View source for Carrie Chapman Catt

{{short description|American social reformer and suffragist (1859–1947)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Carrie Chapman Catt
| image              = Carrie Chapman Catt - National Woman's Party Records.jpg
| image_caption      = Catt in 1913
| education          = [[Iowa State University]] (1880)
| birth_name         = Carrie Clinton Lane
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1859|1|9|mf=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Ripon, Wisconsin]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{death date and age|1947|3|9|1859|1|9|mf=y}}
| death_place        = [[New Rochelle, New York]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]]
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Leo Chapman<br>|February 1885|August 1886|reason=his death}}
* {{marriage|George Catt<br>|1890|1905|reason=his death}}
}}
| partner            = Mary “Mollie” Garret Hay
| signature          = Carrie Chapman Catt signature.png
}}

[[File:TrailmarkerCarries2020.jpg|thumb|Carrie Lane Chapman Catt's girlhood home with Suffrage Trail Marker visible in Charles City, Iowa. Photo uploaded with permission of the National Nineteenth Amendment Society.]]
'''Carrie Chapman Catt''' (born '''Carrie Clinton Lane'''; January 9, 1859<ref name=":5">[[#Fowler|Fowler]], p. 3</ref> – March 9, 1947) was an American [[women's suffrage]] leader who campaigned for the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution]], which gave U.S. women the right to vote in 1920.<ref name=obit/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Carrie Chapman Catt (U.S. National Park Service) |url=https://www.nps.gov/people/carrie-chapman-catt.htm |access-date=2025-10-03 |website=www.nps.gov |language=en}}</ref> Catt served as president of the [[National American Woman Suffrage Association]] from 1900 to 1904 and 1915 to 1920. She founded the [[League of Women Voters]] in 1920 and the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1904,<ref name="Van Voris 1987 59–63">[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 59–63</ref> which was later named [[International Alliance of Women]]. She "led an army of voteless women in 1919 to pressure Congress to pass the constitutional amendment giving them the right to vote and convinced state legislatures to ratify it in 1920". She "was one of the best-known women in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century and was on all lists of famous American women."<ref name="vanvoris">[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. vii</ref>

== Early life ==
Carrie Clinton Lane was born on January 9, 1859, in [[Ripon, Wisconsin]],<ref name=":5" /> the daughter of Maria Louisa ({{nee}} Clinton) and Lucius Lane. When Catt was seven years old, her family moved to rural [[Charles City, Iowa]]. As a child, Catt was interested in science and wanted to become a doctor. After graduating from high school in 1877, she enrolled at Iowa Agricultural College (now [[Iowa State University]]) in [[Ames, Iowa]].<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 30–32.</ref>

[[File:Carrie Chapman Catt NPG.jpg|thumb|left|Catt circa 1901]]
Catt's father was initially reluctant to allow her to attend college, but he relented, contributing only a part of the costs.<ref name="vanvoris7">[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 7.</ref> To pay her expenses, Catt worked as a dishwasher, in the school library, and as a teacher at rural schools during school breaks. Her freshman class consisted of 27 students, six of whom were female.<ref name="vanvoris7"/> Catt joined the Crescent Literary Society, a student organization aimed at advancing student learning skills and self-confidence. Although only men were allowed to speak extemporaneously in meetings, Catt demanded to be allowed to do the same thing. This started a discussion about women's participation in the group and ultimately led to women gaining the right to speak in meetings.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 8.</ref> Catt was also a member of [[Pi Beta Phi]],<ref name="isualum">{{cite web|url=http://www.isualum.org/index.cfm?nodeID=7761&audienceID=1|title=Carrie Lane Chapman Catt|work=Traditions|publisher=ISU Alumni Association|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504031920/http://www.isualum.org/index.cfm?nodeID=7761&audienceID=1|archive-date=May 4, 2013|access-date=December 14, 2013}}</ref> started an all girls' debate club, and advocated for women's participation in military drills.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], p. 33.</ref>

After four years at Iowa State, Catt graduated on November 10, 1880, with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree,<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], p. 34.</ref> the only female in her graduating class. Iowa State did not name valedictorians during Catt's time there, so there is no way to know her class rank.<ref name="cccc">{{Cite web|url=https://cattcenter.iastate.edu/home/about-us/carrie-chapman-catt/|title=Carrie Chapman Catt (1859–1947)|website=Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics|language=en|access-date=March 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 9.</ref>

She first worked as a law clerk after graduating. She became a teacher and quickly advanced, becoming  superintendent of schools in [[Mason City, Iowa]], in 1885. She was the first female superintendent of the district.<ref name="asteria.fivecolleges.edu">{{cite web|url=http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/sophiasmith/mnsss144.html|title=Carrie Chapman Catt Papers, 1880–1958|work=Five College Archives & Manuscript Collections|publisher=[[Five College Consortium]]|access-date=July 23, 2014|archive-date=November 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129085654/http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/sophiasmith/mnsss144.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Marriage==
In February 1885, Catt married newspaper editor Leo Chapman. She remained with her parents on the family farm in Iowa when her husband traveled to [[California]] to find a job and a place for them to live. Catt left for California after receiving a telegram that her husband was ill with [[typhoid fever]]. While she was enroute, Catt learned that her husband died in August 1886.<ref name="auto">Katja Wuestenbecker. "Catt, Carrie Chapman" in ''World War 1: the Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection Vol. 1''. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2014, p. 359.</ref><ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 42–43.</ref> She remained for a while in San Francisco, where she wrote freelance articles and canvassed for newspaper ads, but she returned to Iowa in 1887.<ref name="auto"/><ref name=":4">[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 14–15.</ref>

