Articles

On June 28, 1919, Texas became the ninth state in the U.S. and the first in the South to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. That day, Jane McCallum wrote in her diary, "Somehow I felt too thankful to be jubilant. We have a great responsibility and I pray God we may meet it squarely and successfully."

The responsibility McCallum referred to was women's right to vote. As a leader of the Texas suffrage movement, McCallum had faced heated criticism. Undaunted, she gave speeches, wrote newspaper columns, and lobbied legislators.

After the national ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, McCallum took on new responsibilities. She helped the Texas League of Women Voters advocate for education, health care, and child labor laws. McCallum also served as executive secretary of the Women's Joint Legislative Council and as Texas secretary of state under two different governors. More»