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 Laramie is a city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States. The population was estimated 32,711 in 2019, making it the third-largest city in Wyoming after Cheyenne and Casper. Located on the Laramie River in southeastern ...

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. 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 List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

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

, 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 Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

to live near a daughter. Stephen died October 6, 1872, in Maryland. Louisa died January 25, 1880, in

Lutherville, Maryland Lutherville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 6,504. Prior to 2010 the area was part of the Lutherville-Timonium CDP. Within its borders lies the Luther ...

. 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 (also known as the Wyoming Women's History House) in

, 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 The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. 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 Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' (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