Suffrage Activism in Evanston

Suffrage leaders in Evanston and the surrounding areas worked together to lobby for the vote. Evanston women were integral to the local, state, and national suffrage movement. 

As chair of the Legislative Committee of the Illinois Equal Suffrage Association, Catharine McCulloch used her understanding of the law and led a tour in Illinois to support a bill she drafted that would allow women to vote in presidential elections. From 1893-1913 the association lobbied for the ratification of suffrage and held an automobile tour to rally supporters across the state.

The Automobile tour intended to gather support for suffrage in Illinois. This event was planned by the Chicago Political Equality League and Catharine McCulloch was selected to speak on the tour on suffrage from a legal standpoint. They started in Evanston and visited many towns, including, Highland Park, Lake Forest, and went to Western parts of Illinois, like, Naperville, Wheaton, and Aurora. 

In June of 1913, The Illinois Equal Suffrage Association and other women's rights groups were granted the right to vote in national and municipal elections. On June 14th, Catharine McCulloch greeted by Evanston residents at Fountain Square to celebrate McCulloch's role in making Illinois the first state east of the Mississippi to give women the right to vote.