Anne Dallas Dudley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anne Dallas Dudley
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Anne Dallas Dudley, around 1900
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Annie Willis Dallas
November 13, 1876 Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Died | September 13, 1955 (aged 78) Belle Meade, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Resting place | Mount Olivet Cemetery Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Known for | Women's suffrage activist |
Anne Dallas Dudley (born Annie Willis Dallas; November 13, 1876 – September 13, 1955) was an important American activist. She fought for women's right to vote, also known as suffrage. She was a leader both in her home state of Tennessee and across the country. Anne Dallas Dudley worked hard to make sure the 19th Amendment was approved. This amendment gave women the right to vote everywhere in the United States. She is especially remembered for helping Tennessee become the last state needed to pass this important amendment.
Early Life
Annie Willis Dallas was born in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1876. She came from a well-known family. Her father, Trevanion B. Dallas, was a successful businessman. Her grandfather, Alexander J. Dallas, was a high-ranking officer in the U.S. Navy. His brother, George M. Dallas, even served as Vice President of the United States.
Annie Dallas went to school at Ward's Seminary and Price's College for Young Ladies in Nashville. In 1902, she married Guilford Dudley, a banker. They had three children: Ida, Trevania, and Guilford Jr..
Fighting for Women's Right to Vote
After she got married, Anne Dallas Dudley became interested in improving society. She believed that women could make a big difference if they had the right to vote. At that time, many people, both men and women, did not think women should be involved in politics.
"I have never yet met a man or woman who denied that taxation without representation is tyranny. I have never yet seen one who was such a traitor to our form of government that he did not believe that the government rests upon the consent of the governed. This is a government of, for, and by the people, and only the law denies that women are people."
In September 1911, Anne Dallas Dudley and some friends started the Nashville Equal Suffrage League. This group wanted to gain local support for women's suffrage. They wanted to do this in a calm and serious way, avoiding extreme actions. Dudley was chosen as the first president of this group.
During her time as president, the league held large parades. Anne Dallas Dudley often led these parades with her children. She also helped bring the National Suffrage Convention to Nashville in 1914. This was one of the biggest meetings ever held in the city.
After leading the Nashville group for four years, Dudley became the head of the Tennessee Equal Suffrage Association in 1915. She worked to get an amendment for women's suffrage added to the state constitution. Even though that first attempt failed, a new law was passed in 1919. This law gave women the right to vote in presidential and city elections in Tennessee.
In 1917, Dudley became a vice president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Here, she helped push for laws about women's voting rights across the country. In 1920, Dudley, along with Catherine Talty Kenny and Abby Crawford Milton, led the effort in Tennessee to approve the 19th Amendment. On August 18, Tennessee became the 36th state to approve it. This was the final state needed to make the amendment law, giving women the right to vote everywhere in the U.S.
Later Life
After the success of the suffrage movement, Dudley continued to be involved in public life. She became the first woman to be an associate chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Committee. She was also the first woman chosen to be a delegate-at-large to the Democratic National Convention in 1920.
In later years, Dudley focused more on community and charity work. She helped the American Red Cross during World War II. She also served as the board chairman for the Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities.
Anne Dallas Dudley passed away on September 13, 1955, at her home in Belle Meade, Tennessee. She was 78 years old. She is buried with her family at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville.
Legacy
Anne Dallas Dudley is remembered in many ways for her important work.
- She is one of three women honored at the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Memorial in Knoxville, Tennessee.
- She is featured in The Pride of Tennessee, a special portrait that hangs in the Tennessee State Capitol.
- There is a historical marker dedicated to her in Nashville's Centennial Park.
- She was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1995.
- An apartment building in Nashville, "The Dallas," is named in her honor.
- In 2016, a monument was unveiled in Centennial Park in Nashville. It features statues of Dudley and other important women who fought for suffrage.
- In 2017, Capitol Boulevard in downtown Nashville was renamed Anne Dallas Dudley Boulevard.
See also
In Spanish: Anne Dallas Dudley para niños
