The Men's League, made up of groups known variously as the Men's Equal Suffrage League, Men's League for Woman Suffrage, or National Men's League for Woman Suffrage, was an American men's

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

organization formed by several suffragists in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. The group was based on the idea of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

Men's League for Woman Suffrage. In the early 1900s,

Oswald Garrison Villard Oswald Garrison Villard (March 13, 1872 – October 1, 1949) was an American journalist and editor of the ''New York Evening Post.'' He was a civil rights activist, and along with his mother, Fanny Villard, a founding member of the NAACP. In ...

and

Anna Howard Shaw Anna Howard Shaw (February 14, 1847 – July 2, 1919) was a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States. She was also a physician and one of the first women to be ordained as a Methodist minister in the United States. Early li ...

were in contact with one another regarding the creation of a group of prominent men to support women's suffrage efforts. Villard recruited

Max Eastman Max Forrester Eastman (January 4, 1883 – March 25, 1969) was an American writer on literature, philosophy, and society, a poet, and a prominent political activist. Moving to New York City for graduate school, Eastman became involved with radica ...

and Stephen S. Wise to help with the project. Later,

James Lees Laidlaw James Lees Laidlaw (December 19, 1868 – May 9, 1932) was a banker, civic worker, and philanthropist. He supported the League of Nations and women's suffrage movement. He was president of the New York State Men's League for Women's Suffrage, whi ...

became the president and helped spread the concept of the group around the United States. Some colleges, like

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

and

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

, also had their own Men's League groups.

History

Fanny Garrison Villard Helen Frances “Fanny” Garrison Villard (December 16, 1844 – July 5, 1928) was an American women's suffrage campaigner, pacifist and a co-founder of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She was the daughter of promin ...

had heard about the British group, the Men's League for Women's Suffrage, which was formed in 1907. The next year, she persuaded her son,

, to contact

about creating a similar group in the United States. The men's leagues in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

were starting to "gain ground." In 1908, the ' was formed in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. There was also a Hungarian Men's League for Women's suffrage. Shaw invited Villard to the

state suffrage convention being held in

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

in October 1908. She felt that recruiting prominent men to the cause would add influence to the movement, though she didn't envision the men being involved in activism. By 1908, the idea for a men's equal suffrage group was being discussed by both Villard and Shaw. Oswald Villard shared the idea with Stephen S. Wise and

. Eastman, who had already discussed forming such a group, was interested. Eastman began recruiting members for the group in 1909. He started with a list of 12 men "of civic importance", and once he'd secured these members, it was easier to recruit others. The club remained secret, with Eastman wanting to keep things quiet until he had 100 members. The New York League was made public in November 1910. Eastman served as secretary for a year, and then the group in New York was taken over by Robert Cameron Beadle.

George Foster Peabody George Foster Peabody (; July 27, 1852 – March 4, 1938) was an American banker and philanthropist. Early life He was born to George Henry Peabody and Elvira Peabody (''née'' Canfield) as the first of four children. Both parents were New En ...

was elected the first president in 1910.

took over after Peabody and stayed on until 1916, when the national group was formed. Laidlaw was president of the national group until women's suffrage was passed. Many of the new members of the League were influential men in their fields. Later, members such as

George Creel George Edward Creel (December 1, 1876 – October 2, 1953) was an American investigative journalist and writer, a politician and government official. He served as the head of the United States Committee on Public Information, a propaganda organ ...

and

Dudley Field Malone Dudley Field Malone (June 3, 1882 – October 5, 1950) was an American attorney, politician, liberal activist, and actor. Malone is best remembered as one of the most prominent liberal attorneys in the United States during the decade of the 1920s ...

had access to President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

, whom suffragists were pressing to support women's suffrage. Malone resigned from his Wilson-appointed post over the issue of women's suffrage. Other groups quickly began to form around the country. In

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, the first chapter of the Men's League for Woman Suffrage (also called the Chicago Men's Equal Suffrage League) was created in 1909. The New York Woman Suffrage Party officially recognized the New York Men's League in 1910 at their second annual convention. The NJ Men's League for Equal Suffrage was formed in 1910. The Men's Equal Suffrage League was founded in

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

in 1911. In

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, the group was known as the California Political Equality League and headed by John Hyde Braly. All of the groups were affiliated with the

National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National Woma ...

(NAWSA). By 1912, the organization was estimated to have 20,000 members nationwide. Members of the League went around the country as speakers and were involved in fundraising. League groups organized meetings and also helped by working in voting booths. They also wrote

editorial An editorial, or leading article (UK) or leader (UK), is an article or any other written document, often unsigned, written by the senior editorial people or publisher of a newspaper or magazine, that expresses the publication's opinion about ...

s for women's suffrage. Men had access to political spheres that many of the women could not access. Laidlaw advocated that members wear blue buttons of

courtesy Courtesy (from the word , from the 12th century) is gentle politeness and courtly manners. In the Middle Ages in Europe, the behaviour expected of the nobility was compiled in courtesy books. History The apex of European courtly culture was ...

, which were intended to show members of the public that suffrage and courtesy to women were compatible. The prominent names of the men helped to counter the idea that men who supported women's suffrage were un-

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some beh ...

