The Wyoming House For Historic Women, also known as Wyoming Women's History House[1] is a museum in downtown Laramie, Wyoming, United States, which celebrates the achievements of 13 women from the state of Wyoming.[2] It was established by the Louisa Swain Foundation, which honors Louisa Swain, the first woman in the United States to vote in a general election. She cast her ballot on September 6, 1870, in Laramie, Wyoming.[3][4] The museum opened in 2012.[5] The Wyoming State Historical Society says Swain was "the first woman in the world to cast a ballot under laws giving women and men equal voting rights".[6]
The Johnson Lummis Hunkins Plaza is outside the Wyoming House for Historic Women. A statue of Louisa Swain in her honor was dedicated in the Johnson Lummis Hunkins Plaza in 2005. The statue is called "The Franchise", and was created by John D. Baker.[7][8]
The women
editThe women who form the subject matter of the museum are:[9]
- Louisa Gardner Swain, first woman in the United States to vote in a general election, 1870[3][4]
- Eliza Stewart, first woman in America selected to serve on a jury, 1870[10][11]
- Martha Symons Boies Atkinson, first female bailiff in the United States, 1870[12]
- Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney[13]
- Barbara Cubin, first woman to represent Wyoming in Congress, starting in 1995[14]
- Verda James, first woman to serve a full term as the Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives[15][16]
- Marilyn S. Kite, first female Chief Justice on the Wyoming Supreme Court, chosen in 2010[17]
- April Brimmer Kunz, first female President of the Wyoming Senate, starting in 2003 and ending in 2005[13][18]
- All Woman Council of Jackson, an all-woman city government (including town council and mayor, who in turn appointed women to town marshal, town clerk and treasurer), elected in 1920[19]
- Anna Edith Miller, first woman licensed as a nurse in Wyoming, licensed in 1909[13]
- Esther Hobart Morris, first female justice of the peace in the United States, 1870[20][21]
- Estelle Reel, first woman elected to Wyoming public office, as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, elected in 1895[22]
- Nellie Tayloe Ross, Governor and first female Director of the U.S. Mint[13]
References
edit- ^ "Wyoming's House for Historic Women". VisitLaramie.org. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ^ Bloom, Laura Begley (2018-03-19). "A State-By-State Guide To The Top Women's History Landmarks In America". Forbes. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ a b Beeton, Beverly (1986). Women vote in the West: the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1869–1896. New York: Garland Science. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8240-8251-2.
- ^ a b Danilov, Victor J. (2005). Women and museums: a comprehensive guide. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. p. 68. ISBN 978-0-7591-0854-7.
- ^ "Wyoming House for Historic Women opens in Laramie". Washington Examiner. 2012-06-12. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
- ^ "The Wyoming House for Historic Women", in "Wyohistory.org." Laramie, Wyoming: Wyoming State Historical Society, retrieved online September 1, 2018.
- ^ ""The Franchise" statue by John D. Baker in the Johnson Lummis Hunkins Plaza outside the Wyoming House for Historic Women in downtown Laramie, Wyoming". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA.
- ^ "The Wyoming House For Historic Women". thelouisaswainfoundation.com. Archived from the original on March 24, 2016. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
- ^ "The Wyoming House For Historic Women". Louisa Swain Foundation. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
- ^ ‘’Laramie Boomerang’’, Oct. 16, 1917
- ^ Larson, T. A. (1979), History of Wyoming. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press
- ^ "A List of Firsts for Wyoming Women". WyoHistory.org. July 29, 2019. Archived from the original on Sep 27, 2023.
- ^ a b c d "Ground broken for state museum honoring women". The Billings Gazette. Sep 19, 2004. Archived from the original on 2022-10-31.
- ^ "CUBIN, Barbara L." US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Archived from the original on Jun 10, 2024.
- ^ "Verda James, First Full-term Woman Speaker of Wyoming's House of Representatives | WyoHistory.org". www.wyohistory.org. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
- ^ Freeman, Gary. "Notable Women In Wyoming Politics". KGAB AM 650. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
- ^ Haderlie, Carrie (March 21, 2010). "First female named state supreme court chief justice". Laramie Boomerang. Laramie, Wyoming. Retrieved December 4, 2014.
- ^ "Past Officers of Wyoming's State Legislature" (PDF). Wyoming Secretary of State. Dec 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 26, 2024.
- ^ "Petticoat Rules: The first women leaders of Jackson 100 years ago". Buckrail - Jackson Hole, news. 2020-05-26. Retrieved 2020-10-28.
- ^ Cummings, Kathryn Swim (2019). Esther Hobart Morris, The Unembellished Story of the Nation's First Female Judge. Glendo, WY: High Plains Press.
- ^ Delbride, Rena. "Trailblazer: Wyoming's first female judge, Esther Hobart Morris was ahead of her time". Made in Wyoming, Our Legacy of Success. Archived from the original on April 26, 2009. Retrieved February 4, 2009.
- ^ Drake, Kerry (2014-11-08). "Estelle Reel, First Woman Elected to Statewide Office in Wyoming". WyoHistory.org. Wyoming State Historical Society. Retrieved 2021-07-06.