West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association

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West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association (WVESA) was formed on November 29, 1895, at a conference in Grafton, West Virginia. It was part of the National American Woman Suffrage Association’s Southern Committee, which aimed to bring the suffrage movement to areas that had been overlooked. WVESA worked with the state’s chapters of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and clubs connected to the National Association of Colored Women.

The association fought for women’s right to vote. It lost the 1916 referendum to amend the state constitution for women’s suffrage, but it helped push the federal amendment forward. In the spring of 1920, West Virginia ratified the 19th Amendment, becoming the 34th state to do so, and in the fall of 1920, West Virginia women voted for the first time. That same year, WVESA transformed into the League of Women Voters of West Virginia.

Background: When West Virginia became a state in 1863, its constitution did not grant women the vote. Early attempts to change that failed. In the 1890s, NAWSA sent organizers to West Virginia, and local clubs formed. A statewide convention was held in Grafton in November 1895, and a leadership team was elected. A second convention met in Fairmont in 1897 with support from Carrie Chapman Catt. Leadership changed over time, and Fannie J. Wheat later served as president.

In 1919–1920, Lenna Lowe Yost led a Ratification Committee that organized a statewide petition drive and created an Advisory Board of about 150 supporters. Their targeted lobbying during a February 1920 session helped persuade lawmakers. The legislature ratified the 19th Amendment on March 10, 1920. On September 30, 1920, WVESA became the League of Women Voters of West Virginia, with Mrs. Ruhl elected as the first chair.