VOTES FOR WOMEN
- Program
- Subject
- Location
- Lat/Long
- Grant Recipient
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National Votes for Women Trail
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People
- 2511 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919, USA
- 35.952849, -83.94409
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National Collaborative for Women's History Sites
VOTES FOR WOMEN
Inscription
VOTES FOR WOMENLIZZIE CROZIER FRENCH,
TENNESSEE SUFFRAGE LEADER,
FOUNDED OSSOLI CIRCLE IN
1885 AND KNOXVILLE EQUAL
SUFFRAGE LEAGUE IN 1910.
WILLIAM G. POMEROY FOUNDATION 2021
Tennessee suffrage leader Lizzie Crozier French (1851-1926) founded the Knoxville women’s club, Ossoli Circle, in 1885 as a progressive literary and reading club. Eventually Ossoli Circle joined the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and in the 1930s, its clubhouse was established on Kingston Pike in Knoxville.
In 1910, French founded the Knoxville Equal Suffrage League, and served as president of the group. She also served as president of the Tennessee Equal Suffrage Association and worked to organize suffrage leagues throughout the state. In addition, French was active with the National Woman’s Party, serving on its National Committee as Tennessee state chair in 1917.
Efforts of Tennessee suffragists paid off when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment on August 18, 1920, securing the right to vote for women across the United States.
