Cornelia Petty Jerman (December 1, 1874 – February 3, 1946) was an American suffragist and Democratic Party official, based in North Carolina.

Early life and education

Cornelia Petty was born near

Carthage, North Carolina Carthage is the county seat of Moore County, North Carolina, Moore County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,635 at the 2020 Census. Geography Carthage is located at (35.329441, -79.408475). According to the United States Ce ...

. Her parents were William Carey Petty and Emma Virginia Thagard Petty. Her father was a railroad executive. She earned a degree from

Oxford Female College Fisher Hall was a building at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Originally the Oxford Female College, the building was later used as a sanitarium and was purchased by Miami in 1925. It served as a first-year men's residence hall (though it was br ...

in North Carolina (class of 1892), and pursued further studies in voice at the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

in Boston.Donald R. Lennon
"Cornelia Petty Jerman"
in William S. Powell, ed., ''North Carolina Dictionary of Biography'' (University of North Carolina Press 1988).

Career and activism

Cornelia Petty Jerman was president of the Woman's Club of Raleigh (1909-1911), and oversaw construction of the club's first and second buildings. She also served as president of the North Carolina Federation of Women's Clubs. She was among the organizers of the Raleigh Equal Suffrage League. In 1919, she became vice-president of the North Carolina Equal Suffrage League. After suffrage was won, she remained active in politics, organized and led the Raleigh

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 ...

. In 1920, Jerman was the first woman to serve as a North Carolina delegate to the Democratic National Convention. Jerman was president of the Legislative Council of North Carolina Women from 1922 to 1933. She was vice president of North Carolina's Democratic State Convention in 1922, and was the first woman delegate to address a Democratic state convention. She was appointed to the Democratic National Committee in 1928, and campaigned for both

Al Smith Alfred Emanuel Smith (December 30, 1873 – October 4, 1944) was an American politician who served four terms as Governor of New York and was the Democratic Party's candidate for president in 1928. The son of an Irish-American mother and a C ...

and

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

. Jerman held a federal post in North Carolina under Franklin D. Roosevelt, as assistant collector of Internal Revenue. She was also on the board of directors of two banks, and of the Women's National Democratic Club.

Personal life

Cornelia Petty married banker and businessman Thomas Palmer Jerman in 1898. They had a son, Thomas Palmer Jerman, Jr. (1906-1974) and a daughter Lucy, who died in childhood. She also raised her niece, Carey Petty, from infancy. She was widowed in 1911, and died in 1946, age 71. Her remains were buried at

Historic Oakwood Cemetery Historic Oakwood Cemetery was founded in 1869 in North Carolina's capital, Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, near the North Carolina State Capitol in the city's Historic Oakwood neighborhood. Historic Oakwood Cemetery contains two special areas ...

in Raleigh. A small collection of Jerman's papers is archived at

East Carolina University East Carolina University (ECU) is a public university, public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a Normal school, teacher training school, East ...

.Cornelia Petty Jerman Papers, 1911-1967
East Carolina University Libraries, Collection Guides.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jerman, Cornelia Petty 1874 births 1946 deaths Suffragists from North Carolina People from Carthage, North Carolina