Louisa Ann Swain (née Gardner; 1801 – January 25, 1880) was the first woman in the United States to vote in a

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

. She cast her ballot on September 6, 1870, in Laramie, Wyoming.

Biography

Born Louisa Ann Gardner, her father was lost at sea when she was young. Her mother then returned to her hometown of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, but also died soon after. Orphaned at the age of 10, Swain was placed in the care of the

Charleston Orphan House Charleston Orphan House, the first public orphanage in the United States, was an orphanage in Charleston, South Carolina from 1790 to 1951. Records of the Commissioners of the Charleston Orphan House are held at the Charleston County Public Librar ...

. In 1814, she and another girl were placed with a family as domestic servants for a period of four years, after which Swain was transferred to another family who requested specifically for her. She stayed with them until 1820, then moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was d ...

where a year later she married Stephen Swain, who operated a chair factory. They had four children and in the 1830s, Stephen sold his business and the family moved, first to Zanesville, Ohio, and later to

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situa ...

. In 1869, the Swains moved to Laramie, Wyoming, to join their son Alfred. On September 6, 1870, she arose early, put on her apron, shawl and bonnet, and walked downtown with a tin pail in order to purchase yeast from a merchant. She walked by the polling place and concluded she would vote while she was there. The polling place had not yet officially opened, but election officials asked her to come in and cast her ballot. She was described by a Laramie newspaper as "a gentle white-haired housewife, Quakerish in appearance". She was 69 years old when she cast the first ballot by any woman in the United States in a general election. Soon after the election, Stephen and Louisa Swain left Laramie and returned to Maryland to live near a daughter. Stephen died October 6, 1872, in Maryland. Louisa died January 25, 1880, in Lutherville, Maryland. She was buried in the Friends Burial Ground on Harford Road in Baltimore.

Legacy

The Louisa Swain Foundation was established in 2001 (as the Laramie Foundation) and is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Swain's heritage and history and "fostering education in the areas of democracy, human rights and suffrage". The Foundation runs the

Wyoming House for Historic Women The Wyoming House For Historic Women, also known as Wyoming Women's History House is a museum in downtown Laramie, Wyoming, United States, which celebrates the achievements of 13 women from the state of Wyoming. It was established by the Louisa Swai ...

(also known as the Wyoming Women's History House) in Laramie, Wyoming, which celebrates thirteen women, including Swain. A statue of her in her honor was dedicated in front of the museum in 2005. Congress recognized September 6, 2008, as Louisa Swain Day via House Concurrent Resolution 378. In 2022 Congress named the federal office building at 308 W. 21st Street in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Louisa Swain Federal Office Building.

References

External links

"Select Digital Collection of Eliza Ann Swain"
at th
American Heritage Center Digital CollectionLouisa A. Swain Materials
at the University of Wyoming – American Heritage Center *Blog post based on the archives at the AHC that centers o
early suffragists in Wyoming and Lousia A Swain

"First Woman to Vote – Claimants"
About.com
"Women: As Maine Goes ..."
'' Time'' (September 5, 1960)
"September 6: National Louisa Swain Day"
The Louisa Swain Foundation. {{DEFAULTSORT:Swain, Ann 1801 births 1880 deaths American activists People from Laramie, Wyoming People from Norfolk, Virginia Women in Wyoming politics