She was a young 28- and 29-year-old widow when she wrote "Zenobia" (1887) and "The American Sovereign" (1888).<ref name=":4" /> In 1890, she married George Catt, a wealthy engineer and alumnus of Iowa State University.<ref name="auto" /> Catt continued to lecture and wrote the speeches "Subject and Sovereign"<ref name=Subject>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=c. 1893|title=Subject and Sovereign|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2019/02/01/subject-and-sovereign-1888/|access-date=July 24, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref> in 1893 and "Danger to Our Government" in 1894.<ref name=danger>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=December 15, 1894|title=Danger to our Government|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2017/03/21/danger-to-our-government-dec-15-1894/|access-date=July 24, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref> George Catt also encouraged her involvement in [[women's suffrage]]. As a result, she was able to spend a good part of each year on the road campaigning for suffrage, a cause she had become involved with during the late 1880s.<ref>[[#Fowler|Fowler]], pp. 15–16.</ref>

== Role in women's suffrage ==

=== National American Woman Suffrage Association ===
==== Early years ====
In 1887, Catt returned to Charles City, where she had grown up, and became involved in the Iowa Woman Suffrage Association. From 1890-1892, Catt served as the Iowa association's state organizer and group's recording secretary. During her time in office, Catt began working nationally for the [[National American Woman Suffrage Association]] (NAWSA), and was a speaker at its 1890 convention in [[Washington, D.C.]] In 1892, [[Susan B. Anthony]] asked Catt to address Congress on the proposed woman's suffrage amendment.<ref name="catt.org">{{cite web|url=http://www.catt.org/biography.html|title=Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home and Museum: About Carrie Chapman Catt|work=catt.org|access-date=February 20, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=February 17, 1892|title=Statement Before the House Judiciary Committee|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2018/03/29/statement-before-the-house-judiciary-committee-february-17-1982/|access-date=July 28, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref>

After working her first suffrage campaign in South Dakota in 1890, which went down in defeat, Catt was asked to coordinate the suffrage campaign in Colorado. She arrived in Denver in early September 1893 and worked until Election Day. Catt traveled more than a thousand miles throughout the Rockies during the next two months and visited 29 of Colorado's 63 counties.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 35</ref> Colorado passed women's suffrage in November 1893, becoming the second state to give women the right to vote and the first where suffrage was won by popular vote.{{citation needed|date=March 2024}}

By the 1895 national convention of the NAWSA, Catt was proposing major changes in the structure of the organization. "The great need of the hour is organization. Suffrage is today the strongest reform there is in this country, but it is represented by the weakest organization", the ''Woman's Journal'' reported.<ref>''The Woman's Journal'': 58. February 23, 1895.</ref> "Catt organized and then headed a new Organization Committee with a budget of $5,000 and power so extensive that it became the center of women suffrage in the United States."<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 43</ref>

The 1896 NAWSA Convention was notable for its debate about [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]]'s book, ''[[The Woman's Bible]]'', in which Stanton challenged traditional religious beliefs that women are inferior to men and should be passive. Many NAWSA members feared that the book would damage the suffrage movement by alienating its more orthodox members. Catt and Anthony, NAWSA's president at the time, met with Stanton prior to its publication to voice their concerns, but Stanton was unmoved.<ref>Griffith, [https://archive.org/details/inherownright00elis/page/211 p. 211]</ref> Catt and another future NAWSA president, [[Anna Howard Shaw]], supported a resolution stating that "NAWSA has no official connection with the so-called ''Woman's Bible''."<ref>Harper (1898–1908), Vol. 2, [https://archive.org/stream/lifeandworksusa01harpgoog#page/n391/mode/2up p. 853]</ref>

During the 1898 national convention of the NAWSA, one of the most outstanding speakers was African American activist [[Mary Church Terrell]]. She and Catt first became acquainted at that time and formed a life-long friendship.

==== First presidency, 1900–1904 ====
In 1900, Catt became president of the NAWSA as Susan B. Anthony's handpicked successor. Anthony knew Catt had the skills to carry the movement forward and her election to the presidency was nearly unanimous.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 50.</ref> She served her first term as NAWSA president until 1904, when she stepped down to care for her ailing husband, George Catt, who died in 1905.

