 380 Broadway Street after hours. The couple served Jackson’s medical needs for more than twenty-four years.

In early November 1970, Price Sewell suffered a heart attack at his home in Jackson.  He was taken to Lexington and treated at the Good Samaritan Hospital for more than two weeks.  He died in Lexington on November 14.  A large gathering of friends and neighbors mourned Dr. Sewell at his funeral on November 16.  He was buried in the Sewell Family Cemetery on Marcum Heights.

In the years following Dr. Sewell’s death, friends said that Rome “went about doing good.”

She was well known for her community service and was called a “born leader and a champion of many causes.”

Sewell was instrumental in organizing efforts to support families and soldiers during the Korean War.  During the Vietnam conflict, Rome ensured that every soldier from Breathitt County received letters and packages from home.  She purchased numerous subscriptions to The Jackson Times for soldiers to read the news from their hometown.

“She could raise more money than anyone, and nobody could resist her appeal for help,” Louise Hatmaker wrote about her in 1993.

She chaired the March of Dimes drives for several years.  Sewell was a member of the Jackson Christian Church, Jackson Woman’s Club, Breathitt Chapter of the American Cancer Society, and other organizations, including the auxiliary at the Nim Henson Nursing Home. 

Her interests were varied, and she was responsible for many programs, events, celebrations, and community gatherings.  Her friends often teased her about starting a project and getting them to do the work, to which Rome would smile.

It was no surprise to many when the avid antique doll collector announced in 1973 that she was seeking a seat on Jackson’s governing body.

The announcement said that Sewell was “making her first bid for political office, although she has been active in all types of community affairs through all the years she has lived in Jackson.”

Sewell said that if elected to the council, “I pledge full support to the programs that will make our town a better place to work, live in, and rear our children.”

She reassured voters that “I have no ulterior motive in running for council, and seek this office solely because I have a sincere interest in a cleaner, more prosperous community and wise expenditures of our tax dollars.  I will appreciate your vote and your support.”

 The ballot was packed, and the polls were busy on November 6, 1973.  Late that evening, the polls closed at 6:00 p.m., and the tallies from the three city precincts rolled in.

When the clerk and her staff tallied the votes, Rome Sewell made history with 244 votes at the Courthouse Precinct, 116 at the Armory, and 173 at the City School.  Sewell received 533 votes, placing her second, 201 votes behind the top vote-getter, Greg Lemons.

Around the table sat Mayor Leonard Noble, Kelly Watkins, Casey Morton, William Noel, David Hubbard, Greg Lemons, and Sewell.

On January 7, 1974, Sewell raised her hand before Judge J. Douglas Graham.  A packed house in the Council Chambers looked on as she took the oath and her seat as the first woman to serve on the Jackson City Council.

That night, during the new council’s first meeting, the Council hired the City Attorney, the garbage fee collector, the City Clerk, the City Tax Collector, the Chief of Police, the Fire Chief, the Building Inspector, the City Treasurer, and six police officers. 

Over the next two years, the city’s business was at times “hot.”  The Council frequently disagreed, and great debates occurred at each meeting, including discussions about city parking meters and water/sewer infrastructure issues. When reelection season rolled around two years later, there was a full slate of eight candidates interested in the six council seats.

Sewell announced her bid for reelection in 1975.  During the campaign, Sewell experienced several medical issues and could not “campaign as I had wanted.”  She was hospitalized for several days near the end of October. She announced in the October 30, 1975, edition of The Jackson Times that she regretted that she was “unable to be present and ask you personally to vote for me.”   

When the returns were counted on November 4, she fell a few votes short in her reelection hopes, losing to several challengers, including J. B. Morgan. Edsel E. McCoun, Kelly Watkins, Tevis R. Cole, Casey Morton, and John T. “Jay” Staton.   Sewell finished seventh with 317 votes, narrowly missing reelection by nine votes.

The defeat did not deter her.  She continued her community service, working with several local civic groups. She sat out the 1977 City Council campaign, but was reenergized for another run in 1979.

She threw her hat back into the political ring in July 1979.  When the filing date came on September 12, 1979, only five candidates filed for the six seats on the City Council.  Turnout was low on November 6 despite a hotly contested governor’s race between John Y. Brown, Jr. and Louie Nunn.

Sewell finished third with 359 votes behind Frankie Noble and Kelly Waktins.  She took office in January 1980 and served until December 1981.

Following her second stint on the City Council, Sewell turned to other interests and spent her remaining days in Jackson.

On April 28, 1993, Rome had an issue with her heart and was taken to the hospital in Jackson. Rome Sewell died on Tuesday, March 2, 1993, at the Kentucky River Medical Center in Jackson at the age of 81. She was buried on March 3 in the Sewell Cemetery on Marcum Heights beside her husband.

Since her historic election in 1973, numerous women have followed her example and served on the council.  Hallie Moore, described in the paper as a thirty-six-year-old housewife, received 526 votes and was elected to the Council in November 1977 as the third highest vote-getter.

Numerous women have served since Mrs. Sewell’s election in 1973, including Betty Watts, Rose Wolfe, Mildred Rogers, Mary Lou Campbell, Donna S. Smith, Deborah Coomer, Joy Shelton, Peggy Shepherd, Debbie Henson Miller, Sharon Henderickson, Brenda Fugate, and Renee Haddix.

Juliet “Rome” Rumph Sewell broke the barrier and opened the door for other females to serve the community on the City’s governing board.  

As her friend and supporter Louise Hatmaker eulogized her in 1993, Rome Sewell was truly the “first lady of the Jackson City Council in so many ways.”

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© 2026 Stephen D. Bowling