Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

People

Location

1501 N Lincoln St, Arlington, VA 22201, USA

Lat/Long

38.890143, -77.103209

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Mary Morris Lockwood (1871-1936) was a leading suffragist in the fight for women’s right to vote. In 1904, Lockwood moved to Arlington, Virginia from Washington, D.C. While her home is no longer standing, the site where it once stood can be found on North Lincoln Street in Arlington. Lockwood lived here until her death in 1936.

While living in Arlington, Lockwood helped to establish a local suffrage league. By 1913, Lockwood was active in the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage, which later became the National Woman’s Party. In March of that year, Lockwood marched in the national women’s suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. Lockwood was one of the thousands that marched down Pennsylvania Avenue in support of women’s right to vote. The parade took place on the eve of President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration and helped to draw national attention to the cause of women’s suffrage.

Lockwood continued to help organize and advocate for women’s suffrage, including lobbying federal legislators. In 1917, Lockwood picketed in front of the White House in support of women’s suffrage. She was arrested along with other suffrage picketers, but was able to appeal her sentence and did not serve time in prison for her part in the suffrage demonstration.

After decades of activism by suffragists, finally, on June 4, 1919, the United States Congress passed the Nineteenth Amendment which reads, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” On February 12, 1920, the state of Virginia voted against ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. However, by August of that year, the necessary 36 states had ratified the amendment, securing women’s right to vote across the United States, including in the state of Virginia.