Emily Sophia Tanner Richards facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Emily Sophia Tanner Richards |
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| Born | Emily Sophia Tanner May 13, 1850 Little Cottonwood, Provisional State of Deseret, United States |
| Died | August 19, 1929 (aged 79) Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Known For | Founding the Utah Women's Suffrage Association |
Emily Sophia Tanner Richards (born May 13, 1850 – died August 19, 1929) was an important leader. She helped start the Utah Woman's Suffrage Association. This group worked hard to get women the right to vote.
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Emily Richards' Early Life
Emily Sophia Tanner was born in a place called Cottonwood in the Salt Lake City area. Her parents were Rachel and Nathan Tanner. Her grandfather was John Tanner (Mormon).
When Emily was six years old, she moved to the Salt Lake Valley. This move allowed her to go to school. At 18, Emily Tanner married Franklin S. Richards. He was an old schoolmate. Franklin later became a main lawyer for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The young couple moved to Ogden the next year. Emily and Franklin raised five children together.
In 1882, Emily and Franklin Richards moved to Washington, D.C. They took their children with them. Franklin went there to talk to the U.S. Congress. He wanted to help Utah become a state.
Working for Women's Right to Vote
While in Washington, D.C., Emily Richards met many national leaders. These leaders were working for women's right to vote, also known as suffrage.
In 1886, Emily Richards joined other women like Josephine R. West, Emmeline B. Wells, and Ellen B. Ferguson. They presented a special request to President Grover Cleveland. They wanted to help reduce negative feelings towards people in Utah. However, the next year, the Edmunds–Tucker Act took away Utah women's right to vote.
Starting the Utah Suffrage Group
In 1888, Emily Richards asked leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for permission. She wanted to start a Utah branch of the National Woman Suffrage Association. The Church leaders agreed with her idea. The group officially began on January 10, 1889.
Richards became a state organizer for the group. She worked under Margaret N. Caine, who was the president of the Utah association. Emily Richards helped create many local suffrage groups all over Utah. These local groups were very important. They helped women get the right to vote back in the 1895 Utah Constitution.
Speaking at Important Events
Because she was a leading suffragist in Utah, Richards was invited to the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. This was a big world's fair. On May 19, 1893, she gave a speech at the World's Congress of Representative Women. Her speech was called The Legal and Political Status of Woman in Utah. People liked her speech so much that it was printed in the official book of the Congress.
At the World's Columbian Exposition, Richards also spoke at the Women's Branch of the World's Parliament of Religions. No men from the LDS Church were allowed to speak there, but Emily Richards was invited. Her success at this event led her to represent Utah women at other fairs. She spoke in San Francisco (1894), Atlanta (1895), and Omaha (1898).
In 1896, she was chosen as an alternate delegate for Utah at the Democratic National Convention. This was a big political meeting. In 1920, Richards also helped organize the Utah chapter of the League of Women Voters. This group helps people understand politics and encourages them to vote.
Involvement with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Emily Richards became a spokesperson for Utah and its women. She spoke on behalf of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She was a public face for the Church during a time of change.
Within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Richards also served on the General Board of the Relief Society. This is a large women's organization within the Church.
