Voting Rights for Women of Texas Advanced on this Day in 1919

AUSTIN, TX — On this day in 1919, the Texas Senate ratified the national amendment granting women the right to vote. Texas thus became the first Southern state to ratify the 19th Amendment and the ninth in the nation. The journey to this historic moment was long and filled with both progress and setbacks.

The discussion of women's suffrage in Texas dates back to the Constitutional Convention of 1868. The short-lived Texas Equal Rights Association (1893-96) helped organize an initial suffrage movement. However, it was the Texas Equal Suffrage Association (TESA), a state chapter of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), that led the fight for suffrage from 1913 onward.

TESA achieved a significant milestone in 1918 when it won the right for women to vote in primary elections. The organization's efforts were crucial in building momentum towards the eventual ratification of the 19th Amendment. However, feelings on the issue were strong on both sides; some women joined the Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage.

Yet, the suffrage movement in Texas saw renewed vigor with the formation of TESA. Initially, the group faced challenges due to the state's size and sparse population, which made organizing local chapters difficult. Annette Finnigan, a key figure in the movement, organized a local suffrage league in Houston and was elected president of TESA in 1903. Despite sluggish growth, the organization persevered, and by 1913, seven local chapters sent delegates to TESA's convention.

Under the leadership of Mary Eleanor Brackenridge and later Minnie Fisher Cunningham, TESA expanded significantly. By 1918, the organization had eighty chapters across the state. The suffragists faced opposition, particularly from Governor James Ferguson and anti-prohibitionist leaders. Nevertheless, TESA continued its advocacy, including a successful campaign for a women's primary suffrage bill signed into law in March 1918.

When the federal woman-suffrage amendment failed to clear Congress in 1918, TESA shifted its focus to amending the state constitution. Although the measure failed in a May 1919 referendum, the organization's persistence paid off later that year. On June 28, 1919, the Texas Senate ratified the 19th Amendment, making Texas the first Southern state to do so.

TESA's efforts culminated in their victory convention in October 1919, where they voted to dissolve and convert the organization into the League of Women Voters of Texas. This transformation marked the end of one chapter and the beginning of another in the ongoing fight for women's rights and political participation.