1920 WOMENS SUFFRAGE RATIFICATION GOVERNOR WASHINGTON HART AUTOGRAPH SIGNED CARD

Description

LOUIS FOLWELL HART
(1877 - 1952)
9
th
GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON 1919-1925,
7
th
LT. GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON 1913-1919,
&
CHAMPION OF WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE!
Governor Hart called a special session of the Washington State legislature on March 22, 1920 to address the
Women’s Suffrage Amendment to the United States Constitution—
Hart likely called this special session to solidify his leadership for a 1920 election campaign and to enable women to vote nationally for U.S. President that fall. By that date, only two states remained before official ratification.
According to one account, “
The capitol was thronged with women who had traveled from every corner of the state to participate in the occasion.”
Gov. Hart was also instrumental in getting new road projects through the Washington State legislature and strongly supported the creation of a State Police Highway Patrol. He oversaw the construction of a new State Capitol complex at Olympia.
Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was reducing the size of State government, and reorganizing the state's administrative structure, reducing the number of administrative agencies from 75 to 10!
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HERE’s AN OFFICIAL “
STATE OF WASHINGTON-OFFICE OF GOVERNOR-OLYMPIA
” BLIND-EMBOSSED AUTOGRAPH SIGNATURE CARD SIGNED BY GOV. HART:
“Louis F. Hart
Governor of Washington”
A FINE ADDITION TO YOUR WASHINGTON STATE POLITICAL HISTORY AUTOGRAPH, MANUSCRIPT & EPHEMERA COLLECTION!
The document measures 5½” x 3¼” and is in VF+ condition.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH of the HONORABLE
LOUIS F. HART
Washington Governor. After studying law in Missouri, he moved to Tacoma, Washington, where he practiced law and was an insurance agent. In 1912, he was elected Lieutenant Governor, serving until 1919. During World War I, he served chairman of the Selective Service Appeals Board for Southwest Washington. When Governor Ernest Lister was forced to retire due to ill health, Hart was elected as a Republican the 9th Governor of Washington, serving until 1925. While in office, he oversaw construction of the new Capitol complex, supported improved highway systems and a state highway patrol and was responsible for reorganizing the state's administrative structure. Not seeking reelection, he practiced law and served as the president of the State Good Roads Association, until his death.
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Governor Hart and the 19
th
Amendment Ratification in the State of Washington:
The 19
th
Amendment for Women’s Suffrage passed Congress June 4, 1919.  Three quarters of the states were needed to ratify the amendment which was 36 at the time.
Washington Governor Ernest Lister became ill and Lieutenant Governor Louis Hart (1919-1925) took over as acting governor February 13, 1919.  Lister died June 14, 1919.  Because the Washington State Legislature had already met in early 1919 and there were only biennial legislative sessions, any ratification in 1919 or 1920 would require a special session of the legislature. A goal was to achieve ratification before the Presidential election in November 1920.
Hart was reluctant to call the session.  He received entreaties from suffragists, including Carrie Chapman Catt, that Washington as a voting state should be in the forefront of the effort.  When Mrs. Catt visited Olympia in 1919, First Lady Ella Hart attended a luncheon in downtown Olympia where Catt advocated for a special session.  By February 1920 the other first voting states of the West—Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Idaho—had ratified. Although legislators even volunteered to forgo a per diem for a suffrage special session, Hart still hesitated—waiting for more states to ratify.
As other issues came to the forefront, Hart decided to call a special session for March 22, 1920 to address the suffrage amendment, soldier bonuses for World War I veterans and a limited range of issues—likely to also solidify his leadership for a 1920 election campaign and to enable women to vote nationally for U.S. President that fall. By that date, only two states remained before official ratification.
According to one account, “The capitol was thronged with women who had traveled from every corner of the state to participate in the occasion.”
Representative Frances Haskell, of Pierce County, one of two women legislators in 1920, introduced the resolution:  “This is a very important hour in the history of our state and nation, for we have met here in special session this 22
nd
day of March, in the year of our Lord 1920, to ratify the federal suffrage amendment and to prove to the world the greatness of our Evergreen state, which is not determined by the number of acres that it contains, nor by the number of its population, but by the character of the men and women who today are extending to all the women of America, the privileges of the ballot.” The other woman serving in the House, Anna Colwell from Snohomish County also made remarks as did Governor Hart and other Representatives and the resolution passed unanimously.  Emma Smith DeVoe was on the dais and was asked to make special remarks.  In the Senate, the vote was also unanimous and Carrie Hill, another longtime suffragist, made remarks.  Thus Washington became the 35
th
state to ratifiy the 19
th
amendment and the 12
th
state to do so without a dissenting vote.
The 36
th
and final state needed was Tennessee which ratified the amendment August 18, 1920 and the amendment became effective August 26, 1920 which reads:
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
After the ratification, suffragists gathered in the office of the Secretary of State as then Secretary I. M. Howell certified the action of the House and Senate.
The restrictions on citizenship for Native Americans and immigrant Asians still remained and many African Americans still precluded structurally from the ballot nationally until voting rights acts of 1960s.
Nevertheless the 19
th
Amendment was a landmark event for women to take their place as equals in the political life of the country.
I am a proud member of the Universal Autograph Collectors Club (UACC), The Ephemera Society of America, the Manuscript Society and the American Political Items Collectors (APIC) (member name: John Lissandrello). I subscribe to each organizations' code of ethics and authenticity is guaranteed. ~Providing quality service and historical memorabilia online for over twenty years.~
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