Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

People

Location

600 Jefferson Ave, Scranton, PA 18510, USA

Lat/Long

41.41134, -75.65556

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Kate Chapman was an advocate for women’s suffrage who helped lead the Lackawanna County and Statewide suffrage effort from 1913-1919, serving as the chair of the Lackawanna County division of the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association (PWSA), the President of the Equal Franchise League of Scranton, and as the Vice President of the PWSA. This marker is located at the Century Club, which hosted suffragists during the 1914 state convention held in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Chapman was a noted speaker who gave several talks advocating for women’s suffrage throughout her career.

The state convention was held in Scranton in 1914 from November 19^th to the 24^th, and although the President of the PWSA, Jennie Roessing, was sick as the convention commenced, she and her Vice President, Chapman, rallied support for the movement. On the first day of the convention, November 19^th, The Scranton Truth reported that the PWSA “this morning set in motion the army of women that is set to contend for the right of equal franchise with meant the polls next November.” The article continued, stating the PWSA was:

Confident that Scranton will go down in history as the city of the drawing of the campaign plans for the final battler of Pennsylvania’s women for the ballot, the Suffragists took possession of the city today.

The opening night reception of the state convention was held at the Century Club, following which, the Wilkes-Barre Dramatic Club presented the playlet, “How the Vote was Won.”

Though Chapman is just now beginning to gain national recognition for her efforts, she played a valuable role in campaigning for women’s suffrage throughout Lackawanna County and Pennsylvania.