Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument

Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument. . , Carrie Chapman Catt , 1859 - 1947, The national suffrage leader who came to Tennessee to direct the pro-suffrage forces from the Hermitage Hotel was a key figure in the 19th Amendment's ratification. In 1900, Catt began her first term as the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), taking over for legendary women's rights advocate Susan B. Anthony. In February 1920, before the 19th Amendment was ratified, she founded the League of Women Voters to encourage women to use their hard-won right., Anne Dallas Dudley , 1876 - 1955, One of Tennessee's most influential suffragists, she founded the Nashville Equal Suffrage League and was selected as its first president. During her presidency, the League organized "May Day" suffrage parades, usually led by Dudley and her children. Dudley also helped bring the National Suffrage Convention to Nashville in 1914. This was one of the largest such conventions ever held. She was president of the Tennessee Equal Suffrage League in 1915, vice president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1917, and was an indispensable campaigner for the final ratification effort in 1920., Sue Shelton White , 1887 - 1943, One of Tennessee's most effective suffragists, "Miss Sue” helped organize the Jackson Equal Suffrage League in 1911. She served as recording secretary for the Tennessee Equal Suffrage Association beginning in 1913, but changed her allegiance to the more radical National Woman's Party (NWP) in 1918. Upon moving to Washington, D.C., White became Tennessee chair of the NWP and edited the organization's newspaper, The Suffragist. She was arrested for picketing the White House in 1919, and served five days in the Old Work House, a condemned jail. , Mary Abigail "Abby" , Crawford Milton , 1881 - 1991, Milton spearheaded the suffrage movement in Chattanooga. She held a law degree and helped the Lookout Mountain Suffrage League secure local enfranchisement for women in 1917. She recruited workers for the cause from diverse groups across the state and was a tireless suffrage organizer. She served as the first president of the Tennessee League of Women Voters during the 1920 ratification campaign. As the last president of the Tennessee Equal Suffrage Association, her leadership was manifest before, during, and after ratification., Juno Frankie Pierce , 1864 - 1954, An outspoken advocate of equal suffrage and equal rights for African-Americans, Pierce founded the Nashville Federation of Colored Women's Clubs and was president of the Negro Women's Reconstruction League. Pierce and her colleagues worked closely with Nashville's white suffrage leaders to urge people to vote in the 1919 municipal elections, the first open to Tennessee women. Pierce organized protests against the lack of restroom facilities for blacks in downtown Nashville. In May of 1920, she was invited to speak at the inaugural convention of the Tennessee League of Women Voters, held in the State House Chamber. Pierce was the first African-American woman to speak in the State Capitol.