In June 1890, she married wealthy engineer George W.
#Iowa b and b association professional
She joined the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association, organized suffrage events throughout the state, and worked as a professional lecturer and writer.
In 1887, Catt returned to Iowa to begin her crusade for women’s suffrage. Arriving just a few days after her husband’s death, the young widow decided to remain in San Francisco, where she where she canvassed for ads and wrote freelance articles. Chapman died of typhoid fever the following year in San Francisco, Calif., where he had gone to seek new employment. In February 1885, she married Leo Chapman, publisher and editor of the Mason City Republican newspaper, at her parents’ Charles City farm.
In 1883, at the age of 24, she was appointed Mason City school superintendent, one of the first women to hold such a position. She also was a member of Pi Beta Phi fraternity.Īfter graduation, Catt returned to Charles City to work as a law clerk and, in nearby Mason City, as a school teacher and principal.
She worked her way through school by washing dishes, teaching and serving as a librarian’s assistant. The college did not recognize valedictorians at that time and while Catt was a good student, there is no official information on her rank in the class.* While at Iowa State, Catt established military drills for women and became the first female student to give an oration before a debating society. Also, some biographies mistakenly state that Catt was valedictorian of her class. At the time, the college’s academic year ran from the spring through the fall, so Catt completed her degree in four years, not three years as is sometimes reported. In 1866, at the close of the Civil War, the family moved to a farm near Charles City, Iowa.Ĭatt entered Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in Ames, Iowa, in 1877 and completed a bachelor’s degree in general science in 1880, the only woman in her graduating class. Constitution granting women the right to vote in August 1920.Ĭarrie Chapman Catt, 1866Catt was born on January 9, 1859, in Ripon, Wis., the second of three children of Lucius and Maria (Clinton) Lane. Her superb oratory and organizational skills led to ratification of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political ScienceĬarrie Lane Chapman Catt-an Iowa State University alumna who devoted most of her life to the expansion of women’s rights around the world as well as international peace-is recognized as one of the key leaders of the American women’s suffrage movement.Women’s History Historical Landmarks and Sites.Carrie Chapman Catt Primary Sources, Biographies and Bibliography.Toward a Universal Suffrage (traveling exhibit).Women’s Resources at Iowa State University.Organizations for Women and Girls in Iowa.Archives of Women's Political Communication.Women in Public Office – Iowa State University Student Government.Women in Public Office – Historical Summaries.Candidates for Federal and Statewide Office – Historical Summaries.2012-2016 Candidates for Federal and Statewide Office.2018 Candidates for Federal and Statewide Office.2020 Candidates for Federal and Statewide Office.National History Day: Carrie Chapman Catt.