Edmonia Goodelle Highgate (1844–1870) Edmonia died young, at 26. She did a lot in her young life with the American Abolition Society and spoke at conventions headed by Frederick Douglass. Upon introducing her Douglass was "alarmed by reactions of men in the Syracuse streets" but "urged the convention to follow the thoughts of Miss Highgate declaring that what they were doing "gives offense to none but the sordid haters of our race". Edmonia was in the first class at Syracuse High School and graduated with honors as the only African American in 1861. If you know more about Edmonia Goodelle Highgate you can help us tell her story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Oakwood Cemetery Section 6, Lot 89 Comstock Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210 Onondaga County Learn More

Violet Westcott Morawetz (1878–1918) From 1911-1918, Violet worked on organizing and fundraising for suffrage. Violet attended the Empire State Campaign Committee for suffrage at the annual convention held from November 30 - December 2, 1916. The New York State Campaign was consolidated under the State Woman Suffrage Party and Violet was on the Executive Committee. She also served on the Entertainment and Education Committee for the National Woman's Suffrage Party. At the State Departmental Work for the National American Convention of 1917, Violet was appointed a Speaker in War Time and Chairman of the speaker's bureau. In February of 1917, Violet held a suffrage experience meeting at the Cosmopolitan Club in New York City with educational lectures that was attended by both supporters and anti-suffragists. After the United States entered World War I, the suffrage movement worked to support the war effort. Violet was on the special committee appointed by the New York City Chairman through the New York State Senate for those enlistment efforts. As a result, in March 1917 the headquarters of the Woman's Suffrage Party on Livingston Street, Brooklyn, New York became an enlistment station, which she helped organize. Oakwood Cemetery Section 13, Plot 55 940 Comstock Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210 Onondaga County Learn More

Naomi Sewell Richardson (1892–1993) Naomi was the first African American to graduate from Washingtonville High School, before attending Howard University in 1910. While there, she helped found the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority with 22 other women who "wanted to do more for our community into which we would be going after we graduated...not only a social group, but a working group." Their first public act as a sorority occurred in March of 1913 with the Women's Suffrage March in Washington D.C. Even later in life, Naomi Sewell Richardson was very active in her community and sorority. Although Richardson was known for living quietly, she was admired for her work with extreme activism and civic service. She was the last living founder of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. Over 100 of her sorority sisters attended her funeral. A book titled "A Life of Quiet Dignity" was written about her life and legacy. Washingtonville Cemetery ​ Cemetery Road, Washingtonville, NY 10992 Orange County Learn More

Alice Morgan Wright (1881–1975) An American sculptor, suffragist, and animal welfare activist; Alice was one of the first American artists to embrace Cubism and Futurism. She was also an ardent suffragist. Alice helped to bring the charismatic Emmeline Pankhurst to a speaking engagement in Paris and felt inspired to go to London herself to join the suffrage movement there. With the National Women’s Social and Political Union, she participated in militant demonstrations in England. She was incarcerated for two months in Holloway Prison, London. With other suffragettes, Alice protested her treatment by participating in a hunger strike. She used smuggled plasteline to model a portrait bust of her fellow prisoner, Pankhurst. Alice continued her suffrage activism after her return to the United States in 1914. She was Recording Secretary of the Woman’s Suffrage Party of New York during the winning campaign. Alice only returned to sculpture full-time after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. In 1920, she returned to Albany and gradually turned away from art to focus on political activism, especially animal rights, going as far as writing the Peace Plantation Animal Sanctuary organization's 12 Guiding Principles, which are still in use today. In 1921, Alice helped to create the League of Women Voters of New York State, eventually serving as a delegate to the 1948 United Nations assembly in Paris. Alice Wright and Edith J. Goode were lifetime companions, having met at Smith College. Together they worked tirelessly for peace and justice. Albany Rural Cemetery Section 29, Plot 42 Cemetery Avenue, Menands, NY 12204 Albany County Learn More

