Eugenia Louise Lockhart O.B.E. (born 17 June 1908) was a Bahamian

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 ...

who was the secretary of the Bahamian Women’s Suffrage Movement and secretary of the Women’s Branch of the

Progressive Liberal Party The Progressive Liberal Party (abbreviated PLP) is a populist and social liberal party in the Bahamas. Philip Davis is the leader of the party. History The PLP was founded in 1953 by William Cartwright, Cyril Stevenson, and Henry Milton Tay ...

. In 1960, Lockhart, together with Doris Johnson and

Henry Milton Taylor Sir Henry Milton Taylor (4 November 1903 – 14 February 1994) was the fourth governor-general of the Bahamas, serving from February 28, 1991 to January 2, 1992. Biography Sir Henry, the adopted son of Joseph J. Taylor and Evelyn Taylor, w ...

(the

's national party chairman) went to London to argue the case for

universal suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stanc ...

in the

colony In modern parlance, a colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, colonies remain separate from the administration of the original country of the colonizers, the ''metropole, metropolit ...

of the Bahamas Islands to the Secretary of State for the Colonies. Women gained the right to vote, and to sit in the legislature, in the following year. By 1967, black women had organized themselves into a voting bloc that contributed to the Progressive Liberal Party's win and

majority rule Majority rule is a principle that means the decision-making power belongs to the group that has the most members. In politics, majority rule requires the deciding vote to have majority, that is, more than half the votes. It is the binary deci ...

in the Bahamas.

Personal

Lockhart was born Eugenie Louise Wilson on 17 June 1908 in Duncan Town, Ragged Island to Horace and Helen Wilson. She was an assistant teacher in Duncan Town at the age of 12. In 1926, she married Edward Lockhart.

Recognition

Lockhart was appointed to the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

and was made Stalwart Councilor of the

. The Bahamian government issued a postage stamp in 2012, on the fiftieth anniversary of

universal adult suffrage Universal suffrage (also called universal franchise, general suffrage, and common suffrage of the common man) gives the right to vote to all adult citizens, regardless of wealth, income, gender, social status, race, ethnicity, or political stance ...

, to honor the women who campaigned for voting rights. Lockhart appeared on the 65 cent stamp.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockhart, Eugenia Progressive Liberal Party politicians Bahamian suffragists 1908 births Year of death missing People from Ragged Island 20th-century Bahamian women politicians 20th-century Bahamian politicians Colony of the Bahamas people