Louisa Ann Swain (née Gardner; 1801 – January 25, 1880) was the first woman in the United States to vote in a

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

after the repeal of

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

in 1807. She cast her ballot on September 6, 1870, in

Laramie, Wyoming Laramie () is a List of municipalities in Wyoming, city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States, known for its high elevation at , for its railroad history, and as the home of the University of Wyoming. The population wa ...

Biography

Born Louisa Ann Gardner, her father was lost at sea when she was 7 years old. Her mother then returned to her hometown of

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, but also died soon after. Orphaned at the age of 10, she was placed in the care of the Charleston Orphan House. In 1814, she and another girl were placed with a family as

domestic servant A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or childcare, care for children and ...

s for four years, after which she was transferred to another family who specifically requested her. She stayed with them until 1820, then moved to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

where a year later, she married Stephen Swain, who operated a chair factory. They had four children, and in the 1830s, Stephen sold his business, and the family moved, first to

Zanesville, Ohio Zanesville is a city in Muskingum County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located at the confluence of the Licking River (Ohio), Licking and Muskingum River, Muskingum rivers, the city is approximately east of Columbus, Ohio, Columb ...

, and later to

Richmond, Indiana Richmond () is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana, United States. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County. In the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,720. It is the principal c ...

. In 1869, the Swains moved to

, to join their son Alfred.

Voting

Stories differ on Swain's movements on September 6, 1870, before she voted in that year's

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

. A widely-circulated story is that she arose early, put on her apron,

shawl A shawl (from ''shāl'') is a simple item of clothing, loosely worn over the shoulders, upper body and arms, and sometimes also over the head. It is usually a rectangular piece of Textile, cloth, but can also be Square (geometry), square or tr ...

and

bonnet A bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap. Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include Native American *War bonnet, feathered headgear worn as an earned military decoration by high-ranking Plains Indians United King ...

, and walked downtown with a tin pail to purchase yeast from a merchant. In 1919, ''The Meeteetse News'' reported that Swain was on her way to buy groceries. Another story is that Swain was allowed to vote first among a group of women that were at the polling place by being the oldest. What is known for certain is that she voted at the poll place that day. The previous year, the

Wyoming Territorial Legislature The Wyoming State Legislature is the legislative branch of the U.S. State of Wyoming. It is a bicameral state legislature, consisting of a 62-member Wyoming House of Representatives, and a 31-member Wyoming Senate. The legislature meets at the ...

wrote

female suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffrage was in effect during ...

into its

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

. She was described by a Laramie newspaper as "a gentle white-haired housewife, Quakerish in appearance". Judge M.C. Brown, the first mayor of Laramie, personally witnessed Swain voting. Historians state that Swain voted only 30 minutes before Augusta C. Howe, the 27 year old wife of the U.S. Marshall Church Howe. 92 other women in Wyoming voted that day. She was 69 years old when she cast the first ballot by any woman in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in a general election. Soon after the election, Stephen and Louisa Swain left Laramie and returned to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

to live near one of her daughters. Stephen died October 6, 1872, in Maryland. Louisa died January 25, 1880, in

Lutherville, Maryland Lutherville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Baltimore County, Maryland, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had a population of 6,504. Prior to 2010 the area was part of the Lutherv ...

. She was buried in the Friends Burial Ground on Harford Road in

Legacy

The Louisa Swain Foundation was established in 2001 (as the Laramie Foundation) and is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Swain's heritage and history and "fostering education in the areas of

democracy Democracy (from , ''dēmos'' 'people' and ''kratos'' 'rule') is a form of government in which political power is vested in the people or the population of a state. Under a minimalist definition of democracy, rulers are elected through competitiv ...

, human rights and suffrage". The Foundation runs the Wyoming House for Historic Women (also known as the Wyoming Women's History House) in

, which celebrates thirteen women, including Swain. A statue of her in her honor was dedicated in front of the museum in 2005. Congress recognized September 6, 2008, as Louisa Swain Day via House Concurrent Resolution 378. In 2022, Congress named the federal office building at 308 W. 21st Street in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Louisa Swain Federal Office Building.

References

External links

"Select Digital Collection of Eliza Ann Swain"
at th
Louisa A. Swain Materials
at the

American Heritage Center The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming and the Rocky Mountain West (including politics, settlement, Native Americans, and W ...

*Blog post based on the archives at the AHC that centers o
early suffragists in Wyoming and Lousia A Swain

"First Woman to Vote – Claimants"

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly The Mining Company, About.com and Dotdash) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, hom ...

"Women: As Maine Goes ..."
''

Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

'' (September 5, 1960)
"September 6: National Louisa Swain Day"
The Louisa Swain Foundation. {{Portal bar, United States, Society 1801 births 1880 deaths Suffragists from Wyoming People from Laramie, Wyoming People from Norfolk, Virginia Women in Wyoming politics 19th-century American women 19th-century American people People from Charleston, South Carolina