Wisconsin Women and Suffrage
On June 10, 1919, Wisconsin became the first to ratify the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage, or the right to vote.
For over 70 years, many Wisconsin women fought for suffrage, or the right to vote. While their attempts to add a suffrage amendment to the state constitution failed, they would succeed in ensuring Wisconsin was the first state to ratify the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing women’s right to vote in the US. Wisconsin ratified the amendment on June 10, 1919, and full ratification in the US was won on August 26, 1920. To learn more about the fight for women’s suffrage in the US, please see Women’s Suffrage in the United States: A Centennial Resource Guide.
While this was a significant event in Wisconsin’s history, it is important to remember that the movement was sometimes complicated and fraught with division. Not all suffragists agreed upon the methods to achieve their goals; some were more radical than others. Some placed the needs of white women above those of African American men and women; both racism and classism were issues in the movement. There were people from all backgrounds involved in Wisconsin’s fight for suffrage; it’s important to celebrate their successes and also learn from their mistakes to continue to address the inequities some still face today. To learn more, see Black Women and Suffrage in the US: A Centennial Resource Guide.
This page is dedicated to the women in Wisconsin who fought tirelessly to achieve the right to vote. A list of these women is below; click on the links to learn more. To learn more about Wisconsin in the fight for women’s suffrage, see Women’s Suffrage in Wisconsin: A Centennial Resource Guide.
- Franzisca Mathilde Anneke (Annetke)
- Emma Curtiss Bascom
- Meta Schlichting Berger
- Reverend Olympia Brown
- Carrie Chapman Catt
- Clara Bewick Colby
- Crystal Eastman (Benedict)
- Zona Gale
- Helen H. Haight
- Ruth Hamilton
- Jessie Jack Hooper
- Carrie Horton
- Ada James
- Rachel Szold Jastrow
- Belle Case La Follette
- Susan Miller Quackenbush
- Lutie Stearns
- Mary Swain Wagner
- Laura Ross Wolcott
- Theodora Winton Youmans