In her first year as NAWSA president, she led a delegation to the 1900 Republican Party national convention, which allowed the suffragists 10 minutes to speak. The Democrats refused to hear them at all.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], p. 114.</ref> That year in Oregon, a second campaign for woman suffrage failed.<ref>[[#Shuler|Catt and Shuler]], p. 117</ref> During the winter of 1902–1903, Catt worked the New Hampshire amendment campaign in the midst of bitter cold, but lost by a vote of 14,162 to 21,788.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 127–129.</ref>

In 1902, Catt called for an international meeting of women that would coincide with the annual convention of NAWSA. Seven of the eight countries with women's suffrage sent delegates. Representatives from Chile, Hungary, Russia, Turkey and Switzerland also attended. Vida Goldstein of Australia, Florence Fenwick Miller of England, and Catt together wrote a Declaration of Principles that all the delegates signed that included this statement: "That men and women are born equally free and independent members of the human race; equally endowed with talents and intelligence, and equally entitled to the free exercise of their individual rights and liberty."<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 57–58</ref> This formed the beginning of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, an organization that exists today as the [[International Alliance of Women|International Alliance for Women]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 14, 2005 |title=IAW Congresboek 1904-2004 |url=https://womenalliance.org/old/pdf/IAWCentenaryEdition19042004webversion.pdf |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=IAW}}</ref>

During the national NAWSA convention held in New Orleans in 1903, Catt and Anthony were attacked by the press for allowing black membership in NAWSA and, in the case of Anthony, for permitting a letter she had written to be read before an all-black audience in New York City. Southern delegates made speeches calling for only white women to have the vote. Catt's reply: "We are all of us apt to be arrogant on the score of our Anglo-Saxon blood but we must remember that ages ago the ancestors of the Anglo-Saxons were regarded as so low and embruted that the Romans refused to have them for slaves. The Anglo-Saxon is the dominant race today but things may change. The race that will be dominant through the ages will be the one that proves itself the most worthy. ... Miss Kearney is right in saying that the race problem is the problem of the whole country and not that of the South alone. The responsibility for it is partly ours but if the North shipped slaves to the South and sold them, remember that the North has sent some money since then into the South to help undo part of the wrong that it did to you and to them. Let us try to get nearer together and to understand each other's ideas on the race question and solve it together."<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 18, 1903|title=Woman Suffrage and the South|work=The (New Orleans) Times Democrat|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/38067678/timesdemocrat3181903womansuffrageand/|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Harper|first=Ida Husted|title=History of Woman Suffrage, Vol. 5|publisher=Project Gutenberg|year=2009|url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29878|pages=83–84}}</ref>

==== Second presidency, 1915–1920 ====
Catt was reelected as NAWSA president in 1915, following Shaw's presidency. Under her leadership, Catt increased the size and influence of the organization.<ref name="catt.org" /> In 1916, at the NAWSA convention in [[Atlantic City, New Jersey]], she unveiled her "Winning Plan", to "make the Federal Amendment our ultimate aim and work in the States a program of preparedness to win nation-wide suffrage by amendment of the National Constitution."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=September 7, 1916|title=The Crisis|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2017/03/21/the-crisis-sept-7-1916/|access-date=July 28, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref> According to suffragist [[Maud Wood Park]], who was NAWSA's chief lobbyist at this time, Catt's Winning Plan had four components: First, the states where women had presidential suffrage would lobby their state legislatures to send resolutions to Congress in support of a federal amendment. Second, women living in states where they might secure suffrage by state action would attempt to secure it. Third, suffragists in most states would advocate for presidential suffrage, and fourth, Southern states would advocate for primary suffrage.<ref>{{Cite book|last=The National American Woman Suffrage Association|title=Victory: How Women Won It: 1840–1940|publisher=H.W. Wilson and Company|year=1940|location=New York City|pages=121–122}}</ref>

[[File:Carrie Chapman Catt and Anna Howard Shaw in 1917.jpg|thumb|[[Anna Howard Shaw]] and Carrie Chapman Catt in 1917]]
Under Catt's leadership, the movement focused on success by first working for women's suffrage in New York state. Before 1917, only western states had granted female suffrage. After a 1915 campaign failed to win women in New York the right to vote, Catt redoubled her efforts. In 1917 the state approved  suffrage.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 219–234, 277–279</ref> Although Catt, as a resident of New York, had obtained full suffrage, she kept working toward a federal suffrage amendment.

In 1917, [[Woodrow Wilson|President Woodrow Wilson]] went before a joint session of Congress to request a declaration of war against Germany. Both the Senate and House voted to approve the United States' entry into World War I.<ref>{{Cite web|last=United States Department of State|first=Office of the Historian|title=U.S. Entry into World War I, 1917|url=https://history.state.gov/milestones/1914-1920/wwi|access-date=July 28, 2020|website=United States State Department}}</ref>

Catt made the controversial decision to support the war effort, which shifted the public's perception in favor of the suffragists, who were now perceived as patriotic.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 267–269.</ref> The suffrage movement received the support of President Wilson in January 1918. On January 10, 1918, the House voted on the suffrage amendment, which passed by one more vote needed for the required 2/3 majority. The following day, Catt wrote all of the state suffrage association presidents asking them to begin work at once to win the votes of the U.S. Senators.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 148–149.</ref> The vote in the Senate was finally taken on October 1, 1918, and the proposed amendment lost by two votes. On November 11, 1918, the armistice ending World War I was declared.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 151–152.</ref>

During a second vote in the Senate on February 10, 1919, the women's suffrage amendment lost by one vote.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 153.</ref> However, during the 1918 election, suffrage supporters were elected to Congress through targeted efforts by leaders in the movement. The suffrage question came up again before the House on May 21, 1919, and this time it passed by a vote of 304 ayes and 89 nays. The amendment then moved to the Senate, where it passed the needed 2/3 majority by two votes on June 4. Mary Garrett Hay wrote that "CCC danced all over the place and then settled down to THINK."<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 154–155.</ref>

Catt led the battle for ratification of the 19th Amendment, which required the approval of 36 state legislatures (3/4 of the then 48 states.) She urged friends of the amendment not to allow it to come to a vote in their state unless they were sure it would pass. However, opponents introduced the bill into their state legislatures. One by one, Southern states voted the measure down:  in Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Mississippi. Since the late 19th century, they had passed state amendments that effectively disfranchised African American males. They had no interest in expanding the franchise.

