Mary_Darrow_Weible_protests_with_NWP_pre_1920

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in North Dakota.

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 ...

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

began while it was still part of the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of ...

. In 1879, women in the territory gained the right to vote in school meetings. Later, this was more formalized in 1883, providing women separate

ballot A ballot is a device used to cast votes in an election and may be found as a piece of paper or a small ball used in voting. It was originally a small ball (see blackballing) used to record decisions made by voters in Italy around the 16th cent ...

s for school issues. After North Dakota was a state, suffragists continued to work for full suffrage. A

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

on equal suffrage took place in 1914, but failed. In 1917, women gained the right to vote in

municipal A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the gov ...

and presidential elections. On December 1, 1919, North Dakota became the 20th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.

19th century

1860s

1868 *

Enos Stutsman Enos Stutsman (born in what is now Fayette County, Indiana, February 14, 1826; died Pembina, Dakota Territory, January 24, 1874) was an American lawyer, politician, government official, and land speculator. Early life Stutsman was born to a fr ...

proposes a women's suffrage bill in the Dakota Territorial House.

1870s

1872 * The Territorial Legislature nearly passes a full women's suffrage bill, losing by one vote. 1879 * The Dakota Territory gives women the right to vote in school meetings. 1883 * A change in the way people would vote on school issues disenfranchised many women voters in the territory. The Territory wanted women to use separate ballots for school issues. 1885 *

John Pickler John Alfred Pickler (January 24, 1844 - June 13, 1910) was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. Biography Pickler was born in Salem, Indiana, and moved to Davis County, Iowa, in his youth. ...

proposes a women's suffrage bill in the Territorial House, which passed. It is vetoed by Governor Gilbert A. Pierce. 1887 * A school suffrage bill expanding the rights of women to vote for all kinds of school issues passes. * A full women's suffrage bill is proposed, but does not pass the territorial legislature. 1888 * A call for a women's suffrage group was put out in Grand Forks. On April 12, a meeting was held to form a women's suffrage group that had a packed crowd. 1889 * After the Dakota territory is admitted as two states, two distinct women's suffrage movements emerge.

1890s

1890 * August 4: In a special election, Sara E. B. Smith and

Cora Smith Eaton Cora Eliza Smith Eaton King (September 7, 1867 – November 21, 1939) was an American suffragist, physician and mountaineer. She was the first woman in North Dakota licensed to practice medicine. Early life Cora Eliza Smith was born on Septembe ...

both voted and their votes were considered valid. 1893 * March 3: Elizabeth Preston Anderson speaks at the territorial legislature. *A bill was proposed to allow all taxpayers equal suffrage, but did not pass. 1895 * November 14–15: The first state suffrage convention is held in

Grand Forks Grand Forks is a city in and the county seat of Grand Forks County, North Dakota, United States. The city's population was 59,166 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the state, after Fargo and Bismarck. Grand For ...

. *A women's suffrage bill was proposed in the state legislature, but did not pass. 1897 * November 30: The second state women's suffrage convention is held in Fargo. 1898 * September 27–28: The third state women's suffrage convention is held in Larimore. 1899 * September 26–27: The fourth state women's suffrage convention is held in Hillsboro.

20th century

1900s

1900 * September 25–26: The fifth state suffrage convention is held in

Lakota Lakota may refer to: *Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes *Lakota language Lakota ( ), also referred to as Lakhota, Teton or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of ...

. 1901 * July 17: The Equal Suffrage Association of North Dakota holds its annual convention in Devil's Lake.

1910s

1912 *February 4:

Sylvia Pankhurst Estelle Sylvia Pankhurst (; 5 May 1882 – 27 September 1960) was an English Feminism, feminist and Socialism, socialist activist and writer. Following encounters with women-led labour activism in the United States, she worked to organise worki ...

meets with suffragists at Mary Darrow Weible's home. *June 13: A state Votes for Women League is created. 1913 *An amendment to the state constitution, the Cashel suffrage bill, is passed in the state legislature and must pass again in the next session to be approved. *October 18: The first Votes for Women convention is held in Fargo. 1914 *The Woman Suffrage League of Bismarck is formed in 1914. *The North Dakota Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage is created in Fargo. *November 4: Vote for the women's suffrage bill takes place. It does not pass. 1915 * The Cashel suffrage bill does not pass a second time and fails. *June: State women's suffrage convention is held in Valley City. * October 10: State women's suffrage convention is held in Minot. 1916 * October 13: State women's suffrage convention is held in Valley City. 1917 * January 14: Senator Oscar Lindstrom introduced a Presidential and Municipal suffrage bill in the state legislature. A bill to for a constitutional amendment for full suffrage to women in North Dakota was also introduced. Both passed. * January 23: Governor

Lynn Frazier Lynn Joseph Frazier (December 21, 1874January 11, 1947) was an American educator and politician who served as the 12th governor of North Dakota from 1917 until being 1921 North Dakota gubernatorial recall election, recalled in 1921 and later serv ...

signs the presidential and municipal suffrage bill into law and also signs the law about the amendment to the state constitution. * September 25–26: State women's suffrage convention is held in Bismarck. 1919 * December 1: North Dakota is the 20th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.

1920

1920 * November: Most women are able to exercise their full rights to vote. 1924 * The

Indian Citizenship Act The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, (, enacted June 2, 1924) was an Act of the United States Congress that declared Indigenous persons born within the United States are US citizens. Although the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constituti ...

is passed, which should allow Native American women to vote.

1950s

1958 * The state constitution no longer contains a provision that would only allow Native Americans to vote as long as they renounce their tribal affiliation two years before the election day.

References

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Women's suffrage in North Dakota

Suffrage referendums

Woman's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to 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 suffrage was in effect during ...