Mary Elizabeth Ordway (July 4, 1828 – September 11, 1897), an early advocate for women's suffrage in

Washington territory The Territory of Washington was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from th ...

, was one of the first group of young women recruited to become teachers and wives in pioneer Seattle in the 1860s. Despite the expectation that these "

Mercer Girls The Mercer Girls or Mercer Maids were women who chose to move from the east coast of the United States to the Seattle area in the 1860s at the invitation of Asa Mercer. Mercer, an American who lived in Seattle, wanted to "import" women to the Pac ...

" would marry, Ordway remained single and became a successful teacher, school administrator, and suffrage activist. The suffrage activism of Ordway and some of the other "Mercer Girls" reflected their educational levels, professional status, and the values associated with personal autonomy that promoted their decisions to migrate across the continent to build new lives.

Early life

Ordway received a good education for a woman of her time, matriculating at the Ipswich Academy in Massachusetts. She taught in

Lowell Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, in the United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, It is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,5 ...

before migrating to Washington when she was in her mid-30s.

Teaching

She taught first in schools on

Whidbey Island Whidbey Island (historical spellings Whidby, Whitbey, or Whitby) is the largest of the islands composing Island County, Washington, in the United States, and the largest island in Washington State. (The other large island is Camano Island, ...

and in the lumber communities of

Port Gamble Port Gamble is an unincorporated community on the northwestern shore of the Kitsap Peninsula in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is also a small, eponymous bay, along which the community lies, near the entrance to Hood Canal. The uninco ...

and Port Madison on the

Kitsap Peninsula The Kitsap Peninsula () lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Ki ...

. She developed a reputation as the best teacher in the territory, according to author Libbie Hawker, and traveled around the area to turn around problem schools. She also launched and taught in Seattle's first dedicated school building.

Suffrage and Public Service

In 1871, Ordway appeared on stage with

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to so ...

in Seattle during Anthony's tour of the Northwest promoting the cause of women voting. Ordway became active in the Female Suffrage Association formed after Anthony spoke and served as a delegate to the territorial suffrage convention. Anthony formed the

Washington Territory Woman Suffrage Association Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centere ...

, a crucial vehicle for suffrage lobbying in the ensuing decades. Thereafter, Ordway returned to teaching in

Kitsap County Kitsap County is located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, and its largest city is Bremerton. The county was formed out of King County and Jefferson County on J ...

and, in 1881, became the first woman to be elected as a school superintendent in territorial Washington. She served Kitsap County in that position for eight years, solidifying her position as a builder of public schools in Washington territory.

References

External links

* Lizzie M. Ordway's death notice {{DEFAULTSORT:Ordway, Elizabeth 1829 births 1897 deaths 19th-century American educators 19th-century American women educators Suffragists from Washington (state) People of the Washington Territory Politicians from Seattle Schoolteachers from Washington (state) Schoolteachers from Massachusetts