Program

National Votes for Women Trail

Subject

People

Location

38 Fountain Sq Plz, Cincinnati, OH 45202, USA

Lat/Long

39.102173, -84.511703

Grant Recipient

National Collaborative for Women's History Sites

Margaret Longley and husband Elias, using both print and lectures, advocated for women’s suffrage throughout their lives. Margaret was also responsible for founding the Ohio Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 during a convention in Cincinnati where she would also be elected as Vice-President of the state association.

Married in 1847, Margaret and Elias were noted experts in phonetic writing and later typewriting, which they both taught and published extensively about. In fact, many of the early published works referenced in the marker were written in the aforementioned phonetic writing, which the couple championed throughout their professional careers. Type of the Times, a periodical published by the Longley’s, was written using phonetic writing and featured articles relating to women’s rights—often times written by Margaret. The publication and subsequent writings by the Longley’s supported women’s suffrage.

The couple continued their advocacy after moving from Ohio to California around 1885. There, Margaret served as the President of the Los Angeles Woman Suffrage Association and as the Vice-Chairperson of the People’s Party of California conventions. The move was spurred by Elias’ ill-health, and though he recovered enough to open and run a phonographic institute in Los Angeles for some time, he would pass away in 1899. Margaret later passed away in 1912.

This marker is located near the site of their former publishing business.