Myrtle Agnes Cain (April 11, 1894 – February 6, 1980) was an American politician and labor activist. Born in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

to Irish immigrant parents, Cain went to the Minneapolis public schools and to the St. Anthony's Convent. Cain served as president of the Women's Trade Union of Minneapolis and was a member of the

Minnesota Farmer Labor Party Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to i ...

. In 1923 and 1924, Cain served in the

Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...

. Later, she served on the staff of United States Senator

Eugene McCarthy Eugene Joseph McCarthy (March 29, 1916December 10, 2005) was an American politician, writer, and academic from Minnesota. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and the United States Senate from 1959 to 1971. ...

of Minnesota. Cain died in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Governor

Wendell Anderson Wendell Richard "Wendy" Anderson (February 1, 1933 – July 17, 2016) was an American hockey player, politician, and the 33rd governor of Minnesota, serving from January 4, 1971, to December 29, 1976. In late 1976 he resigned as governor in ord ...

named February 15, 1973 "Myrtle Cain Day."

Union work

Cain led a strike with the Telephone Operators Union in 1918. She was also a member of the Women's Trade Union League of Minneapolis and the National Woman's Party.

Minnesota House of Representatives

After the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified and upheld in the 1922 Supreme Court case of ''Leser v Garnett'', Cain and three other women won seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives in the 1922 election. During Cain's single session in office (1923-1924), she co-sponsored a bill about anti-masking, which prevented KKK members from wearing masks or hoods in public (CHAPTER 160—H. F. No. 138). This ended up being the first of fifteen similar bills to be passed in the United States. In 1923, Cain unsuccessfully attempted to pass an Equal Rights Amendment to the

Minnesota Constitution The Constitution of the State of Minnesota was initially approved by the residents of Minnesota Territory in a special election held on October 13, 1857, and was ratified by the United States Senate on May 11, 1858, marking the admittance of Minne ...

. In 1973, Cain spoke at the Capitol in favor of the federal

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 ...

Notes

1894 births 1980 deaths Politicians from Minneapolis Women state legislators in Minnesota Minnesota Farmer–Laborites Members of the Minnesota House of Representatives 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians {{Minnesota-politician-stub