Jane Norman Smith (1874–1953) was an American suffragist and reformer. Smith ''née'' Norman was born in 1874 in New Jersey. She married Clarence Meserole Smith with whom she had 2 children. Smith was active in the

National Woman's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NW ...

before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919. She remained with the organization as it turned its attention to protective laws and labor issues. In 1926 Smith was appointed by New York State governor Alfred E. Smith to represent the state at the 10th Conference of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance held in Paris, France. Smith was chairman of the

from 1927 to 1929. Smith was vocal about women's representation and equal wages, being quoted or writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. Smith supported the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

and in 1945 filed a statement with the

House Judiciary Committee The U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary, also called the House Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is charged with overseeing the administration of justice within the federal courts, a ...

urging the amendment be ratified. Smith died on September 3, 1953, in Windsor, Vermont. Her papers are in the

Schlesinger Library The Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America is a research library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University. According to Nancy F. Cott, the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Director, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jane Norman 1874 births 1953 deaths People from New Jersey American suffragists Equal Rights Amendment