Emma J. Skiff Becker (1859–1937) Emma was a proud member of the Easton Political Equality Club, the first suffrage club in Washington County. From 1891 to 1917 the Easton Political Equality Club had a mission- to prove to people that women, as citizens of the United States of America, deserved the right to vote. Like the "good wives" they were, Lucy Allen, Chloe Sisson, Emma J. Skiff Becker and the ladies of the Easton PEC used their influence as wives & mothers, neighbors & friends, to convince many men in the area to vote in favor of female suffrage. This tireless effort culminated on November 6, 1917 when male voters all across New York approved the measure guaranteeing the right to vote to citizens of the state regardless of sex. The measure passed statewide by about 80,000 votes, in Washington County by 188 votes & in Easton by 18 votes. It would be another 3 years before the 19th Amendment would be ratified. The women of the Easton PEC continued to serve their communities through the library, the grange, the school board, and a book club. Emma was superintendent of press work for the EPEC for a number of years. Woodlands Cemetery Possibly Sec F 75-77 7 Cemetery Avenue, Cambridge, NY 12816 Washington County Learn More

Henry Rogers Selden (1805–1885) Henry is best known as the lawyer who defended Susan B Anthony after she voted in the election of 1872. Born in Connecticut, Henry moved to Rochester where he studied law, set up a private practice, and became a community advocate. He served as a trustee to the Industrial School, established to support homeless children. Along with Hiram Sibley and others, he participated in establishing a company that became Western Union. Henry served as the Reporter for the New York State Court of Appeals, and was later appointed an Associate Judge to this court. He also ran for elected positions serving in the New York State Legislature and as Lt Governor. Henry Selden advised Susan B. Anthony to vote after examining her extensive research on the topic. He paid her bail when she was arrested. At Susan B. Anthony's trial in June, 1873, Henry argued his case before a pre-ordained judge and jury. The outcome is well known. Mount Hope Cemetery Section C, Lot 108 1133 Mount Hope Ave, Rochester, NY 14620 Monroe County Learn More

Amanda Sanford Hickey, MD (1838–1894) Amanda is one of the female physicians listed in the History of Woman Suffrage. A prominent physician in Auburn, NY, she helped form the Auburn Political Equality Club. Amanda also organized the Cayuga County Political Equality Club, whose members consorted with the likes of outspoken suffragists such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Amelia Bloomer. Amanda's obituary declared her, “an ardent believer and earnest worker in the cause of universal suffrage.” Her dedication to the advancements of women’s health and her advocacy for equality were important and will continue to inspire those headed down the same path. Evergreen Cemetery ​ Union Springs, Cayuga, NY 13160 Cayuga County Learn More

Rachel Schenck Martin (1844—1937) Rachel served as the Vice President of the New York Chapter of Women Suffragists, as established at an 1869 Convention in Saratoga. Evergreen Cemetery Possibly Jackson Lot 296 Martin Road, Fonda, NY 12068 Montgomery County Learn More

Betty Friedan (1921–2006) Dubbed the “mother” of the modern women’s movement, Betty Friedan was an American feminist writer, activist, and complicated force to be reckoned with. A leading figure in the women’s movement in the United States, she spent five years conducting interviews with women across the country, charting white, middle-class women’s metamorphosis from the independent, career-minded New Woman of the 1920s and 1930s to the housewives of the postwar era who were expected to find total fulfillment as wives and mothers. Published in 1963, The Feminine Mystique hit a nerve, becoming an instant best-seller that continues to be regarded as one of the most influential nonfiction books of the 20th century, often credited with sparking the “second wave “of American feminism. In 1966, Friedan co-founded and was elected the first president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), which aimed to bring women into the mainstream of American society now [in] fully equal partnership with men. In 1970, after stepping down as NOW's first president, Friedan organized the nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality on August 26, the 50th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution granting women the right to vote. The national strike was successful beyond expectations in broadening the feminist movement; the march led by Friedan in New York City alone attracted over 50,000 people. In 1971, Friedan joined other leading feminists to establish the National Women’s Political Caucus. Friedan was also a strong supporter of the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the United States Constitution that passed the United States House of Representatives (by a vote of 35 - 24) and Senate (84 - 8) following intense pressure by women’s groups led by NOW in the early 1970s. Following Congressional passage of the amendment, Friedan advocated for ratification of the amendment in the states and supported other women’s rights reforms. As more diverse voices emerged within the women’s movement, Friedan not only struggled to retain her leadership but was criticized by other feminists for focusing on issues facing primarily white, middle-class, educated, heterosexual women. Radical feminists also blasted Friedan for referring to lesbian women in the movement as the “lavender menace,” and for Friedan’s willingness to cooperate with men. Ever politically expedient, Friedan believed the only hope for change was by retaining the movement’s mainstream ties and veneer. This alienated her from younger, radical, and visionary feminists who were increasingly becoming the vanguard of the movement. Friedan nonetheless remained a visible, ardent, and important advocate for women’s rights. Sag Harbor Jewish Cemetery (AKA Independent Jewish Cemetery) ​ NY-114, Sag Harbor, NY 11963 Suffolk County Learn More

