Almira_Hollander_Pitman,_The_Evening_Herald,_1918

Almira Hollander Pitman (1854 – December 17, 1939) was an American

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

and

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist. Pitman was largely active in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

and

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

suffrage organizations. She was also instrumental in working for

women's suffrage in Hawaii Women's suffrage in Hawaii began in the 1890s. However, when the Hawaiian Kingdom ruled, women had roles in the government and could vote in the House of Nobles. After the overthrow of Queen Liliʻuokalani in 1893, women's roles were more restri ...

. Pitman was also known for her writing.

Biography

Almira "Mira" Hollander was born in

in 1854 and grew up in

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri * Brookline, New Hampshire * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookline, Vermont See ...

. She married Benjamin Franklin Keolaokalani Pitman, who was the son of

Benjamin Pitman Benjamin Pitman (July 24, 1822 – December 28, 1910), also known as Benn Pitman, was an English-born author and popularizer in the United States of Pitman shorthand, a form of what was then called phonography (shorthand). He was also active i ...

, in 1875. Born in the

Kingdom of Hawaii The Hawaiian Kingdom, or Kingdom of Hawaiʻi ( Hawaiian: ''Ko Hawaiʻi Pae ʻĀina''), was a sovereign state located in the Hawaiian Islands. The country was formed in 1795, when the warrior chief Kamehameha the Great, of the independent island ...

, Benjamin F. K. Pitman was of

Native Hawaiian Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, First Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians) ( haw, kānaka, , , and ), are the indigenous ethnic group of Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaii ...

noble descent and the son of

Kinoʻoleoliliha Kinooleoliliha Pitman (c. 1825–1855), also written as Kinoole-o-Liliha, was a high chiefess in the Kingdom of Hawaii. She was known as Mrs. Pitman after her marriage. In the Hawaiian language, ''kino 'ole'' means "thin" and ''liliha'' can mean "h ...

, a high chiefess of

Hilo Hilo () is a census-designated place (CDP) and the largest settlement in Hawaii County, Hawaii, Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States, which encompasses the Hawaii (island), Island of Hawaii. The population was 44,186 according to the 2020 United ...

. Almira Pitman became involved with

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

in 1884 when she joined the

New England Woman Suffrage Association The New England Woman Suffrage Association (NEWSA) was established in November 1868 to campaign for the right of women to vote in the U.S. Its principal leaders were Julia Ward Howe, its first president, and Lucy Stone, who later became president. ...

(NEWSA). She went on to become the recording secretary of the Brookline Suffrage Association and in 1913, chair of the Ways and Means Committee of the

Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association The Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association (MWSA) was an American organization devoted to women's suffrage in Massachusetts. It was active from 1870 to 1919. History The MWSA was founded in 1870 by suffrage activists Julia Ward Howe, Lucy Stone, ...

(MWSA). Pitman was in charge of the

Bay State Suffrage Festival A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

s 1913, 1915, and 1919, helping to raise money for suffrage organizations. Pitman and her husband visited Hawaii for six weeks starting on January 29, 1917. The couple was received warmly by her husband's Hawaiian extended family and he was honored as a descendant of Hawaiian chiefs. Pitman, who was already known to suffragists in Hawaii as an activist, was invited to speak around the islands. Pitman spoke to nearly all of the members of the territorial legislature about women's suffrage. She also promised suffragists that she would advocate for Hawaii's right to determine women's suffrage. In 1917, a bill was presented by Prince

Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole (March 26, 1871 – January 7, 1922) was a prince of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi until it was overthrown by a coalition of American and European businessmen in 1893. He later went on to become a representative in the Te ...

to the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

to allow Hawaii to legislate on suffrage. Pitman,

Anna Howard Shaw Anna Howard Shaw (February 14, 1847 – July 2, 1919) was a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was also a physician and one of the first ordained female Methodist ministers in the United States. Early life Shaw ...

and

Maud Wood Park Maud Wood Park (January 25, 1871 – May 8, 1955) was an American suffragist and women's rights activist. Career overview She was born in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1887 she graduated from St. Agnes School in Albany, New York, after which she ta ...

all testified in front of the House Committee on Woman Suffrage about the bill on April 29, 1918. When the bill passed in June, Pitman was given credit for helping its passage. After the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, Pitman remained an activist for

. She was also active in political groups, being a member of the Women's Republican Club of Massachusetts. She and Benjamin F. K. Pitman had two sons. The elder son Benjamin attended Harvard College, and their younger son Theodore Pitman became a sculptor, dedicating a monument to his ancestors in 1928. Another Theodore, their great-grandson, donated a manuscript of notes from 1836 to 1861 to the

Bishop Museum The Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, designated the Hawaii State Museum of Natural and Cultural History, is a museum of history and science in the historic Kalihi district of Honolulu on the Hawaiian island of Oʻahu. Founded in 1889, it is the lar ...

in 2007. Pitman died on December 17, 1939, in Brookline.

Writing

* * *

References

Sources

External links

"The Woman's Doxology"
(1921) {{DEFAULTSORT:Pitman, Almira Hollander 1854 births 1939 deaths American suffragists American women's rights activists Writers from Brookline, Massachusetts Activists from Massachusetts