The governors of Connecticut and Vermont refused to call their legislatures into session to vote on the issue. One more state loss and the amendment would be defeated.<ref>[[#Shuler|Catt and Shuler]], pp. 359–360.</ref>

The final battle took place in the state of Tennessee. Catt was there to lead the campaign through the hot summer months in Nashville in 1920. She wrote to the ''Woman Citizen'', "Never in the history of politics has there been such a force for evil, such a nefarious lobby as labored to block the advance of suffrage in Nashville, Tenn. ... They appropriated our telegrams, tapped our telephones, listened outside our windows and transoms. They attacked our private and public lives." The vote count was so close that each side believed it could easily be defeated.

The proposed amendment easily passed the Tennessee Senate, but then moved to the House where – after many delays and many days of debate – it passed by one vote.<ref name=mag1>Catt, Carrie Chapman (September 4, 1920) ''The Woman Citizen'', pg. 364</ref><ref name="Weiss">[[#Weiss|Weiss]]</ref>

At her welcome home reception in New York City, Catt said: "Now that we have the vote let us remember we are no longer petitioners. We are not wards of the nation, but free and equal citizens. Let us do our part to keep it a true and triumphant democracy."<ref name=mag1/> After endless lobbying by Catt and the NAWSA, the suffrage movement culminated in the adoption of the 19th [[Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution|Amendment to the U.S. Constitution]] on August 26, 1920. The 19th Amendment enfranchised 27 million women, making it the largest single expansion of voting rights in American history.<ref>{{Cite web |title=100 Years After the 19th Amendment, the Fight for Women's Suffrage Continues |url=https://www.americanprogress.org/article/100-years-19th-amendment-fight-womens-suffrage-continues/ |access-date=May 5, 2023 |website=Center for American Progress |date=August 18, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>

Catt retired from her national suffrage work  after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920. Before she retired, she established the League of Women Voters on February 14, 1920, at the NAWSA national convention in Chicago to encourage women to use their right to vote. In 1923, with [[Nettie Rogers Shuler]], she published ''Woman Suffrage and Politics: The Inner Story of the Suffrage Movement''.<ref>[[#Shuler|Catt and Shuler]]</ref>

=== International women's suffrage movement ===
[[File:Suffrage Alliance Congress, London 1909.jpg|thumb|left|Suffrage Alliance Congress with [[Millicent Fawcett]] presiding, London 1909. Top row from left: Thora Dangaard (Denmark), Louise Qvam (Norway), [[Aletta Jacobs]] (Netherlands), [[Annie Furuhjelm]] (Finland), Madame Mirowitch (Russia), [[Käthe Schirmacher]] (Germany), Madame Honneger, unidentified. Bottom left: Unidentified, [[Anna Bugge]] (Sweden), [[Anna Howard Shaw]] (U.S.), [[Millicent Fawcett]] (Presiding, England), Carrie Chapman Catt (U.S.), F. M. Qvam (Norway), [[Anita Augspurg]] (Germany).]]

Catt was also a leader of the international women's suffrage movement. She helped to found the [[International Woman Suffrage Alliance]] (IWSA) in 1902, which eventually incorporated sympathetic associations in 32 nations.<ref name="catt.org"/> She served as its president from 1904 until 1923. After George Catt's death in 1905, Catt spent much of the following eight years as IWSA president promoting equal-suffrage rights worldwide. After she retired from NAWSA, she continued to help women around the world to gain the right to vote. The IWSA remains in existence today, now as the [[International Alliance of Women]], with 31 full members and 24 associate members.<ref>{{Cite web|title=International Alliance of Women|url=https://womenalliance.org/|access-date=July 26, 2020}}</ref>

Catt first had the idea of an international woman suffrage organization in 1900; by 1902 she decided to begin with an exploratory meeting of women from as many countries as possible.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 55–57</ref> The first meeting of the IWSA was held in Berlin, Germany, with 33 delegates present. Catt was elected president. African American suffragist Mary Church Terrell was one of the delegates from the United States and addressed the meeting in three languages. Each international meeting was held in a different city, membership grew, and successes in women's rights were reported and discussed. The international meeting held in Budapest in 1913 was the largest in the history of the organization, with 500 delegates attending. The world's press had 230 representatives and 2,800 visitors came to listen and learn.<ref name="Van Voris 1987 59–63"/>

Following her first term as president of NAWSA, Catt engaged in international suffrage work from 1906 to 1913. On a single trip around the world from departure from New York on April 1, 1911, to arrival in San Francisco on November 4, 1912, Catt spoke and/or organized women's suffrage organizations in South Africa (Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria and a Kaffir kraal in Maritzburg); up the east coast of Africa to Zanzibar, Tanzania and Port Said; Egypt; then on to Jericho, Jordan, Riyaq and Beirut, Lebanon, and to Cairo, where she departed for Ceylon; then India, starting in Agra and leaving the continent in Rangoon, Myanmar (Burma). From there, it was on to Java, Sumatra, Jakarta, Indonesia, the island of Sulawesi and the Philippines. One of the last countries on Catt's travels was China, where she visited Hong Kong, Shanghai, Peking, Nanking, and Hankow. She then traveled to Korea, Japan, Hawaii, and across the Pacific back to San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=1911–1912|title=Diaries 1911–1923|url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/carrie-chapman-catt-papers/?fa=partof:carrie+chapman+catt+papers:+diaries,+1911-1923|access-date=July 28, 2020|website=Library of Congress}}</ref>