. Men in the League were able to steer the conversation about suffrage to equal justice, rather than focusing on

gender role A gender role, or sex role, is a social norm deemed appropriate or desirable for individuals based on their gender or sex. Gender roles are usually centered on conceptions of masculinity and femininity. The specifics regarding these gendered ...

s. Men marching in

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...

s with the League at first had to deal with various types of abuse from bystanders. The first parade the New York League took part in was 1910. Laidlaw, Peabody and Villard led the parade of 87 men that year. At the 1912 suffrage parade in New York, female suffragists were inspired by the men marching. Some felt that it took more strength of character for the men to show public support of a women's issue. Others felt encouraged by seeing the men march with them.

Francis Perkins Frances Perkins (born Fannie Coralie Perkins; April 10, 1880 – May 14, 1965) was an American workers-rights advocate who served as the fourth United States Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945, the longest serving in that position. A member o ...

said of Laidlaw marching with them, "I can never be thankful enough for the courage he gave to many of usyoung and doubtfulwhen he took up the suffrage movement on his own." Laidlaw himself said that he marched to give "political support to the women and moral support to the men." More groups were forming.

founded a Men's Equal Suffrage League. The Men's Equal Suffrage League of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

organized in 1912. Kansas also organized their League in 1912. In

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, the Men's Equal Suffrage Club was created in 1912.

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

started a Men's League for Women's Suffrage in March 1912. Laidlaw helped establish a Men's League for Woman Suffrage in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

in 1913.

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

created a League in 1914 and the mayor, E. Frank Sperry served as the president. Another group was formed in

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

in 1914 with Robert Treat Whitehouse as president. Laidlaw went to

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

and

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

to help set up Leagues in 1914.

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

had Men's Leagues by 1910, including one at

. The

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

Men's League for Equal Suffrage was formed in

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

in January 1916. Chapters formed in

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids is a city in Linn County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in u ...

and

Linn County, Iowa Linn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 230,299, making it the second-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Cedar Rapids. Linn County is named in honor of Senator Lewis F ...

Notable members

Newton D. Baker Newton Diehl Baker Jr. (December 3, 1871 – December 25, 1937) was an American lawyer, Georgist,Noble, Ransom E. "Henry George and the Progressive Movement." The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, vol. 8, no. 3, 1949, pp. 259–269. w ...

(Ohio). * Robert Cameron Beadle (New York). * Charles Beard. * Charles Culp Burlingham (New York). *

. * William A. Delano. *

John Dewey John Dewey (; October 20, 1859 – June 1, 1952) was an American philosopher, psychologist, and Education reform, educational reformer. He was one of the most prominent American scholars in the first half of the twentieth century. The overridi ...

. *

(New York). *

Simon Flexner Simon Flexner (March 25, 1863 – May 2, 1946) was a physician, scientist, administrator, and professor of experimental pathology at the University of Pennsylvania (1899–1903). He served as the first director of the Rockefeller Institute for ...

. *

Hamilton Holt Hamilton Holt (August 18, 1872 – April 26, 1951) was an American educator, editor, author and politician. He was President of Rollins College 1925 to 1949. Biography Holt was born on August 18, 1872, in Brooklyn, New York City, to George ...

. *

William Ivins William Mills Ivins Jr. (1881–1961) was curator of the department of prints at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from its founding in 1916 until 1946, when he was succeeded by A. Hyatt Mayor. The son of William Mills Ivins Sr. ...

. * Howard Kelly (Maryland). * George Kirchwey. *

George Kunz George James Kunz (born July 5, 1947) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL) from 1969 to 1980. He played college football with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, earni ...

. *

. * George Middleton. * Herbert Parsons (New York). *

. *

Amos Pinchot Amos Richards Eno Pinchot (December 6, 1873 – February 18, 1944) was an American lawyer and reformist. He never held public office but managed to exert considerable influence in reformist circles and did much to keep Progressivism, progres ...

. *

Wellington D. Rankin Wellington D. Rankin (September 16, 1884 – June 4, 1966) was a Republican public official from the state of Montana. He was born Wellington Duncan Rankin on September 16, 1884 in Missoula, Montana, the son of John and Olive (née Pickeri ...

(Montana). * John Reed. *

Henry Rogers Seager Henry Rogers Seager (July 21, 1870 – August 23, 1930, Kiev, Soviet Union) was an American economist, and Professor of Political Economy at Columbia University, who served as president of the American Association for Labor Legislation. Inspired ...

. * Vladimir Simkhovitch. * E. Frank Sperry (Florida). *

Lincoln Steffens Joseph Lincoln Steffens (April 6, 1866 – August 9, 1936) was an American investigative journalist and one of the leading muckrakers of the Progressive Era in the early 20th century. He launched a series of articles in '' McClure's'', called " ...

. * Charles F. Thwing (Ohio). * William P. Trent. *

Frank Vanderlip Frank Arthur Vanderlip Sr. (November 17, 1864 – June 30, 1937) was an American banker and journalist. He was president of the National City Bank of New York (now Citibank) from 1909 to 1919, and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury from ...

. *

(New York). * Stephen S. Wise. *

Peter Witt The Peter Witt streetcar was introduced by Cleveland Railway commissioner Peter Witt (1869–1948) who led the transit agency from 1911 to 1915 and designed a model of streetcar known by his name that was used in many North American cities, mos ...

(Ohio).

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

Men's League for Women's Suffrage: Constitution and Charter Members

What We Can Learn About Allyship Today From the 'Suffragents'
{{DEFAULTSORT:Men's League, The Women's suffrage advocacy groups in the United States 1910 establishments in the United States Men in the United States Organizations established in 1910 Men and feminism

History

Notable members

See also

References

Sources

External links