Anne Dudley
PHOTO: Bryn Mawr College

ANNE DUDLEY


 

Anne Dudley was a wealthy Nashville woman who lived when women weren’t allowed to vote. She decided to do something about it, and for much of her life she was one of the leaders in the movement to give women the right to vote (such women were known as suffragettes). Dudley organized one of the first suffragette parades in Nashville, which shocked many of her friends in Nashville society. Her efforts paid off in 1920, when Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment to the U. S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote.


A protester before women were allowed to vote
PHOTO: Library of Congress
By the way, Anne Dudley wasn't the only important suffragette leader from Tennessee. There were many others, including Sue Shelton White, who was originally from Chester County. Click here to learn more about Sue Shelton White.