New Jersey
New Jersey’s Fight for Suffrage
Women worked for over 70 years to get the vote. Divisions over race, tactics, and strategy did not stop suffrage efforts. Women kept their eyes on the prize . . . suffrage. Learn more about the fight for suffrage in New Jersey in the timeline below, or download the timeline as a printable PDF.
New Jersey’s Suffrage Timeline
1776
New Jersey’s original state constitution allowed anyone with an estate of 50 pounds to vote, and a small number of women voted throughout the late 1700s.
1807
New Jersey limited voting to free, white male citizens after a series of contentious elections and allegations of voter fraud. New Jersey women unsuccessfully petitioned the legislature to oppose disenfranchisement.
1867
Lucy Stone and other prominent suffragists founded the New Jersey Suffrage Association (NJSA) in 1867. Although suffragists did not experience significant wins in the state, they organized dozens of local groups and repeatedly petitioned the state legislature.
1897
The legislature granted women the right to vote in school board elections.
1908
The NJSA elected Clara Laddey, a German immigrant and women’s rights activist, as its president. Laddey reignited the New Jersey suffrage movement by partnering with the Equal Franchise Society and the American Federation of Labor to appeal to church congregations while addressing local working issues.
1912
The New Jersey Legislature considered suffrage legislation and again the next year, but neither bill passed.
1914
A suffrage amendment passed during two required successive sessions before being sent to the electorate for a vote.
1915
For the suffrage referendum, New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association (NJWSA) President Lillian Feickert traveled across the state to educate and recruit voters, holding over 4,500 meetings. Suffragists activated a state-wide get-out-the-vote campaign, while liquor interests and political machines campaigned against the measure.
Voters roundly defeated the 1915 suffrage amendment, and the state constitution prevented the reconsideration of a failed amendment for another five years.
February 9, 1920
New Jersey ratified the 19th Amendment, making it the 29th state to ratify.
References
Cooney, Robert. (2005). Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement. American Graphic Press.
Curry-Ledbetter, C. (2020). Women’s Suffrage in New Jersey 1776-1807: A Political Weapon. In The Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law. Vol 21(3). https://www.law.georgetown.edu/gender-journal/in-print/volume-xxi-issue-3-spring-2020/womens-suffrage-in-new-jersey-1776-1807-a-political-weapon/
Did You Know: Women and African Americans Could Vote in NJ before the 15th and 19th Amendments. (2018, July 3). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/voting-rights-in-nj-before-the-15th-and-19th.htm
Gertzog, I. (1990). Female Suffrage in New Jersey, 1790-1807. Center for American Women and Politics. https://cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/femalesuffrageinnj1790_1807.pdf
New Jersey and the 19th Amendment. (2019, August 22). National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/articles/new-jersey-and-the-19th-amendment.htm
New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association Collection, MC 1435, Special Collections and University Archives, Rutgers University Libraries. https://archives.libraries.rutgers.edu/repositories/11/resources/870. Accessed November 06, 2024.
On Account of Sex: The Struggle for Women’s Suffrage in Middlesex County. (n.d.). Rutgers University Library. https://womensuffrage.libraries.rutgers.edu/exhibits/show/womenssuffrage/statecampaign
Perlin, S. (n.d.). Biographical Sketch of Clara Schlee Laddey. Alexander Street. https://documents.alexanderstreet.com/d/1010113754
Woman’s Suffrage Centennial. (n.d.). New Jersey League of Municipalities. https://www.njlm.org/1080/Womans-Suffrage-Centennial