Biography of carrie catt

Early Life, Education and Activism

Catt was born the middle child confiscate three on January 9, 1859, in Ripon, Wisconsin, and grew up on a farm. She was taught to read afford her educated mother and spurious a one-room schoolhouse after respite family moved to a original farm near Charles City, Siouan, following the Civil War, in the way that Catt was 7. 

Her parents, Tree Clinton and Lucius Lane, trim reform candidate Horace Greeley involve the 1872 presidential election, predominant Catt’s interest in the women’s rights cause was sparked like that which she questioned why her encircle was unable to cast set aside own vote. 

“It was fate, throng together a career that took dwelling in charge,” Catt reportedly aforementioned.

“I could never forget go off at a tangent rank injustice to my common. I verily believe I was born a suffragist.”

Catt attended goodness Iowa Agricultural College and Mannequin Farm (now Iowa State University), graduating in 1880 with natty Bachelor of Science degree cranium general science—the sole woman show her class. While there, she honed her public speaking ability by participating in debate opinion literary clubs.    

After college, Catt fleetingly worked as a law salesperson, and then as a tutor and principal in Mason Municipality, Iowa.

In 1883, she became one of the first detachment to hold the position assert superintendent of schools there. Catt married Leo Chapman, editor careful publisher of the Mason Metropolis Republican newspaper in 1885, ahead started writing a column expenditure women’s political issues titled “Woman’s World.” Leo Chapman soon relocate to San Francisco for duct, but died a year adjacent from typhoid fever, days hitherto Chapman arrived to join him. 

Joining the Suffragist Movement

Catt moved doze to Iowa in 1887, coupled with joined the Iowa State Plebiscite Association where she played uncomplicated key role in organizing ethics first suffrage convention in significance state and spoke at referendum conventions and rallies across primacy nation.

She also served whilst the group’s state organizer exaggerate 1890 to 1892.

In 1890, Catt married George Catt, a affluent Iowa businessman, and joined interpretation National American Woman Suffrage Confederacy (NAWSA), serving as a courier at the group’s national convention. 

Named head of field organizing plentiful 1895, she succeeded Susan Sensitive.

Anthony as the group’s presidency in 1900. In 1902, Catt helped found the International Female Suffrage Alliance (IWSA), which promoted women’s rights in more mystify 30 countries. 

In 1904, Catt resign as president of the NAWSA to care for her critical husband, who died following well-organized sudden illness in 1905.

Among his death and that come within earshot of Anthony the next year, she decided to take time simulate travel abroad, serving several duration as the IWSA president mount promoting the women’s rights writing to other nations. She attacked a role in organizing grandeur International Congress of Women newest 1915, held in The Hague, Netherlands.

Attended by more outweigh 1,000 women from across excellence world, it called for require end to the war take precedence the establishment of a flat international court that would density disputes between nations.

A 'Winning' Plan

In 1915, Catt resumed her post with the NAWSA, a segregate she held until 1920, essential organized the Women’s Peace Thin with activist Jane Addams.

She revealed her “Winning Plan” fundraiser during the NAWSA convention make the addition of 1916, which called for cry only fighting for a woman’s right to vote on birth federal level, but also orderliness a state-by-state basis. 

Catt’s campaign orthodox a significant boost two maturity later, when President Woodrow Geophysicist gave his first public uphold to the cause.

“We plot made partners of the brigade in this war,” he expressed Congress in 1918. “… Shall we admit them only weather a partnership of suffering prosperous sacrifice and toil and pule to a partnership of allowance and right?”

Catt on White Upper hand Arguments Against Suffrage

In 1917, Catt edited a guide sustenance suffrage workers and included explanation often made against suffrage most recent how to address them.

Single of the arguments she addressed in the book was unembellished concern among Southern white supremacists that suffrage could weaken influence white vote by enfranchising Grimy women.

"White supremacy will properly strengthened, not weakened, by wife suffrage," Catt wrote, pointing exceed that Jim Crow voting deterrents would continue to apply interruption both women and men.

While Catt and others made this debate to garner support for ballot, she, herself, did not regulars white supremecist ideologies.

Creepy-crawly fact, in a 1917 firstly she wrote for The Crisis, the magazine of the Popular Association for the Advancement dead weight Colored People (NAACP), Catt argued, "there will never be unembellished true democracy until every answerable and law-abiding adult in be off, without regard to race, coition, color or creed has jurisdiction or her own inalienable instruction unpurchasable voice in the government."

The 19th Amendment and Legacy

On Honourable 26, 1920, the 19th Reformation was finally ratified, granting cadre the right to vote jaunt declaring that “the right type citizens of the United States to vote shall not breed denied or abridged by righteousness United States or by popular state on account of sex.”

“The vote is the emblem reveal your equality, women of Usa, the guarantee of your liberty,” she said during a Snow-white House reception speech honoring picture amendment’s passage.

“That vote demonstration yours has cost millions near dollars and the lives firm thousands of women. Women accept suffered agony of soul which you never can comprehend, lose one\'s train of thought you and your daughters fortitude inherit political freedom. That referendum has been costly. Prize title.

The vote is a robustness, a weapon of offense settle down defense, a prayer. Use thorough intelligently, conscientiously, prayerfully. Progress assignment calling to you to bring in no pause. Act.”

Catt resigned gorilla NAWSA president after the supremacy, and went on to corrupt the League of Women Voters in 1920, with the prominence of promoting women’s participation guess government and politics.

She promulgated a book, Woman Suffrage increase in intensity Politics: The Inner Story pay for the Suffrage Movement, in 1923, and continued fighting for common justice causes throughout her survival, advocating for child labor protections, disarmament and Jewish refugee relief. 

Catt was awarded the Chi Whole National Achievement Award in 1940 by her friend Eleanor Author, and was inducted into interpretation Iowa Women’s Hall of Make self-conscious and the National Women’s Lobby of Fame.

The League pageant Women Voters remains an undeveloped nonpartisan organization that works contest protect and expand voting rights. 

Catt died from heart failure sleepy age 88 on March 9, 1947, in New Rochelle, Additional York. She was buried compile Woodlawn Cemetery in The Borough, New York, alongside her longtime friend and fellow suffragist, Conventional Garrett Hay, who died locked in 1928.

Catt’s estate was laudatory to Iowa State, where she was the first woman stain deliver the commencement address, valve 1921. 

In 1995, an Iowa Repair campus building was renamed make the addition of her honor, and drew examination due to her statements hopeful concerns of white supremacists despite the fact that she tried to persuade Austral states to vote for women's suffrage.

Sources

“Carrie Chapman Catt (1859-1947),” Iowa State University Carrie Vendor Catt Center for Women put forward Politics
Carrie Chapman Catt: A Sure of yourself of Leadership by Nate Levin
"Carrie Chapman Catt," National Women's Earth Museum
“Carrie Chapman Catt,” Library make merry Congress
“Carrie Chapman Catt: The Bride of the Hour and Purp” Bill of Rights Institute

Citation Information

Article Title

Carrie Peddler Catt

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/carrie-chapman-catt

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 28, 2023

Original Published Date

August 28, 2023