Kate M. Gordon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kate M. Gordon
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Gordon in 1913
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| Born | July 14, 1861 |
| Died | August 24, 1932 (aged 71) New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
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| Resting place | Metairie Cemetery |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Suffragist |
| Known for | Organizer of the Southern States Woman Suffrage Conference |
Kate M. Gordon (1861 – 1932) was an American suffragist and a leader in her community. She was one of the main people who fought for women's right to vote in the Southern United States. Kate Gordon helped start the Southern States Woman Suffrage Conference. She also led the effort in 1918 to get women the right to vote in Louisiana. This was the first time such a big effort happened in the American South.
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Early Life of Kate Gordon
Kate M. Gordon was born on July 14, 1861, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her father, George Hume Gordon, was a teacher from Scotland. Her mother was Margaret (Galiece) Gordon. Kate had two sisters, Jean and Fanny, and two brothers, George M. and W. A. Gordon. Kate's mother believed women should have the right to vote. She even went to a women's rights meeting in New York in 1853. Her father also believed in equal rights for women and men.
Kate Gordon's Work for Women's Rights
Kate Gordon first got involved in the women's rights movement in 1896. She heard a talk by Mary C. C. Bradford, a suffragist from Colorado. Soon after, Kate joined a women's rights group in New Orleans called the Portia Club. In the same year, she and her sister Jean helped start another group called the Era (Equal Rights Association) Club. These two groups later joined together to form the Louisiana State Suffrage Association. Kate Gordon became the head of this Association from 1904 to 1913.
Improving New Orleans
In 1899, Kate Gordon helped organize women for a special election in New Orleans. This election was about getting money to improve the city's sewage and drainage system. This was very important because much of New Orleans is below sea level. Through the Era Club, a group called the Women's Sewerage and Drainage League was created, with Kate Gordon leading it. Thanks to her efforts, the plan to get money for these improvements was approved.
Working with National Leaders
In 1900, Kate Gordon spoke at a big meeting for the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). There, she met the new president, Carrie Chapman Catt. Catt was impressed by Kate. In 1901, Kate was asked to become the national corresponding secretary for NAWSA. She worked in this important role until 1909.
Focusing on State-Level Change
After leaving NAWSA in 1909, Kate Gordon went back to New Orleans. She helped set up the first hospital in Louisiana to treat people with tuberculosis, a serious lung disease. She worked hard to raise money for Camp Hygiea and the Louisiana Anti-Tuberculosis Hospital. She also held leadership roles in anti-tuberculosis societies.
By 1913, Kate Gordon was fully focused on women's right to vote again. She now believed that voting rights should be decided by each state, not by a change to the national constitution. In November 1913, she was a key organizer of the Southern States Woman Suffrage Conference. She was the president of this group until it ended in 1917. She also edited the group's newspaper, the New Southern Citizen.
Different Views on Voting Rights
Kate Gordon strongly believed women should vote. However, she did not think this right should come from a national constitutional amendment. She preferred that each state decide on its own. So, when the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was proposed in 1919, Kate Gordon actually opposed it. This was because she believed in states' rights, meaning states should have more power to make their own laws. This view caused some disagreement among other suffragists.
Kate Gordon also helped establish the New Orleans Anti-Tuberculosis Hospital in 1926. She served as its vice president.
Death and Legacy
Kate Gordon passed away on August 24, 1932, in New Orleans. She was 71 years old. She was buried in the Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans.