Due to the outbreak of World War I, 1913 would be the last meeting of the IWSA for some years. Three days after the armistice ending the war in 1918, Catt planned to resume the meetings of the IWSA. The 1920 meeting took place in Geneva and more than 400 women met, including delegates from Germany, France, Japan, China, India and the United States. The board asked women of the enfranchised countries to help further the vote in countries without the vote. The United States was to organize efforts in Jamaica, Cuba and South America, which was the only continent where no women had the vote. A member of the League of Woman Voters suggested that a Pan-American conference be held in 1922. After three days of round-table discussions, Catt had organized the [[:fr:Pan-American Association for the Advancement of Women|Pan-American Association for the Advancement of Women]] (National Liga para la Emancipacion de la Mujer). Its objectives included educational opportunities for women, the right to have equal guardianship with husbands of their children and the right to vote.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 169–173</ref>

The following year, Catt traveled to Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Peru and Panama. She concluded, "I never did a piece of work which has so interested and stimulated my desires to help as this."<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 178</ref> While visiting Peru in March 1923, Catt founded the National Council of Women in Action, which lobbied for women's suffrage in Peru until they succeeded in 1956.<ref name=":0">"Feminism: The Covers that Never Were: A Tribute to the Ignored Peruvians." Market Research Telecast. October 20, 2021. https://marketresearchtelecast.com/feminism-the-covers-that-never-were-a-tribute-to-the-ignored-peruvians-international/182415/. Accessed October 29, 2021.</ref>  Although Catt retired from the presidency of the IWSA in 1923, she continued to attend its meetings in various parts of the world.

== Catt and the League of Women Voters ==
Catt founded the League of Women Voters on February 14, 1920 – six months before the ratification of the 19th Amendment – during the annual convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Chicago, Illinois. However, she had outlined the purpose and goals of such an organization a year earlier at the 1919 NAWSA meeting in St. Louis, Missouri.

In her presidential address on March 24, 1919, at the NAWSA convention, Catt said: "Let us raise up a League of Women Voters – the name and form of organization to be determined by the voters themselves; a League that shall be non-partisan and non-sectarian in character and that shall be consecrated to three chief aims:

# To use its utmost influence to secure the final enfranchisement of the women of every state in our own Republic and to reach out across the seas in aid of the women's struggle for her own in every land.
# To remove the remaining legal discriminations against women in the codes and constitutions of the several states in order that the feet of coming women may find these stumbling blocks removed.
# To make our democracy so safe for the Nation and so safe for the world, that every citizen may feel secure and great men will acknowledge the worthiness of the American Republic to lead."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=March 24, 1919|title=A Nation Calls|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2018/03/04/the-nation-calls-march-24-1919/|access-date=August 5, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref>

In fall 1919, Catt promoted ratification of the 19th Amendment – which had been passed by Congress earlier that year – by the states and explained the purpose of the League of Women Voters on a "Wake Up America" tour. Wearing her refurbished "ratification dress," Catt spoke at 14 conferences in 13 western and Midwestern states in eight weeks. Her group also met with women and visited state capitals to see governors and other important state officials.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 156.</ref> By the time of NAWSA's "victory convention," which met February 12–18, 1920, in Chicago, 31 of the required 36 states had ratified the 19th Amendment.<ref>{{Cite web|last=National Park Service|date=2020|title=19th Amendment By State|url=https://www.nps.gov/subjects/womenshistory/19th-amendment-by-state.htm|access-date=August 5, 2020}}</ref> The 1920 convention marked the completion of NAWSA's work, except for a small board to make final disposition of records and assets, and the beginning of the League of Women Voters.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 157.</ref>

During the 1920 convention, Catt honored pioneers of the movement – including past NAWSA presidents [[Anna Howard Shaw]] and [[Susan B. Anthony]] – for their "ever buoyant hope" and "unswerving courage and determination." She also wanted the convention to "express the joy of the present" and "ask what political parties wanted of women and they of the parties."  In an inspirational speech to the 700 members present, Catt outlined the plan and purpose of the League. She emphasized that its objective was not to seek power in organization, but to "foster education in citizenship and to support legislation." Every woman was encouraged to become a registered voter and work within the party of her choice. However, she emphasized that "as an organization," the League "shall be allied with and support no party." Catt continued that the League "must be nonpartisan and all partisan" in leading the way – ahead of the political parties – to educate for citizenship and get legislation passed."<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 157–158</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=February 14, 2020|title=Political Parties and Women's Voters (On the Inside)|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2018/02/26/political-parties-and-women-voters-feb-14-1920/|access-date=August 5, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref>

