Margaret Weissinger Castleman (c. 1880–April 26, 1945) was an American

suffragist Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to vo ...

and campaigner for the Democratic Party.Louisville Women and the Suffrage Movement 100 Years of the 19th Amendment
". 2020. ''Cave Hill Heritage Foundation, the Louisville Metro Office for Women, the League of Women Voters, Frazier History Museum,'' and ''Filson Historical Society.'' p. 9.

Family

Weissinger was born in 1880 in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. She was the daughter of Colonel Harry Weissinger, a tobacco industry businessman, and Isabelle "Belle" Weissinger (). Her father was from an old Kentucky family. She had five siblings and was a debutante in 1900.

Activism

Margaret began giving speeches in support of votes for women in 1909. She rose to hold leadership positions in the suffrage movement, becoming president of the Louisville Woman Suffrage Association and second vice president of the

Kentucky Equal Rights Association Kentucky Equal Rights Association (KERA) was the first permanent statewide women's rights organization in Kentucky. Founded in November 1888, the KERA voted in 1920 to transmute itself into thKentucky League of Women Votersto continue its many and ...

. At an annual benefit event for the Louisville Business Women's Club, she attended in a dress which showed her support for the enfranchisement of women. As the ''Courier-Journal'' reported: "around the hem of her skirt were the twelve names of the Western States which have suffrage, and across the back was written, 'Votes for Women.'" She became a member of Democratic Party and was elected to the Women's National Executive Committee of the

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...

in 1920. In 1921, she was a speaker at a rally for W. Overton Harris, the Democratic candidate for Mayor, and an excerpt of her speech appeared in African-American newspaper '' The Louisville Leader.''

Personal life

Weissinger married Samuel Torbitt Castleman in 1910. They had four children.

Death

Castleman died of a heart attack in 1945Obituary
". ''Courier-Journal.'' April 27, 1945. and was buried at

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

, Louisville, Kentucky.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Castleman, Margaret Weissinger 1880 births 1945 deaths Activists from Louisville, Kentucky American women activists Suffragists from Kentucky Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery