(May 21, 2023) Once-forgotten history lies under downtown Baltimore’s Verizon Central Office Building at Charles and Pleasant streets. At 15 E. Pleasant Street suffragist (and maternal aunt of actress Katharine Hepburn) Edith Houghton Hooker founded the Just Government League (JGL) in what was then the Federated Charities building. Recent research shined a light on Hooker’s influential and overlooked work on voting rights for women.
On Saturday June 3 at 11:00 a.m., the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center (MWHC), located adjacent to Pleasant Street at 333 N. Charles Street, will dedicate a historical marker in honor of Ms. Hooker. During the program, Dr. Pamela Young, a MWHC board member who researched Hooker’s story to ensure that her contributions to women’s suffrage were not lost to history, will share more details of her life. Dr. Young has also led the research and coordination of Maryland’s nine other statewide suffrage markers, dedicated over the last three years.
Hooker’s 1912 creation of the Maryland Suffrage News as the official organ of the JGL addressed the needs of the suffrage movement, including organizational unity, a statewide network, and public information. Since general circulation newspapers paid scant attention to suffrage, Maryland Suffrage News became the weekly voice for the state’s suffrage movement.
Hooker also took to the streets, using her Packard automobile from which she conducted open-air meetings in various locations throughout the state. With a multitude of parlor and open-air meetings, as well as distribution of more than 100,000 pieces of suffrage literature, the JGL had 17,000 members by 1915.
“We now know that Edith Houghton Hooker’s role in Maryland’s suffrage movement cannot be underestimated,” says Diana M. Bailey, MWHC’s Executive Director. “Even after the 19th amendment was finally passed, she worked to make sure that Maryland ratified it, gathering 125,000 signatures on a petition and meeting with Governor Albert C. Ritchie. We welcome all to our celebration on June 3rd.”
Ms. Bailey adds that deep research into Ms. Hooker’s life and contributions began in the 1980s with Dr. Diane Weaver’s history dissertation at the University of Maryland. Dr. Weaver was among the first historians to discover threads of early suffrage work in Maryland, and Edith Houghton Hooker was one of the key figures. As Ms. Hooker’s influence over the statewide suffrage movement came to light, Dr. Weaver’s work inspired others to learn more. As a result, Maryland has the most historical suffrage markers on the National Votes for Women Trail.
Dr. Young and MWHC collaborated with William G. Pomeroy Foundation, which funded the marker.
Details
What: Dedication and celebration of Baltimore suffragist Edith Houghton Hooker by the Maryland Women’s Heritage Center
When: Saturday, June 3, 2023, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: Maryland Women’s Heritage Center located at Marian House/Woman’s Industrial Exchange, 333 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21201
Free light refreshments
NOTE: The event takes place during the Charles Street Promenade. Come to enjoy the shops, restaurants and sights of this historic Baltimore area. Charles street is closed to traffic that day. Closest parking lot is Franklin Street Garage.
