Suffrage History

Interested in learning more about Oregon woman suffrage history? Start here!

Oregon Suffrage Timeline – Everything from the first suffrage groups in 1870 to the 2020 Centennial Celebration of the Nineteenth Amendment.

This Month in History Series – Follow the successes, struggles, and strategies of Oregon suffragists during those critical months in 1912 leading up to their capturing the vote!

Education Materials – Learn more about Century of Actions original suffrage centennial education programming.

Essays – In these essays, distinguished historians describe some of the most significant bends along the road to Oregon woman suffrage and offer lists of additional reading.

Bibliography – Selected readings related to Oregon Woman Suffrage and Political History.

Historical Documents

Collections – Libraries and historical societies across Oregon care for and make available collections of material relating to women’s history – several are highlighted here.

Documents Project – What to dive into researching primary documents related to Oregon woman suffrage but unsure about where to start? Start here!

Interviews – Interviews with women office holders and former candidates for elected office, conducted in February 2012 by Professor Jensen’s Gender Issues in History students at Western Oregon University.

News Articles – Primary documents (newspaper articles and letters to the editor) related to the arguments made for and against woman suffrage during the Oregon campaigns.

She Flies With Her Own Wings – Associate Professor Randall Lake (Annenberg School at University of Southern California) has compiled and annotated a rich collection of Abigail Scott Duniway’s speeches.

Study of Women In Oregon Digital Archives – The Lewis & Clark Special Collections hold a number of rare book and archival collections that document the suffrage movement and the lives of women during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a particular focus on women in Oregon. This guide provides an overview of these resources with links to local digital content. It also includes bibliographic resources, and links to digital resources beyond Lewis & Clark College.

The Oregon Political Leadership Archive– The Center for Women, Politics & Policy has partnered with Portland State Library, the Department of History, and the Black Studies Department to provide a home for a growing archive of political papers from Oregon’s trailblazing women leaders, as part of the University’s Special Collections, including: Eleanor Davis, Hon. Avel Gordly, Hon. Gretchen Kafoury, Hon. Vera Katz, Hon. Barbara Roberts, and Hon. Betty Roberts.