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{{Short description|American suffragist}}
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'''Mary Jane (Whitely) Coggeshall ''' (1836–1911) was an American suffragist known as the "mother of [[woman suffrage]] in Iowa". She was inducted into the [[Iowa Women's Hall of Fame]] in 1990.<ref name=mott/>
{{Infobox person
| name = Mary Jane Coggeshall
| image = Mary Jane Coggeshall.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Mary Jane Coggeshall
| birth_name = Mary Jane Whitely
| birth_date = {{birth date|1836|1|17|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Milton, Indiana
| death_date = {{death date and age|1911|12|22|1836|1|17|mf=y}}
| death_place =
| nationality = American
| alma_mater =
| other_names =
| occupation = Suffragist
| years_active =
| known_for =
| notable_works =
| spouse = {{marriage|John Milton Coggeshall|1857|1889|end= died in}}
}}

⚫
'''Mary Jane (Whitely) Coggeshall ''' (January 17, 1836&ndash;December 22, 1911) was an American suffragist known as the "mother of [[woman suffrage]] in Iowa". She was inducted into the [[Iowa Women's Hall of Fame]] in 1990.<ref name=mott/>


[[File:Photograph_of_Mary_Jane_Coggeshall.jpg|thumb|right|Mary Jane Coggeshall]]
==Early years and education==
==Early years and education==
Mary Jane Whitely was born January 17, 1836, in [[Milton, Indiana]], to Isaac Whitely (a farmer) and Lydia (Gunderson) Whitely, who helped support the family by taking in sewing.<ref name=mott/><ref name=schlesinger/> The family were [[Quakers]], and Isaac kept a station on the [[Underground Railroad]]. Whitely attended public schools in Milton.<ref name=mott/>
Mary Jane Whitely was born January 17, 1836, in [[Milton, Indiana]], to Isaac Whitely (a farmer) and Lydia (Gunderson) Whitely, who helped support the family by taking in sewing.<ref name=mott/><ref name=schlesinger/> The family were [[Quakers]], and Isaac kept a station on the [[Underground Railroad]]. Whitely attended public schools in Milton.<ref name=mott/>


In 1857, she married John Milton Coggeshall, with whom she had three children, two of whom survived: Clair and Anna.<ref name=mott/> The couple moved to [[Des Moines, Iowa]], in 1865.<ref name=noun/>
In 1857, she married John Milton Coggeshall, with whom she had three children, two of whom survived: Clair and Anna.<ref name=mott/> The couple moved to [[Des Moines, Iowa]], in 1865.<ref name=noun/>
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In 1870, Coggeshall became a charter member and secretary of Iowa's Polk County Woman Suffrage Society<ref name=schlesinger/><ref name=iowa/> and was later (1898) president of the Des Moines Equal Suffrage Club.<ref name=mott/> Her most influential suffrage activity, however, stemmed from her involvement with the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association (IWSA), of which she was a charter member.<ref name=iowa/> She served as its president (1890, 1891, 1903–05) and then as honorary president (1905–11).<ref name=mott/> In the latter capacity, she marched in America's third-ever women's suffrage parade, which took place in Boone, Iowa, in 1908.<ref name=mott/><ref name=matthews/>
In 1870, Coggeshall became a charter member and secretary of Iowa's Polk County Woman Suffrage Society<ref name=schlesinger/><ref name=iowa/> and was later (1898) president of the Des Moines Equal Suffrage Club.<ref name=mott/> Her most influential suffrage activity, however, stemmed from her involvement with the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association (IWSA), of which she was a charter member.<ref name=iowa/> She served as its president (1890, 1891, 1903–05) and then as honorary president (1905–11).<ref name=mott/> In the latter capacity, she marched in America's third-ever women's suffrage parade, which took place in Boone, Iowa, in 1908.<ref name=mott/><ref name=matthews/>


Coggeshall was the first editor (1886–88) of the IWSA's monthly ''Woman's Standard'', Iowa's main suffrage newspaper, founded by Martha Callanan.<ref name=iowa/><ref name=simonsen/><ref name=tucker/> She returned to edit the paper again in 1911.<ref name=schlesinger/> She frequently wrote for the paper after her first editorship ended, as well as for national newspapers.<ref name=mott/>
Coggeshall was the first editor (1886–88) of the IWSA's monthly ''Woman's Standard'', Iowa's main suffrage newspaper, founded by [[Martha Callanan]].<ref name=iowa/><ref name=simonsen/><ref name=tucker/> She returned to edit the paper again in 1911.<ref name=schlesinger/> She frequently wrote for the paper after her first editorship ended, as well as for national newspapers.<ref name=mott/>


In 1895, Coggeshall was elected to the board of the [[National American Woman Suffrage Association]] (NAWSA), becoming the first woman from west of the Mississippi River to join the NAWSA board and the only one of the early Iowa suffragists to be active at the national level.<ref name=mott/><ref name=iowa/> She spoke at the NAWSA national conventions in 1904 and 1907.<ref name=schlesinger/>
In 1895, Coggeshall was elected to the board of the [[National American Woman Suffrage Association]] (NAWSA), becoming the first woman from west of the Mississippi River to join the NAWSA board and the only one of the early Iowa suffragists to be active at the national level.<ref name=mott/><ref name=iowa/> She spoke at the NAWSA national conventions in 1904 and 1907.<ref name=schlesinger/>


Coggeshall not only lectured and wrote on suffrage, she got involved in a major lawsuit. In 1894, the state of Iowa had passed a law allowing women to vote in city bond elections. In 1908, when the city of Des Moines defied this law and denied women ballots in just such an election, Coggeshall brought a lawsuit against the city. The Iowa Supreme Court held that the election was void because women, as a class were barred from voting.<ref name=mott/>
Coggeshall not only lectured and wrote on suffrage, she got involved in a major lawsuit. In 1894, the state of Iowa had passed a law allowing women to vote in city bond elections. In 1908, when the city of Des Moines defied this law and denied women ballots in just such an election, Coggeshall brought a lawsuit against the city. The Iowa Supreme Court held that the election was void because women, as a class were barred from voting.<ref name=mott/>


Coggeshall died of pneumonia on December 22, 1911. Although she did not live to see American women get the vote, fellow suffragist [[Carrie Chapman Catt]] dubbed her "the mother of woman suffrage in Iowa".<ref name=mott/>
Coggeshall died of pneumonia on December 22, 1911. Although she did not live to see American women get the vote, fellow suffragist [[Carrie Chapman Catt]] dubbed her "the mother of woman suffrage in Iowa".<ref name=mott/>


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
Following Coggeshall's death, the IWSA and the Men's League for Woman's Suffrage together set up the Mary J. Coggeshall Memorial Fund, whose mission was to support activities leading to the passage of a suffrage amendment to the Iowa Constitution.<ref name=mott/>
Following Coggeshall's death, the IWSA and the [[The Men's League|Men's League for Woman's Suffrage]] together set up the Mary J. Coggeshall Memorial Fund, whose mission was to support activities leading to the passage of a suffrage amendment to the Iowa Constitution.<ref name=mott/>


In 1977, the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Transportation set up a roadside marker honoring notable people from Des Moines, among whom Coggeshall was included.<ref name=mott/>
In 1977, the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Transportation set up a roadside marker honoring notable people from Des Moines, among whom Coggeshall was included.<ref name=mott/>


In 1990, Coggeshall was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.
In 1990, Coggeshall was inducted into the [[Iowa Women's Hall of Fame]].


An archive of Coggeshall's papers—mainly speeches and writings—is held by the [[Schlesinger Library]] of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.<ref name=mott/><ref name=schlesinger/>
An archive of Coggeshall's papers—mainly speeches and writings—is held by the [[Schlesinger Library]] of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.<ref name=mott/><ref name=schlesinger/>
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<ref name=simonsen>Simonsen, Jane E. ''Making Home Work: Domesticity and Native American Assimilation in the American West, 1860-1919''. University of North Carolina Press, 2006.</ref>
<ref name=simonsen>Simonsen, Jane E. ''Making Home Work: Domesticity and Native American Assimilation in the American West, 1860-1919''. University of North Carolina Press, 2006.</ref>


<ref name=matthews>Matthews, Jean V. ''The Rise of the New Woman: The Women's Movement in America, 1875-1930''. Ivan R. Dee, 2003.</ref>
<ref name=matthews>Matthews, Jean V. ''The Rise of the New Woman: The Women's Movement in America, 1875-1930''. Ivan R. Dee, 2003.</ref>


}}
}}


==External links==
==External links==
*[https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/8/resources/5301 Mary J. Coggeshall Papers, 1880-1911] A-13; M-133. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
*[http://oasis.lib.harvard.edu/oasis/deliver/~sch00513 Finding aid for Mary Jane Whitely Coggeshall]
*[https://hollisarchives.lib.harvard.edu/repositories/8/resources/7882 Mary J. Coggeshall Additional Papers, 1867-1912] MC 911. Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
{{Iowa Women's Hall of Fame}}
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{{Authority control}}


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{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coggeshall, Mary Jane}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coggeshall, Mary Jane}}

