Judy Wiggins to talk about Ethel Clagett and Mabel Porter, successful owners of a Natchez car dealership

Presentation will be given at April 25 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society

Judy Wiggins

NATCHEZ, Miss. – As successful entrepreneurs in Natchez between
1914 and the 1960s, Ethel Clagett and Mabel Porter were reportedly among the
first women in the United States to own and operate a car dealership that was
not previously owned by a male spouse or relative.

New research on their success will be shared by Judy
Wiggins at the April 25 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society at Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St. The social will begin at 5:30 p.m., and
Wiggin’s presentation will start at 6 p.m. The meeting is free and open to the
public.

Wiggins’ presentation is titled, “An Early 20th
Century Team of Natchez Trailblazers, Ethel Clagget and Mabel Porter.” It
is the annual Grace McNeil lecture hosted by the NHS.

Wiggins is a retired Humanities Coordinator and English instructor
at Copiah-Lincoln Community College.

Alan Wolf, a director of NHS, noted the business
partnership between Clagett and Porter was not only successful, but that it lasted
50 years. “In operating the enduring dealership, Ethel managed sales and Mabel
managed parts and repairs,” he said. “They became a major downtown presence and
Ethel a major civic force in Natchez and Mississippi.”

Wolf said that Wiggins, who has spent many years researching
the history of the businesswomen, “has added significant new research to her
body of knowledge of these two extraordinary people.”

Wiggins holds a Master of Arts from Appalachian State University
of Boone, N.C., and a Bachelor of Arts in Education from the University of
Southern Mississippi. She earned her Associate in Arts at Copiah-Lincoln Community
College. She has completed additional studies in English at Alcorn State
University and Mississippi College.

Wiggins is co-editor of “The River: The Natchez Poetry
Anthology.” She is also the author of “In the Heart of Ponder Country,” a cookbook.

Wiggins has served as lecturer for many groups, schools,
and organizations, including the Mississippi Humanities Council, the Louisiana
Humanities Council, Elderhostel International, the Natchez Literary and Cinema
Celebration, Co-Lin Natchez Institute for Learning in Retirement, and the
Natchez Historical Society.

For more information on this NHS event, call 601-492-3000
or send email to [email protected]