Frances Munds facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frances Willard Munds
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| Member of the Arizona Senate from the Yavapai County district |
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| In office 1915–1917 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Frances Lillian Willard
June 10, 1866 Franklin, California, United States |
| Died | December 16, 1948 (aged 82) Prescott, Arizona, United States |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | John Lee Munds (1868-1952) |
Frances Lillian Willard "Fannie" Munds (born June 10, 1866 – died December 16, 1948) was an important American leader. She fought for women's right to vote, known as suffrage, in Arizona. After women in Arizona won the right to vote, she became a member of the Arizona Senate. This happened more than five years before the 19th Amendment gave all American women the right to vote.
Early Life and Family
Frances Lillian Willard was born in Franklin, California, on June 10, 1866. She was the eighth child of Joel and Mary Grace Vinyard Willard. Her grandfather, Alexander Hamilton Willard, was part of the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Her family were ranchers. They moved to Nevada and then to the Arizona Territory. Frances went to school at the Maine Central Institute in Pittsfield, Maine. She graduated in 1885.
After finishing school, Frances joined her family in the Arizona Territory. Her four brothers ran a ranch there with her father's old business partner, William Munds. Her father had passed away in 1879.
Frances worked as a school teacher in small towns like Pine, Payson, and Mayer. In 1890, she married John Lee Munds, who was William Munds' youngest son. In 1893, the couple moved to Prescott. John Munds was elected Yavapai County sheriff for two terms starting in 1899. Frances and John had one son and two daughters.
Fighting for Women's Right to Vote
In 1898, Frances Munds became the secretary for the Arizona Territory Women Suffrage Organization. She worked with the president, Pauline O'Neill. They reached out to Mormon women in the territory. This was a new approach, as earlier suffrage leaders had not worked with the Mormon community.
This new plan helped the organization gain more support. They could then ask Mormon members of the territorial government to support laws for women's voting rights. Munds also went to government meetings herself to speak up for women's issues.
After several years, the 1903 territorial government passed a bill to give women the right to vote. However, the governor, Alexander Brodie, stopped the bill. Another governor, Governor Kibbey, also stopped a similar bill later on.
In 1909, Arizona was getting ready to become a state. Munds made a deal with the Western Federation of Miners, a labor union. The union agreed to support women's suffrage. In return, the women's organization would support the union's labor issues.
The next year, Arizona held a meeting to write its state constitution. A proposal to give women the right to vote was suggested. But this idea was voted down and not added to the constitution.
After Arizona became a state on February 14, 1912, Frances Munds was chosen to lead the State of Arizona Women Suffrage Organization. She first said no, but then agreed. She asked that her title be "chairman" and that she could reorganize the group.
In the summer of 1912, Munds helped organize a petition drive. They needed 3,342 signatures to put the issue on the ballot for people to vote on. After getting enough signatures, Munds also got support from 95% of the state's labor unions.
When the Progressive party supported women's suffrage, Munds used this to her advantage. She told the Democratic and Republican parties that women would support the Progressive party if they didn't back suffrage. When the votes were counted, the suffrage initiative passed by a huge margin in every county.
Political Career
In 1913, Governor George Hunt chose Munds to represent Arizona at a big meeting in Budapest, Hungary. This meeting was for the International Woman Suffrage Alliance.
The next year, in 1914, Frances Munds and Rachel Berry became the first women elected to the Arizona Legislature. Munds represented Yavapai County.
When she joined the state legislature in 1915, Munds joked that "true blue conservatives will be shocked to think of a grandmother sitting in the State Senate." While in office, she led the Committee on Education and Public Institutions. She also served on the Land Committee. Senator Munds also helped pass a law that doubled the tax break for widows.
She decided not to run for a second term in the legislature. But in 1918, she was asked to run for Secretary of State, though she did not win that election.
After leaving office, Munds stayed involved in politics for the rest of her life. She passed away at home on December 16, 1948. She was buried in Prescott, Arizona.
In 1982, Frances Willard Munds was honored by being added to the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame.
