Florence Garvin (February 27, 1876 — July 10, 1968) was an American

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and Entitlement (fair division), entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st c ...

activist, the daughter of former

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

governor Lucius F. C. Garvin and Dr. Lucy Waterman Southmayd, an 1867 graduate of

New England Female Medical College New England Female Medical College (NEFMC), originally Boston Female Medical College, was founded in 1848 by Samuel Gregory and was the first school to train women in the field of medicine. It merged with Boston University to become the Boston U ...

. Both her parents were physicians. Her father's political philosophies and ideas lead Garvin to use that in her progressive movements and women suffrage. Florence Garvin was the author of several books including ''Land Rent'', ''Arden Charm'' and ''Americanism'' and a candidate for

United States Vice President The vice president of the United States (VPOTUS) is the second-highest ranking office in the executive branch of the U.S. federal government, after the president of the United States, and ranks first in the presidential line of succession. The ...

in the

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

and 1936 presidential elections. She was a member of the

National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National Woma ...

, the head of the

Rhode Island College Rhode Island College (RIC) is a public college in Rhode Island, United States, with much of the land in Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, and other parts in North Providence, Rhode Island, North Providence. The college was established in 18 ...

Equal Suffrage League and Third Vice-President of the Women's National Single Tax League, a group supporting the ideas of

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist, Social philosophy, social philosopher and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of ...

. Garvin served as Secretary-Treasurer of the International Free Trade League, a short lived branch of the Free Trade League based in Boston, Massachusetts and is listed as the author of "International free trade vs. the international loan", while she served as Secretary-Treasurer. In 1904, Garvin was chosen to be auditor of RIWSA. Education was an important factor in her beliefs when it came to women suffrage. With that belief, Garvin got involved with women colleges. She gave speeches about how women in college can be a viable asset when it came to the women suffrage. She gave speeches at the colleges and organized guest speakers to talk about suffrage movements. In 1907, Florence Garvin and Jeanette France, another suffragist, went to the chair of the house of committee to discuss the presidential suffrage bill. To address women suffrage, Garvin used the media of newspapers to spread the knowledge. Garvin was passionate about women being in government, and she criticized the founding fathers lack of principle. In the period that Garvin communicated her ideas and beliefs, was considered unusual in American society. In 1924, Garvin moved to Wilmington, Delaware and unsuccessfully ran for Congress. In

she was the running mate of presidential candidate John Zahnd of the National Party, also known as the Independent Party; Zahnd has been called "one of the more intriguing fringe candidates in American history."''Others: "Fighting Bob" La Follette and the Progressive Movement: Third-Party Politics in the 1920s'' by Darcy G. Richardson, page 235. Her motivation for running linked to the belief of women being involved in government. She was the third woman to have run for vice-president in the United States. They won 1,645 votes versus the 22,821,277 of winners

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

and

John Nance Garner John Nance Garner III (November 22, 1868 – November 7, 1967), known among his contemporaries as "Cactus Jack", was the 32nd vice president of the United States, serving from 1933 to 1941, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A member of the ...

. It was the only time

perennial candidate A perennial candidate is a political candidate who frequently runs for elected office and rarely, if ever, wins. Perennial candidates are most common where there is no limit on the number of times that a person can run for office and little cost ...

Zahnd was known to have received any votes. She ran again with Zahnd in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

at which point the party's name was changed to the Greenback Party. The Greenback Party focused on issues surrounding abuses and currency in the U.S. Federal Reserve and Treasury.

Notes and references

* "Biographical Sketch of Florence Garvin". Alexander Street. https://documents.alexanderstreet.com/d/1010596347 {{DEFAULTSORT:Garvin, Florence American women's rights activists 1932 United States vice-presidential candidates 1936 United States vice-presidential candidates 1876 births 1968 deaths Female candidates for Vice President of the United States National Party (United States) politicians 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians