Oral history interview with Adele Clark, February 28, 1964

Adèle Clark

Born and raised in the South, Adele Clark was a founding member of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia and the League of Women Voters in Virginia. Clark first became involved in the suffrage movement in 1909, when she became the secretary of the Equal Suffrage League following its formation. Because of her position in the organization, Clark went to the National American Suffrage Association convention in Washington, D.C., in 1910 as an alternate delegate. When one of the official delegates fell ill, she became an active participant in the convention. Clark describes the proceedings, including President Howard Taft's speech to the delegation. Clark explains how the Equal Suffrage League worked to amend the state constitution during the 1910s but then shifted their focus to the state ratification effort after Congress adopted the 19th Amendment. According to Clark, immediate...