Anna Bell Lawther was a leader in the women's suffrage movement in the U.S. state of Iowa. She was the first woman to serve on the State Board of Education.
Background
Anna Bell Lawther was born on the 6th of September, in Dubuque, Iowa. She was the daughter of William Lawther, who established himself as a banker, realtor, and candy maker in Dubuque and Annie Elizabeth (Bell) Lawther, the daughter of John Bell, the founder of the first flour mill in Dubuque and the owner of Bell and Sons.
Education
Anna Lawther received her early education in the Dubuque public schools. She prepared for college at Miss Stevens' School at Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and received a Bachelor of arts from Bryn Mawr College in 1897.
In 1898 Anna Lawther became assistant bursar of Bryn Mawr College and from 1904-1905 she was warden of Merion Hall at Bryn Mawr and from 1907-1913 was the secretary of Bryn Mawr College. After resigning from her position at her Alma Mater, Anna Lawther returned to Iowa and became interested in local activities.
In 1919 Anna Lawther was appointed as Iowa’s first Democratic national committeewoman. The next year she became the first Iowa woman to serve as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, which met that year in San Francisco. In 1921 Governor Nathan Kendall appointed Anna Lawther to the State Board of Education, the predecessor of the Board of Regents. She was the first woman to serve on the board, and she served with distinction until 1941.
Achievements
Religion
Anna Lawther was an active member of the Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Membership
During the referendum for equal suffrage in 1916 Anna Lawther was the chairman of the Dubuque County, Iowa Equal Suffrage Association and for the following three years was its president. When suffrage was granted to the women of Iowa by the Thirty-Eighth General Assembly, Anna Lawther was made the Democratic National Committeewoman for Iowa. She chaired the Women’s Committee of the Iowa Food Administration and the Third Congressional District Committee of the Red Cross. In 1929 Anna Lawther led the Association of Governing Boards of State Universities and Allied Institutions.
Women’s Committee
,
Iowa
1917
the Third Congressional District Committee of the Red Cross
,
Iowa
1917
the Association of Governing Boards
,
Iowa
1929
Equal Suffrage Association
,
Dubuque
1916
Personality
The life of Anna Bell Lawther is an example of the courageous work of one Iowan to improve the status of women. Throughout her long life, she remained an active civic volunteer in Dubuque.
Connections
Father:
William Lawther
Mother:
Annie Elizabeth Lawther
References
Hudson, D., Bergman, M., & Horton, L. (Eds.) The biographical dictionary of Iowa