Josephine Collins (1879 – May 1, 1961) was a

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 ...

fighting for a woman's right to vote. She was the first born daughter of Irish immigrants Cornelius Collins and Catherine Horrigan Collins. She had one sister and five brothers. The family lived in

Framingham, Massachusetts Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popu ...

Suffrage movement

Collins joined 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 ...

in 1918. Collins and other women rallied on February 24, 1919 to greet President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

Boston Common The Boston Common (also known as the Common) is a public park in downtown Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest city park in the United States. Boston Common consists of of land bounded by Tremont Street (139 Tremont St.), Park Street, Beacon ...

. Wilson was traveling from Versailles, where he had World War I peace talks, to Washington DC and the protesters were there to protest the fact that Wilson did not give his opinion on suffrage. Holding signs which demanded the suffrage's amendment, Collins's sign read “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?”. The women were warned of arrest by the police if they did not leave. Collins along with twenty-two other women were arrested and then taken to the House of Detention for Women. Collins and others women refused the court's request to give their real names and to pay a five dollar fine. Collins and the group were then transferred to the

Charles Street Jail The Charles Street Jail (built 1851), also known as the Suffolk County Jail, is an infamous former jail (later renovated into a luxury hotel) located at 215 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts. It is listed in the state and national Registers o ...

where they were to serve their jail sentence for eight days. Collins was released early when a brother paid her bail.

Livelihood

Collins, who was single, owned a dry goods store in Framingham. She experienced boycotting of her store because of her stance on suffrage for women. She also owned a tea shop where women gathered without companions and discussed issues freely. Collins died unmarried in Framingham, Massachusetts in 1961.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Josephine American suffragists 1879 births 1961 deaths American people of Irish descent People from Framingham, Massachusetts National Woman's Party activists