Ella Gifft facts for kids

Ella Gifft, also known as Ella Gift (born around 1882 – died December 26, 1964), was an important businesswoman and activist for women's right to vote from the United States Virgin Islands. She started the Suffragist League and was one of the first women to register to vote in the territory. She is also remembered in a folk song called "Over the Side."

Fighting for the Right to Vote

These women were among the first to vote in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands, in 1936.

Ella Gifft was a key leader in the movement for women's voting rights in the US Virgin Islands. Some people remember her as a teacher from Jost Van Dyke. On December 29, 1932, she created the Suffragist League. Other important women in this movement were Bertha C. Boschulte, Eulalie Stevens, and Edith L. Williams, who were also teachers.

There's a story that when President Herbert Hoover visited St. Thomas, Ella Gifft waited to meet him. She then gave him a special request asking for the islands to have their own governor. She had kept this request hidden on her. The group knew about similar efforts in Puerto Rico, where Milagros Benet de Mewton helped women get the right to vote in 1929.

Because of the Suffragist League's hard work, Judge Albert Levitt decided in 1936 that women could vote in the upcoming election that year. Ella Gifft was also a respected person in politics. She encouraged Earle B. Ottley to run for election to the Legislative Assembly in 1936.

The "Over the Side" Folk Song

During a time called Prohibition, certain goods were not allowed in the islands. A popular folk song, "Over the Side," tells a story about Ella Gifft from this time. The song describes her hiding items in special pockets in her clothes. It says she had to get rid of them quickly when officials appeared.