This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Kentucky. Kentucky was one of the first states to allow women to vote in a limited fashion on tax and school issues as early as 1838. Efforts to curb African American women from voting led to the repeal of school suffrage in the state. Laura Clay and other suffragists continued to lobby and work towards a state suffrage amendment. Later, most Kentucky suffragists would support the Nineteenth Amendment which was ratified by Kentucky on January 6, 1920.
19th century
1830s
1838
Kentucky passes a state law allowing women who were head of household taxpayers in rural areas the ability to vote in elections for common schools.
1850s 1853
October: Lucretia Mott speaks about women's rights in Maysville. November: Lucy Stone speaks about women's rights issues to full houses in Louisville.
1860s 1863
The first book by Virginia Penny, The Employments of Women: A Cyclopaedia of Woman's Work is published.
1866
March: The Black Convention is formed to discuss equal rights for African Americans in Kentucky.
1867
July 4: In Lexington, Black women organize a barbecue where speeches in favor of Black suffrage are featured. October: Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton campaign in Louisville.
1870s 1871
"Qualified women" are allowed to vote in Dayton on a municipal bond of indebtedness. 1879
October: Susan B. Anthony speaks in Richmond and makes connections with the family of Laura Clay.
1880s 1881
The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) national convention is held in Louisville. 1886
October: The Association for the Advancement of Women (A.A.W.) meets in Louisville where women's suffrage is publicly discussed. 1887
July: Mary E. Britton speaks on suffrage issues in Danville at a meeting of the Kentucky Colored Teachers' State Association.
1888
January: The Fayette County Equal Rights Association is formed. November 22: The Kentucky Equal Rights Association (KERA) is formed. Women who are widows or "spinsters" are now allowed to vote on school taxes in non-chartered cities. 1889
November 19–21: Second annual convention of KERA is held in Lexington. The Louisville Equal Rights Association (LERA) is formed.
1890s 1890
October: Suffragists lobby politicians in Frankfort during the state constitutional convention. December 3–4: Annual meeting of KERA is held in Richmond, John G. Fee is a speaker. 1891
December 8–10: Anna Howard Shaw spoke at the KERA annual convention held this time in Louisville.
1892
November 9–10: KERA holds their annual state suffrage meeting in Richmond. The Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Kentucky votes to support women's suffrage in the state. 1893
October 17–19: State suffrage convention is held in Newport.
1894
Covington, Lexington, and Newport pass school suffrage measures for women. Women and members of KERA successfully oppose the reelection of William Campbell Preston Breckinridge. October 24–26: State suffrage convention was held in Lexington.
1895
First and only African American suffrage group in Kentucky is formed, the Covington Colored Organization. January 12: Susan B. Anthony gives her "Suffrage for Women" lecture in Louisville. December 10–12: The state suffrage convention is held in Richmond.
1896
December 18: During the state suffrage convention held in Lexington, a committee to work towards full school suffrage in the state is formed.
1897
Columbus Equal Rights Association is created with 10 members. October 14–15: State suffrage convention is held in Covington with Emma Smith DeVoe present. 1898
December 1: State suffrage convention takes place in Richmond.
1899
December 11–12: The state suffrage convention takes place in Lexington with Carrie Chapman Catt and Mary Garrett Hay present as speakers.
20th century
1900s
1901
African American women in Lexington used their right to vote to challenge segregation by opposing the Democratic Party.
1902
Limited suffrage won by women is repealed by the state legislature. 1903
KERA starts publishing the Kentucky E.R.A. Newsletter. 1904
The KERA hires veteran suffrage activist, Frances Woods, to organize in western Kentucky.
1906
November: Anna Howard Shaw speaks at the state suffrage convention held in Ashland. 1907
The state suffrage convention is held in Richmond.
1908
The Louisville Equal Rights Association changes their name to the Woman Suffrage Association of Louisville. The Kentucky Federation of Women's Clubs (KFWC) pursues a school suffrage bill in the state legislature.
1909
November 11–12: The state suffrage convention is held in Louisville and Shaw attends.
1910s 1910
November: Shaw speaks in Covington. 1911
October 19–25: NAWSA holds their annual convention in Louisville. 1912
The right to vote in school elections for literate women is secured statewide. The Louisville Woman Suffrage Association (LWSA) has a get out the vote telephone campaign to reach new voters. The state Democratic Party includes a school suffrage plank in their party platform.
1913
July: The Anderson County Woman's Suffrage League is formed. 1914
The KFWC officially endorses women's suffrage. 1915
The state Republican Party endorses women's suffrage in their party platform.
1916
Both the Democratic and Republican Parties endorsed women's suffrage in the state. May: A parade of over 1,000 suffragists march in Lexington. 1917
Suffragists in the state are involved in war work to support World War I. August: Cornelia Beach of Kentucky is arrested at a National Woman's Party (NWP) protest.
1918
The annual state suffrage convention was cancelled due to the flu epidemic.
1919
Laura Clay starts the Citizens' Committee for a State Suffrage Amendment. March 11–12: state suffrage convention is held in Louisville.
1920s 1920
January 6: Kentucky ratifies the 19th Amendment.
See also Elections in Kentucky List of Kentucky suffragists Timeline of women's suffrage in the United States Women's suffrage in Kentucky Women's suffrage in the United States Women's suffrage in states of the United States
References
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