At the 1920 convention, the League's constitution with details for membership, officers, representation and budget was approved. According to Van Voris, "Catt insisted she did not want to lead the new work, that was for younger and fresher women. ‘For thirty years and a little more, I have worked with you in the first lap of this struggle toward women's emancipation,' she said." Maud Wood Parks was elected president of the League of Women Voters with Catt accepting the title of "honorary chairman." Convention delegates also surprised Catt with a brooch consisting of a large sapphire surrounded by diamonds for her "distinguished service." National's parting gift to Catt was funded by thousands of individual contributions – including dimes, nickels and even pennies – from public subscription. Even schoolchildren contributed to the gift.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 158</ref>

In addition to the national League, women's suffrage organizations in the states also reorganized as state leagues of women voters in 1920. In 2020, the League of Women Voters comprises a national organization and more than 700 state and local leagues in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands and Hong Kong. According to its website, Leagues "work year-round to register new voters, host community forums and debates, and provide voters with election information they need. We engage at the local and state levels on legislative priorities and efforts to improve our elections."<ref>{{Cite web|last=League of Women Voters|date=2020|title=Find Your Local League|url=https://www.lwv.org/local-leagues/find-local-league|access-date=August 5, 2020}}</ref>

== Role during the world wars ==
[[File:Carrie Chapman Catt House, New Castle, NY.jpg|thumb|[[Juniper Ledge]]]]
[[File:Carrie Chapman Catt House, New Rochelle, NY.jpg|thumb|Catt's home in Paine Heights section of New Rochelle]]
Catt was active in anti-war causes during the 1920s and 1930s. Upon the outbreak of [[World War I]] in 1915, a group of women pacifists in the United States began talking about the need to form an organization to help bring the conflict to an end. On January 10, 1915, more than 3,000 women attended a meeting at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., called by Catt and fellow suffragist [[Jane Addams]]. They formed the Women's Peace Party, with Addams elected as chairman and Catt as honorary chairman.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barr|first=Eleanor|title=Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Collection|url=https://www.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/DG026-050/dg043wilpf/Part%20I-WPPhistory.htm|access-date=July 27, 2020|website=Swarthmore College Peace Collection|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728232829/https://www.swarthmore.edu/library/peace/DG026-050/dg043wilpf/Part%20I-WPPhistory.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On February 25, 1917, by a vote of 63 to 18, NAWSA – with Catt as its president – offered the women's services to the government of the United States "in the event they should be needed, and in so far as we are authorized, we pledge the loyal support of our more than two million members." NAWSA made clear that its work for suffrage would continue since it was "the protective of all other rights."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Abridged Minutes of the Executive Council of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, held in Washington DC|date=February 23–24, 1917|pages=23}}</ref> On April 2, 1917, President Wilson went before Congress to request a declaration of war. The position paper from NAWSA with Catt as its president led to her ejection from the Woman's Peace Party as well as hard feelings between her and its small cohort of pacifists.<ref>[[#Fowler|Fowler]], pp. 138–139</ref>

After the [[Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Nineteenth Amendment]] was ratified, granting women in the United States the right to vote, Catt returned to the peace movement. Because she did not want to join any existing organization, Catt and representatives of nine national women's organizations founded their own organization, the National Committee on the Cause and Cure of War (NCCCW).<ref name="schott">{{cite journal|last1=Schott|first1=Linda|title="MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD" ACTIVISTS Carrie Chapman Catt and the National Committee on the Cause and Cure of War|journal=Peace & Change|volume=21|issue=1|year=1996|pages=1–21|doi=10.1111/j.1468-0130.1996.tb00252.x}}</ref> The group first met in spring 1924 and chose Catt to be its leader. The group divided the causes of war into four categories: psychological, economic, political, and social and contributory. They did not include the exclusion of women from politics and the public sphere as a cause, even though they believed in equality for women. The organization believed that it was their job as women to end wars because women were seen as morally courageous, in contrast to their male counterparts who were viewed as physically courageous.<ref name="schott" />

The NCCCW held its first conference in Washington, D.C., in January 1925, with 450 delegates in attendance.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 198</ref> Eleanor Roosevelt attended as a delegate from the General Federation of Women's Clubs.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 200.</ref> Catt told the delegates, "Sooner or later the white races must disgorge some of their spoils and give a place to the other races of the world. We stole land – whole continents; we stole it at the point of swords and guns; and we might as well understand that we must not have an acre to a man while they have an inch to a man. We must leave the door open to whatever arrangements we may make for peace in order that justice can be done to all the races on all the continents."<ref>As quoted in [[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 201.</ref>

In 1932, Catt resigned as chair of the NCCCW, but kept attending meetings, making speeches and supporting the cause of peace. However, she recognized that another war would soon engulf the world. By 1941, when it was clear that the United States would soon enter the war, the NCCCW fell apart. Five of the member organizations had withdrawn and the biennial conference was cancelled for lack of funds. In spring 1943, the NCCCW was dissolved. It was succeeded by the Women's Action Committee for Victory and Lasting Peace, which was dedicated to giving support to the idea of the United Nations. According to Jacqueline Van Voris, Catt missed only one NCCCW meeting in its entire existence.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 213–218</ref>

