Mabel Lloyd Fisher Ridgely (April 13, 1872 – January 11, 1962) was an American suffragist and historical preservationist, president of the Delaware Equal Suffrage Association and of the Public Archives Commission, and a founder of Old Dover Days, an annual festival.

Early life

Mabel Lloyd Fisher was born in

Washington, D. C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

, the daughter of Charles G. Fisher and Philippa Lloyd Fisher.

Career

Ridgely's suffrage work included a term as president of the Delaware Equal Suffrage Association. She worked to persuade the state's General Assembly to ratify the 19th Amendment in 1920. The state Senate voted to ratify but the lower house did not. After suffrage was won, Ridgely was the first president of the state's

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Ridgely had a particular interest in historical preservation. She served as president of the Public Archives Commission in Delaware, helped restore and preserve the Old State House and the

John Dickinson House The John Dickinson House, generally known as Poplar Hall, is located on the John Dickinson Plantation in Dover, a property owned by the State of Delaware and open to the public as a museum by the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affa ...

in Dover, and was a founder and organizer of Old Dover Days, a festival focused on local history. She also helped to found the Delaware State Archives. She wrote a history of her husband's family, ''What Them Befell'' (1949), about the Ridgelys in colonial Delaware, based on their surviving correspondence. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Mabel Lloyd Ridgely chaired the Women's Liberty Loan Committee in Delaware.

Personal life

Mabel Lloyd Fisher married Henry Ridgely, a judge, in 1893. They had a daughter, Philippa E. Ridgely (1894-1983). Mabel was widowed when Henry, who was blind, died in 1940. Mabel Lloyd Ridgely died in 1962, aged 89 years. The research room at the Delaware Public Archives in

Camden, Delaware Camden is a town in Kent County, Delaware, United States. It is part of the Dover, Delaware Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,464 at the 2010 census. History Camden was established in 1783 as a community originally known as Mif ...

is named for Mabel Lloyd Ridgely. Mabel's grandson, Henry Ridgely Horsey, was a judge on the Delaware Supreme Court from 1978 to 1994."Former Delaware Justice Horsey dies at 91"
''Delaware State News'' (March 4, 2016).

Legacy

Ridgely was inducted into the

Hall of Fame of Delaware Women The Hall of Fame of Delaware Women was established in 1981 by the Delaware Commission for Women, a division of the Secretary of State of Delaware. The hall of fame recognizes the achievements and contributions of Delaware women in a variety of field ...

. The Delaware Public Archives named a research room in her honor.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ridgely, Mabel Lloyd 1872 births 1962 deaths American suffragists People from Dover, Delaware American women in World War I 20th-century American people Ridgely family