Washington Territory Grants Women the Vote
After passing the House previously, the suffrage bill clears the Council, marking a historic victory for equal representation.
Mrs. Duniway was much elated over the success of the Woman's Suffrage bill, which passed the House some time ago, and the Council today, and telegraphed the result all over the Union. H. B. 16, an act to confer suffrage on the women of Washington Territory, came up and passed by a vote of 7 to 5. Those voting aye were Messrs. Bark, Edmiston, Hale, Harper, Kerr, Power and Smith—7; noes, Messrs. Caton, Collins, Houghton, Whitehouse and Truax—5.
“Mrs. Duniway was much elated over the success of the Woman's Suffrage bill... and telegraphed the result all over the Union.”
This 1883 legislation made Washington a pioneer in gender equality, though it would face years of legal challenges and reversals by territorial courts. Today, it stands as a critical milestone in the long arc of civil rights and the empowerment of women in the American West.
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