In 1933, in response to [[Adolf Hitler]]'s rise to power, Catt organized the Protest Committee of Non-Jewish Women Against the Persecution of Jews in Germany.<ref name="LFL">{{cite web|url=http://www.ladiesforliberty.us/extra-extra/historical-figures-of-importance-interest/carrie-chapman-catt/ |title=Carrie Chapman Catt |publisher=Ladies For Liberty |first=Cristen |last=Recker |access-date=April 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322055608/http://www.ladiesforliberty.us/extra-extra/historical-figures-of-importance-interest/carrie-chapman-catt/ |archive-date=March 22, 2012 }}</ref><ref>Wuestenbecker, Katja, "Catt, Carrie Chapman" in ''World War 1: the Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection'' Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2014; {{ISBN|978-1-85109-964-1}}, Vol. 1, page 359.</ref> The group sent a letter of protest to Hitler in August 1933 signed by 9,000 non-Jewish American women.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ET4uTW2k-9QC&pg=PA489 |page=489 |last=Nasaw |first=David |title=The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |year=2001 |isbn=0-618-15446-9}}</ref> It decried acts of violence and [[Anti-Jewish legislation in prewar Nazi Germany|restrictive laws against German Jews]]. Catt pressured the U.S. government to ease immigration laws so that Jews could more easily take refuge in America. For her efforts, she became the first woman to receive the American Hebrew Medal.<ref name="LFL" /><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rVLOhGt1BX0C&pg=PA312 |page=312 |first1=Edward T. |last1=James |first2=Janet Wilson |last2=James |title=Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary |publisher=Harvard University Press |year=1974 |isbn=0-674-62734-2}}</ref> In 1938, Catt was a charter member of the Provisional Council Against Anti-Semitism, to protest acts of anti-Semitism in the United States in light of the persecution of Jews in Germany.<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 28, 1938|title=Group Formed to Combat Anti-Semitism|work=The Berkshire Evening Eagle}}</ref>

Women's advocates abroad were aware of her reputation – in 1938 she was asked to sign an affidavit in support of leading Hungarian feminists [[Eugénia Miskolczy Meller|Eugénia Meller]] and [[Sarolta Steinberger]]'s request to emigrate to the U.S. Catt had donated money to a fund that supported the Hungarian Feminist Association financially. She declined the affidavit request, noting that was she was old, had taken much responsibility on behalf of friends and associates, and the affidavit would be held against her estate after her death.<ref name="HaanDaskalova2006">{{cite book|author1=Francisca de Haan|author2=Krasimira Daskalova|author3=Anna Loutfi|title=Biographical Dictionary of Women's Movements and Feminisms in Central, Eastern, and South Eastern Europe: 19th and 20th Centuries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hsgQjbgBOAkC&pg=PA671|year=2006|publisher=Central European University Press|isbn=978-963-7326-39-4|page=334}}</ref>

The last event she helped organize was the [[Women's Centennial Congress]] in New York in 1940, a celebration of the feminist movement in the United States.<ref name="asteria.fivecolleges.edu"/>

== Catt and race ==

=== Nativism and anti-immigration ===
Catt's views on race and immigration evolved over her long life. Early in her career, she espoused [[Nativism in United States politics|nativist]] sentiments. According to Jacqueline Van Voris, Catt began her public life in the 1880s with three speeches, "Zenobia", "America for Americans", and "The American Sovereign". The latter two echoed [[Opposition to immigration|anti-immigrant sentiments]] popular at the time.<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 15–16</ref>

In the 1890s, when she was active in NAWSA but before becoming president, Catt made public speeches that referred to the "ignorant foreign vote,"<ref name="danger" /> and pointed to [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] men's lack of knowledge of representative government.<ref name="Subject" /> Later, Catt noted that the votes of illiterate men in the South were "purchasable".<ref name="why">{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=1920|title=Why the Southeastern States of the U.S. Refused Suffrage to Women|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2019/01/16/why-the-southeastern-states-of-the-u-s-refused-suffrage-to-women-1920/ |access-date=July 29, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref>

In the same speeches, Catt blamed, variously, political corruption,<ref name="danger" /> a lack of education,<ref name="Subject" /> or the tragic vestiges of [[Slavery in the United States|slavery]]<ref name="why" /> for these groups' shortcomings as voters. Her solutions were education and reform, not disenfranchisement. Even as she decried the "ignorant foreign vote", Catt refers to the "citizens of foreign birth who desire good government", whose "life and property" are threatened by political machines.<ref name="danger" />

According to Van Voris, "With a century of hindsight it is easy to see Carrie Chapman's views in the late 1880s as [[Xenophobia in the United States|xenophobic]] oversimplifications that scapegoat immigrants. Nevertheless, both 'America' lectures proved popular and were well received by audiences that included dedicated feminists. In part the attraction to these ideas came from the women's frustration with the laws that denied them the vote while offering it to immigrant men. Catt's dream was of a sober, educated electorate of women and men. Her suspicion of the alien began to dissolve only when she entered international waters a decade later; her dream did not change."<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. 16.</ref>

