Wichita ? She was nominated for mayor of Argonia as a prank by men who wanted women out of government.

But the plan that backfired back in 1887 made Susanna Madora Salter the nation’s first woman elected mayor. Now a group of fifth-grade students in the southern Kansas town are launching a cyber campaign to urge others to join the effort to honor Salter with a stamp.

Salter became known around the world, receiving congratulatory notes from celebrities, including women’s rights champion Susan B. Anthony.

Salter was all business as mayor, though her one-year term was tinged with tragedy: Her fifth child was born while she was mayor and died 10 days later. Convinced she needed to dedicate herself to her family, she did not seek re-election.

Every March, during Women’s History Month, Lawanna Ford teaches her fifth-grade class at Argonia Elementary School about Salter. Two years ago, the class submitted a request to the U.S. Postal Service to have Salter honored on a stamp. A previous effort more than a dozen years before failed for lack of public support.

Ford’s students are about to launch an Internet campaign, urging students around the country to print out and sign petitions.