Ellis Meredith facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ellis Meredith
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Ellis Meredith in 1902
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| Born | 1865 Montana Territory, United States
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| Died | 1955 (aged 89–90) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation |
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| Employer | Rocky Mountain News (1893–1917) Women's Bureau of the Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) |
Howard S. Stansbury
(m. 1889; div. 1901)Henry H. Clement
(m. 1913) |
Ellis Meredith (1865–1955) was an important American woman. She fought for women's right to vote, wrote for newspapers, and published novels. Many people called her the "Susan B. Anthony of Colorado" because she was so important to the women's suffrage movement there.
Contents
Ellis Meredith's Early Life
Ellis Meredith was born in Montana Territory in 1865. Her parents were Frederick Allison and Emily R. Sorin Meredith. Her mother was a very educated woman. She earned her master's degree in 1863.
Ellis's father was a newspaper editor. Her family moved to Bannack in the winter of 1862–1863. They traveled there by wagon. Later, Ellis, her mother, and brother stayed with her grandfather in De Soto, Missouri.
In 1885, Ellis and her family moved to Denver, Colorado. Her father worked as a printer and later as a managing editor for the Rocky Mountain News newspaper. Her mother also became a journalist for the same paper in 1886. She was the first female journalist in Denver. Ellis's mother also believed strongly in women's right to vote.
Fighting for Women's Rights
Starting the Suffrage Movement in Colorado
In 1890, Ellis Meredith and five other women started a group. It was called the Colorado Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage Association. This group worked to get women the right to vote.
In 1893, Ellis went to the Chicago World's Fair. She met famous suffrage leaders Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone. Ellis asked them for help. She told them that if women in Colorado got the right to vote, other western states would follow. Susan B. Anthony agreed to send another organizer, Carrie Chapman Catt, to Colorado. Ellis wrote letters to Susan B. Anthony, keeping her updated on the progress.
Journalism and Writing
Ellis Meredith started working at the Rocky Mountain News in 1893. She had already been writing a column called A Woman's World since 1889. In her column, she often wrote about why women should have the right to vote.
By 1894, she joined the newspaper's editorial team. She became the first female journalist in Colorado to report on the state legislature. She might have been the first in the entire United States to do this!
Besides her newspaper work, Ellis Meredith also wrote three novels:
- The Master Knot of Human Fate (1901)
- Heart of My Heart (1904)
- Under the Harrow (1907)
Ellis Meredith's Political Work
On November 7, 1893, the men of Colorado voted. They decided that women should have the right to vote! Ellis Meredith stayed very active in politics after this big win.
In 1902, she helped write Denver's first city charter. This document sets up how a city government works. Ellis was one of only four women chosen for this important task.
From 1904 to 1908, she was a vice chair for the Democratic Party State Central Committee. In 1904, she also spoke to the U.S. House of Representatives. She asked them to pass a law giving women the right to vote across the country.
In 1910, Ellis Meredith made history again. She was the first woman elected to a city office in Denver. She became the City Election Commissioner and served until 1915. In 1917, she moved to Washington, D.C. There, she worked at the main office for the Democratic Party.
Later Life and Legacy
Ellis Meredith married Howard S. Stansbury in 1889, but they divorced in 1901. She married Henry H. Clement in 1913.
After moving to Washington, D.C. in 1917, she worked for the Women's Bureau of the Democratic Party. She also remained an active member of the Woman's National Democratic Club.
Ellis Meredith passed away in 1955. Her important papers are kept at the Colorado Historical Society in Denver. In 2018, Ellis Meredith was honored. She was added to the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame for all her amazing contributions.
