Carrie Chapman Catt

Carrie Lane Chapman Catt (January 9, 1859 – March 9, 1947) was an American women's rights activist.

Related Topics:
January 9 - 1859 - March 9 - 1947 - American

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Carrie was born in 1859 on a farm in Ripon, Wisconsin under the name of Carrie Clinton Lane.

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When she was seven years old, her family moved to Iowa.

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She graduated from high school and since her father refused her financial support for a college education, she began to teach.

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After earning enough money, she enrolled in 1877 at Iowa State Agricultural College at Ames, Iowa.

Related Topics:
1877 - Iowa State Agricultural College - Ames, Iowa

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Three years later she graduated with a science degree and became a principal at the high school in Mason City, Iowa for the next two years.

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In 1883, she was one of the first women in the United States to become superintendent of schools.

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In 1885, she married Leo Chapman and began to work as assistant editor of his newspaper, the Mason City Republican.

Related Topics:
1885 - Leo Chapman - Mason City Republican

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A year later, her husband died of typhoid fever and Carrie Chapman Catt went to San Francisco to work as a newspaper reporter.

Related Topics:
Typhoid fever - San Francisco

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When she returned to Iowa in 1887, she started work as a lecturer.

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A short time later, she joined the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association.

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She soon became an active part of the movement and was appointed the director of field activities in 1889.

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A year later, she went to the conference of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and became one of its most ardent members.

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Also in 1890, she married her second husband, George Catt, who supported her occupation as an activist of the feminist and suffrage movement.

Related Topics:
1890 - George Catt

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All through the 1890s the NAWSA focused on winning the vote state by state and that is why many state campaigns took place.

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Carrie was active in these campaigns, and her writing, oratorical and organizational skills proved to be useful.

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She eventually became known as one of the principle suffragists, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Related Topics:
Elizabeth Cady Stanton - Susan B. Anthony

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Carrie Chapmann Catt became chair of NAWSA's National Organization Committee from 1895 to 1900.

Related Topics:
1895 - 1900

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This position enabled her to exert considerable influence.

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In 1900, at the gathering of the NAWSA, Susan B. Anthony resigned from her post and gave her blessing to Chapmann Catt.

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Thus, she was elected president of the NAWSA.

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She held the position as president from 1900 to 1904 and then again from 1916 to 1920.

Related Topics:
1904 - 1916 - 1920

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Chapman Catt, like Stanton and Anthony, wanted to establish an international suffrage movement.

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In 1902, the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA), was created.

Related Topics:
1902 - International Woman Suffrage Alliance

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Chapman Catt was a leading initiator and also the first president in 1904.

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Because of her shaky health she decided to retire from her presidency of the NAWSA in 1904.

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Carrie also suffered a personal loss, when in 1905 her husband unexpectedly died.

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After her husband's death, she suffered from depression, but eventually recovered.

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Catt started to work on her international suffrage work again.

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Because she no longer needed to earn a living, her husband left her a considerable amount of money, she invested even more time into the women's enfranchisement movement on an international level.

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In April 1913, she attended the International Woman Suffrage Congress in Budapest.

Related Topics:
1913 - International Woman Suffrage Congress - Budapest

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After Anna Howard Shaw retired as president of the NAWSA in 1915, Carrie Chapman Catt was asked to take over the position once again.

Related Topics:
Anna Howard Shaw - 1915

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At first she refused the offer but was urged by many to accept — she finally did.

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The next year she devoted her time to travelling the country and counselling with many suffragists all over the United States.

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Finally at the NAWSA conference in 1916 she presented the (so-called) "Winning Plan," which was a strategy to win the vote through a united effort at both federal and state level.

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One of the main points of this plan was the winning of one of the southern states, known to be opposed to the woman suffrage movement.

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Some midwestern states, as well as New York and Maine were also necessary to win in order to break the anti-suffrage bloc.

Related Topics:
New York - Maine

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When this was achieved, she thought, it would put enough pressure on the state legislature to pass the amendment that had already been presented by Susan B. Anthony.

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As it turned out, the amendment was ratified four years later.

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After the women's enfranchisement was accomplished Carrie Chapman Catt devoted herself to the education and organization of women in order to form them into independent and politically informed citizens.

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For this reason she founded the League of Women Voters.

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Furthermore, she was interested in world peace.

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She became involved in the League of Nations and also campaigned for the Kellogg-Briand Pact in 1928.

Related Topics:
League of Nations - Kellogg-Briand Pact - 1928

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In March 1947, Carrie Chapmann Catt died.

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She was known as a pragmatic leader of the suffrage movement, a talent that enabled her to fulfil the demands of the different positions she held during her life.

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She was a charismatic orator and her ability to bring together thousands of women and her administrative skills made her one of the most influential leaders of the suffrage movement.

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