Sarah Lamb Cushing, MD (1818–1919) Dr. Sarah was the first woman doctor in Western New York. She voted at a school meeting of the first district of Lockport, NY, following the passage of the bill to prevent disfranchisement in 1885. Dr. Sarah also endowed the Cushing Fund on Dec. 31, 1910, providing Lockport City Hospital with the income "for the benefit of poor and deserving women, young and old, who are residents of Niagara County who shall be in need of hospital care." Cold Springs Cemetery Section K. Lot 19 4849 Cold Springs Road, Lockport, NY 14094 Niagara County Learn More

Mary Otis Gay Wilcox (1861–1933) Mary was Borough Chairman for Staten Island (then referred to as Richmond) of the City Party led by Carrie Chapman Catt in 1915, when the suffrage amendment appeared on the New York State ballot. As part of that campaign, according to a 1915 New York Tribune article, she and Mrs. James Lees Laidlaw led a feminine column of representatives from New York City, through Binghamton, to Rochester for the final Suffrage Party convention before the 1915 ballot initiative. The City Party organized mass meetings, canvassed homes and businesses, and attempted to reach nearly 600,000 voters, ultimately enrolling 60,000 new members to the Party. Mary lectured broadly on women's suffrage, for example, the New York Age reports to an African Methodist Episcopal congregation in Bayonne, NJ. By 1919 Mary became active in the League of Women Voters, the independent, non-partisan group aimed at enhancing women's political power, educating voters, and constraining partisan corruption. She chaired the League's Richmond chapter. *courtesy alexanderstreet.com Moravian Cemetery ​ 2205 Richmond Road, New Dorp, NY 10306 Richmond County Learn More

Lucy Maynard Salmon (1853–1927) An American historian, Lucy taught at Vassar College from 1889-1927. She studied at Bryn Mawr under the future President Woodrow Wilson. At Vassar College she established the History department. Lucy taught her students to use critical thinking instead of rote memorization. She served on the National College Equal Suffrage League and on the Executive Advisory Council of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. Poughkeepsie Rural Cemetery Section H, Lot 36 342 South Avenue, Poughkeepsie , NY 12602-0977 Dutchess County Learn More

Mariane Willets Wright Chapman (1843–1907) In 1884, Mariane attended her first women's suffrage convention held by the Woman Suffrage Association of Brooklyn. At the time, Lucy Stone was president. Shortly after, Mariane became a member of the association and went on to become president herself. Later, from 1897 to 1902, Mariane was president of the New York State Woman's Suffrage Association. Throughout her time leading these organizations, Mariane was frequently in contact with other well-known activists such as Susan B. Anthony and Carrie Chapman Catt. Westbury Friends Cemetery ​ 550 Post Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590 Nassau County Learn More

Clemence Sophia Harned Lozier, MD (1813–1888) As New York State barred women as physicians in hospitals, in 1863 Dr. Clemence Lozier founded a medical school exclusively for female students, the New York Medical College and Hospital for Women, which was staffed and supervised by the College’s male faculty. In 1860, prior to opening the school, Dr. Clemence began a series of lectures from her home on anatomy, physiology, and hygiene as these topics were regularly neglected in women’s education. Seeing high demand for the lectures and tired of seeing qualified women get turned away from medical school, Dr. Clemence, with the help of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was able to persuade the New York State legislature to grant her a charter for a women’s medical college. In 1863, the New York Medical College for Women opened with seven female students in the inaugural class, and a faculty of eight doctors, four men and four women. Over the next twenty-five years, the school grew and placed more than 200 female graduates in medical practice throughout the U.S. and abroad. The school’s hospital was the first place in New York where doctors of their own gender could treat women, and its clinic attracted up to 2,000 female patients each year. Dr. Clemence was President of New York Woman’s Suffrage Society from 1873-1886, and very active in other suffrage organizations. She gave the commencement address at the medical school’s 25th graduation ceremony in 1888 and passed away two days later at the age of 74. Green-Wood Cemetery Section 152, Lot 19173 500 25th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11232 Kings County Learn More

