Equal Suffrage League of Virginia records, 1908-1938

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Access and use

Location of collection:
Library of Virginia
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Archives Reference Services
Phone: (804) 692-3888
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions.

Terms of access:

There are no restrictions.

Preferred citation:

Equal Suffrage League of Virginia records, 1908-1938. Accession 22002. Organization records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA.

Summary

Extent:
13.5 cu. ft. (31 boxes)
Creator:
Equal Suffrage League of Virginia
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Equal Suffrage League of Virginia records, 1908-1938. Accession 22002. Organization records collection, The Library of Virginia, Richmond, VA.

Background

Scope and content:

Papers, 1908-1938, of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, including correspondence, organization records for both the Equal Suffrage League and the League of Women Voters, printed materials, "Votes for Women" buttons, and postcards.

Correspondence, 1909-1933, contains letters, postcards, telegrams, and other papers consisting of correspondence between officers of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia, its local chapters, and the National American Woman Suffrage Association, as well as other organizations and individuals. Also includes some correspondence relating to the League of Women Voters at the state, local, and national levels. Includes professional and personal correspondence of Ida Mae Thompson, Jessie Townsend, Alice M. Tyler, and others.

Equal Suffrage League of Virginia records contain state league constitution; yearbooks; meeting minutes; state convention programs; reports; resolutions; financial records; issues of the Virginia Suffrage News; news bulletins; booklets, pamphlets, broadsides, and flyers; calling cards, pledge cards; and membership lists. Series also contains information on the Virginia General Assembly, as well as records from local chapters throughout Virginia.

National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) contains NAWSA convention programs and proceedings, 1910-1921; constitutions; yearbook; reports; proclamations; recommendations; press releases; history; notes; bulletin; essays; study guides; travel kits; suffrage schools; publications, pamphlets, leaflets, and broadsides; subscription offer; fundraiser; Jeannette Rankin; Susan B. Anthony; and invitations. Also includes materials from NAWSA state and local chapters, other than Virginia.

Virginia League of Women Voters records contain constitutions and bylaws; financial statements and pledges; resolutions; state conferences and conventions; Know Your League papers, bulletins; press releases; speeches of Jessie Townsend and others; state elections; education programs; leaflets and broadsides; enrollement forms and other papers. There are also papers and records for the Norfolk and Richmond chapters of the League.

National League of Women Voters records contain organization plans; ballots; by-laws; convention and conference programs; reports and recommendations; bulletins, newsletters, and press releases; and other publications. Also includes publications and papers from states and localities (other than Virginia).

General and Miscellaneous Files contain records, papers, and publications of local, state, and national organizations other than the Equal Suffrage League or the League of Women Voters; papers, documents, and publications by local, state, and federal governments; pamphlets, and leaflets, brochures, and broadsides from England and Ireland. Also contains a variety of miscellaneous items including postcards.

Ephemera includes printing plate, slides advertising talks, ribbons, pins, and stamps from the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia.

Oversize materials consist of items removed from folders because of their size. Place cards are located in those original folders to identify items' oversize folder.

Biographical / historical:

The Equal Suffrage League of Virginia was organized in 1909 in Richmond, Virginia. Its primary purpose was to publicize and propagandize women's issues in the state, with the goal to win the political vote. Virginia was one of the six states which did not ratify the amendment. The final board meeting of the Equal Suffrage League was on November 8, 1920, and it became the League of Women Voters on November 10, 1920.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Ida Mae Thompson, Richmond, Virginia.
Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into the following series:

  • I: Correspondence, 1909-1933
  • II: Equal Suffrage League of Virginia records
  • III: National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)
  • IV: League of Women Voters of Virginia
  • V: National League of Women Voters
  • VI: General and Miscellaneous files
  • VII: Ephemera