WASHINGTON, D.C. – During Women’s History Month, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) joined a bipartisan group of six U.S. senators in introducing the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Location Act. This bill would secure the Women’s National Suffrage Monument’s location on the National Mall. Sen. Lummis is comitted to securing this monument on the National Mall so visitors from Wyoming can pay tribute to the Wyoming women who played an integral role in the women’s suffrage movement.
“Placing the Women’s Suffrage Monument on the National Mall in our nation’s capital alongside other monuments dedicated to America’s greatest leaders ensures that future generations will learn the incredible stories of trailblazing Wyoming women like Louisa Swain and Nellie Tayloe Ross,” said Senator Lummis.“Wyoming played a critical role as a national leader in the women’s suffrage movement, even before we were a state, and I am proud to carry that legacy on today as the first woman to represent the Cowboy State in the U.S. Senate.”
A specific act of Congress is required to place a new commemorative work or visitor center on the National Mall, therefore requiring passage of the Women’s Suffrage National Monument Location Act. Currently, there are not any monuments on the National Mall dedicated to American women.
Historic firsts for women in Wyoming:
- 1869 – Wyoming becomes the first U.S. territory to continuously recognize women’s right to vote.
- 1870 – Louisa Swain cast the first vote by a woman in Wyoming.
- 1870 – Esther Hobart Morris became the first female justice of the peace, serving in South Pass City, Wyoming.
- 1925 – Nellie Tayloe Ross becoming the first woman to serve as governor in America
- 1995 – Barbara Cubin becomes the first woman to represent Wyoming in Congress.
- 2016 – Wyoming National Guard Sgt. Shelby Atkins becomes the first female NCO in the US Army Infantry.
Click here to read the full bill text.
