On March 16, 1920, Sussex County’s members of the Delaware General Assembly held a conference in Georgetown to hear opinions for and against women’s suffrage. Suffragists and anti-suffragists organized similar gatherings throughout the state that spring. Governor Townsend called the state legislature into a special session on March 22 to address the ratification of the 19th Amendment and other issues. The Senate ratified the amendment, but in a victory for anti-suffragists, the House adjourned on June 2 without passing it. Women earned the right to vote after Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment on August 18, 1920.
Installed in 2021.
2020 Women’s Suffrage Committee
2 The Circle, Georgetown, DE 19947
Related Topics: 19th Amendment, Anti-Suffragist, Delaware General Assembly, Georgetown, Governor John G. Townsend Jr., Historical Markers, Legislative Special Session, Right to Vote, Suffragist, Sussex County, Women’s Suffrage