Stella Phelps Bell (1870–1925) Stella was an active member of the Political Equality Club of Glens Falls. She was appointed to the club’s finance committee in 1914. If you know more about her, you can help us tell her story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Glens Falls Cemetery ​ 38 Ogden Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 Warren County Learn More

Guelma Penn Anthony McLean Although there is no record that she participated in the women's rights movement or other social reforms, Guelma was in complete sympathy with Susan's activism. In November, 1872, though very ill, she left her sickbed and walked with her sisters Susan, Hannah Anthony Mosher, and Mary Anthony to the voter registration site to register to vote. Four days later, she again walked to the polls to cast her ballot. At the conclusion of Susan's trial for voting, the United States v. Susan B. Anthony, Susan spent the rest of that summer and fall of 1873 at Guelma's bedside, taking complete charge of her nursing care. By all accounts, she was a superb nurse and was determined to make her beloved sister's final days as comfortable as possible. Mount Hope Cemetery Section C, Plot 93 1133 Mount Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620 Monroe County Learn More

Lula May Loomis (1883–1948) Lula May was born in Port Leyden, where she lived her entire life. There she married J. Clark Loomis in 1905, and continued to be active in several community organizations. She was a member of the Port Leyden Woman’s Suffrage Club, often hosting meetings in her home. In 1915, the club proposed starting a “melting pot” for the suffrage cause, encouraging members to donate odd pieces of gold, silver, or other metals. If you know more about Lula May, you can help us tell her story. Please use our Add a Suffragist form to submit your information. Port Leyden Cemetery ​ Pearl Street, Port Leyden, NY 13433 Lewis County Learn More

Gussie Mable (Narcissa) Cox Vanderlip (1880–1966) Gussie was a leading New York suffragist and a co-founder of the New York State League of Women Voters. She was Chairman of the 24 and 25 Congressional Districts of the New York State League of Women Voters in 1918-1919. In 1919, Gussie was elected as State Chairman of the NYS League of Women Voters. She also recruited Eleanor Roosevelt to join the League of Women Voters board of directors, having previously worked with her on wartime relief projects; they were friends. Gussie helped found the Scarborough School, the the first Montessori school in the U.S., with her husband, Frank Arthur Vanderlip. During World War I, Gussie served as Chairman of the War Service Committee of the NYS Woman Suffrage Party. Sleepy Hollow Cemetery Lot 3413, Section 65 Lebanon 540 N Broadway, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 Westchester County Learn More

Emily Townsend Peckham (1843–1901) Emily was a founding member of the Easton Political Equality Club, the first suffrage club in Washington County, NY along with her sister Chloe Peckham Sisson. Easton Rural Cemetery (also known as Quaker Cemetery) Plot Q-1 Meeting House Road, Easton, NY 12154 Washington County Learn More

Anna Elizabeth Dickinson (1842–1932) Anna was the first woman paid to campaign for political candidates, even though she couldn't vote for them. In thanks for her work getting Republicans elected in the 1860s, she was invited to address Congress. On January 16, 1864, with President Lincoln and Mary Todd present, Anna addressed a joint session of Congress. Speaking for more than an hour without notes, Dickinson critiqued Lincoln's generosity to Confederate states and his meager protection for those formerly enslaved. Grandly, she closed by endorsing Lincoln for a second term, as "the Hour" called for a steady hand. After the war, Anna toured nationally, delivering a repertoire of 22 different lectures on women's suffrage and the rights of all African-Americans. At the height of her career, she made the equivalent of approximately $400,000 annually in today's dollars. Anna was one of the most famous suffragists of the day, so the movement's leaders couldn't ignore her, but they couldn't control her either. Both the National and the American Woman Suffrage Association invited her to join their boards, but she wasn't a joiner. Anna did provide the movement with some financial support, though. Her image is the frontispiece of Volume II of the History of Woman Suffrage, with her inscription: "The world belongs to those who take it." Bio by Rachel B. Tiven. Slate Hill Cemetery ​ South Church Street, Goshen, NY, 10924 Orange County Learn More