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On This Day: January 9
1859 - Carrie Chapman Catt Born
On this date Carrie Chapman Catt was born in Ripon. Born Carrie Clinton Lane, she was the only woman in the 1880 graduating class at the Iowa Agricultural College. After graduation, she worked as a law clerk, school teacher, and principal. She was one of the first women in the U.S. to be appointed Superintendent of Schools. In 1885, she married Leo Chapman. He died a year later in San Francisco. Carrie Chapman stayed on in San Francisco and became the first female reporter in the city. In 1890, she married George Catt. At the same time, she began to work for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. In 1892, she succeeded Susan B. Anthony as the NAWSA president. In 1902, she organized the International Woman Suffrage Alliance. She campaigned worldwide for suffrage equality. After the passage of the 19th Amendment, Carrie Chapman Catt continued to be active in politics. She founded the League of Women Voters, published books on suffrage, and lobbied for world peace and child labor laws. [Source: Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home Restoration Project]
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