[[Category:1836 births]]
[[Category:1836 births]]
[[Category:1911 deaths]]
[[Category:1911 deaths]]
[[Category:American suffragists]]
[[Category:Suffragists from Iowa]]
[[Category:People from Indiana]]
[[Category:People from Wayne County, Indiana]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia]]
[[Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Iowa]]
[[Category:American newspaper editors]]
[[Category:American newspaper editors]]
[[Category:American women newspaper editors]]
[[Category:Activists from Indiana]]
[[Category:Journalists from Indiana]]
[[Category:19th-century American women journalists]]
[[Category:19th-century American journalists]]
[[Category:Journalists from Iowa]]
[[Category:People from Des Moines, Iowa]]
[[Category:National American Woman Suffrage Association activists]]

Latest revision as of 16:25, 4 June 2024

Mary Jane Coggeshall
Mary Jane Coggeshall
Born
Mary Jane Whitely

(1836-01-17)January 17, 1836
Milton, Indiana
DiedDecember 22, 1911(1911-12-22) (aged 75)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationSuffragist
Spouse
John Milton Coggeshall
​
​
(m. 1857; died in 1889)​

Mary Jane (Whitely) Coggeshall (January 17, 1836–December 22, 1911) was an American suffragist known as the "mother of woman suffrage in Iowa". She was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1990.[1]

Early years and education

[edit]

Mary Jane Whitely was born January 17, 1836, in Milton, Indiana, to Isaac Whitely (a farmer) and Lydia (Gunderson) Whitely, who helped support the family by taking in sewing.[1][2] The family were Quakers, and Isaac kept a station on the Underground Railroad. Whitely attended public schools in Milton.[1]

In 1857, she married John Milton Coggeshall, with whom she had three children, two of whom survived: Clair and Anna.[1] The couple moved to Des Moines, Iowa, in 1865.[3]

Career as activist

[edit]

In 1870, Coggeshall became a charter member and secretary of Iowa's Polk County Woman Suffrage Society[2][4] and was later (1898) president of the Des Moines Equal Suffrage Club.[1] Her most influential suffrage activity, however, stemmed from her involvement with the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association (IWSA), of which she was a charter member.[4] She served as its president (1890, 1891, 1903–05) and then as honorary president (1905–11).[1] In the latter capacity, she marched in America's third-ever women's suffrage parade, which took place in Boone, Iowa, in 1908.[1][5]

Coggeshall was the first editor (1886–88) of the IWSA's monthly Woman's Standard, Iowa's main suffrage newspaper, founded by Martha Callanan.[4][6][7] She returned to edit the paper again in 1911.[2] She frequently wrote for the paper after her first editorship ended, as well as for national newspapers.[1]

In 1895, Coggeshall was elected to the board of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), becoming the first woman from west of the Mississippi River to join the NAWSA board and the only one of the early Iowa suffragists to be active at the national level.[1][4] She spoke at the NAWSA national conventions in 1904 and 1907.[2]

Coggeshall not only lectured and wrote on suffrage, she got involved in a major lawsuit. In 1894, the state of Iowa had passed a law allowing women to vote in city bond elections. In 1908, when the city of Des Moines defied this law and denied women ballots in just such an election, Coggeshall brought a lawsuit against the city. The Iowa Supreme Court held that the election was void because women, as a class were barred from voting.[1]

Coggeshall died of pneumonia on December 22, 1911. Although she did not live to see American women get the vote, fellow suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt dubbed her "the mother of woman suffrage in Iowa".[1]

Legacy

[edit]

Following Coggeshall's death, the IWSA and the Men's League for Woman's Suffrage together set up the Mary J. Coggeshall Memorial Fund, whose mission was to support activities leading to the passage of a suffrage amendment to the Iowa Constitution.[1]

In 1977, the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Department of Transportation set up a roadside marker honoring notable people from Des Moines, among whom Coggeshall was included.[1]

In 1990, Coggeshall was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.

An archive of Coggeshall's papers—mainly speeches and writings—is held by the Schlesinger Library of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University.[1][2]

Notes and references

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Mott, Lisa. "Coggeshall, Mary Jane Whitely". The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa. University of Iowa Press, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Coggeshall, Mary Jane Whitely, 1836-1911. Papers, 1880-1911: A Finding Aid". Schlesinger Library website. Accessed Dec. 13, 2015.
  3. ^ Noun, Louise R. Strong-Minded Women: The Emergence of the Woman-Suffrage Movement in Iowa. Iowa State University Press, 1969.
  4. ^ a b c d "Mary Jane Coggeshall". Iowa Department of Human Rights website. Accessed Dec. 13, 2015.
  5. ^ Matthews, Jean V. The Rise of the New Woman: The Women's Movement in America, 1875-1930. Ivan R. Dee, 2003.
  6. ^ Simonsen, Jane E. Making Home Work: Domesticity and Native American Assimilation in the American West, 1860-1919. University of North Carolina Press, 2006.
  7. ^ Tucker, Cynthia Grant. Prophetic Sisterhood. Beacon Press, 1990.
[edit]
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