=== Interracial marriage ===

During the final weeks of the battle for ratification of women's suffrage in Tennessee, Catt was spuriously accused by suffrage opponents of supporting [[Interracial marriage in the United States|interracial marriage]], which was illegal in Tennessee, as well as 30 of the 48 states<ref>[[#Weiss|Weiss]], p. 266</ref> at the time. After she denied making such a statement, Catt said that interracial marriage was "an absolute crime against nature."<ref>As quoted in [[#Fowler|Fowler]], p. 88.</ref> According to Elaine Weiss, author of the 2018 book ''[[The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote]]'',<ref>[[#Weiss|Weiss]], pp. 265–266.</ref><blockquote>Catt was right that mixed-marriage was a toxic topic and woman suffrage could not afford to be in any way associated with it. She'd never said anything about marriage between the races; the allegation was a calculated lie, manufactured by the Antis and mouthed by their man [Herschel] Candler, but it could still be dangerous. She could not afford it to stand. ... When pressed for the source of his allegations about Catt's views on interracial marriage, Candler had to admit he stretched the truth a bit, connected dots in a most haphazard way. He said he'd based his claim on a published interview with Catt in which she was quoted as saying, "Suffrage knows no bias of race, color or sex."</blockquote>Similarly, Catt repeated an argument developed in 1867 by abolitionist and suffragist [[Henry Browne Blackwell|Henry B. Blackwell]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Marilley|first=Suzanne M.|title=Woman Suffrage and the Origins of Liberal Feminist in the United States, 1820–1920.|publisher=Harvard University Press|year=1996|location=Cambridge, MA|pages=161}}</ref> when Catt was eight years old, to refute claims by Southern suffrage opponents that women's suffrage would undermine [[white supremacy]]. Catt expressed this argument most fully in 1917. In her book chapter "Objections to the Federal Amendment." Catt wrote, "white supremacy will be strengthened, not weakened by women's suffrage," and used 1910 Census data to argue that white voters (men and women) will outnumber black voters (men and women) in all Southern states other than Mississippi and South Carolina. Catt, however, goes on to state that this argument, along with other objections to the federal amendment, are "ridiculous" and states that "all people must be included."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Catt |first=Carrie Chapman |url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2018/03/21/woman-suffrage-by-federal-amendment-chapter-vi-objections-to-the-federal-amendment-jan-1917/ |title=Woman Suffrage by Federal Amendment |date=1917 |publisher=National Woman Suffrage Publishing Company |pages=74-88 |chapter=Objections to the Federal Amendment}}</ref>
=== Evolving views on race ===
In September 1917, the NAWSA Executive Board, under Catt's leadership, passed a resolution "of some importance," which stated, "Resolved, That this board set forth its belief in and its stand for that broad type of American democracy that knows no bias on the ground of race, color, creed or sex; to the end that Americans may stand united, not as Irish-Americans, German-Americans, Negro-Americans, Slav-Americans, and 'the women,' but one and all as Americans for America.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 13, 1917|title=Meeting of the Official Board of National at New York Headquarters|work=The Woman Citizen}}</ref> In November 1917, Catt called for suffrage for all women in the [[NAACP]]'s newsletter, ''[[The Crisis]]'', stating "the struggle for woman suffrage is not white woman's struggle but every woman's struggle. ... Everybody counts in applying democracy. And there will never be a true democracy until every responsible and law-abiding adult in it, without regard to race, sex, color or creed has his or her own inalienable and unpurchasable voice in the government. That is the democratic goal toward which the world is striving today."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=November 1, 1917|title=Votes for All|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2018/03/21/votes-for-all-nov-1917/|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref>

As NAWSA President, Catt opposed diluting the 19th Amendment by adding the word "white"<ref>[[#Shuler|Catt and Shuler]], p. 329.</ref> or by espousing the alternative Shafroth–Palmer Amendment, which would have allowed states the autonomy to draft suffrage legislation as they saw fit.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Buhle, Mari Jo and|first=Paul Buhle, eds.|title=The Concise History of Woman Suffrage|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=2005|isbn=0-252-07276-6|location=Urbana|pages=442–423}}</ref> Similarly, in separate letters written in May 1919, Catt assured the [[NAACP|National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)]]<ref>Letter from Catt to John Shillady of the NAACP, May 6, 1919.</ref> and two African American suffragists from Kentucky"<ref>Letter from Catt to L.B. Fouse and F.H. White of Lexington, Kentucky. May 2, 1919.</ref>  that NAWSA opposed any effort to limit the vote to white women only.

In her later years, Catt repudiated her earlier nativist statements, calling herself "a regular [[Jingoism|jingoist]]".<ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], p. viii.</ref> In her 1909 address to ISWA, Catt stated, "...our task will not be fulfilled until the women of the whole world have been rescued from those discriminations and injustices which in every land are visited upon them in law and custom."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=April 26, 1909|title=Address at the International Woman Suffrage Alliance Fifth Conference and First Quinquennial – April 26, 1909|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2020/12/08/address-at-the-international-woman-suffrage-alliance-fifth-conference-and-first-quinquennial-april-26-1909/|access-date=December 9, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref>  In 1918, when Catt was president, NAWSA lobbied Congress to amend the Hawaii Organic Act to allow the territory to enfranchise women, including Native Hawaiian women.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Yasuke|first=Rumi|date=2017|title=Re-Franchising the Women of Hawai'i, 1912–1920|journal=Gendering the Trans-Pacific World|pages=114–139}}</ref> In 1924, Catt condemned the [[Ku Klux Klan]] for their [[Racism in the United States|racism]], [[Antisemitism in the United States|antisemitism]], and [[Anti-Catholicism in the United States|anti-Catholicism]].<ref>Catt, Carrie Chapman. "The Kluxers." The Woman Citizen. July 12, 1924. p. 14.</ref>

=== Collaboration with African American suffragists ===
Moreover, NAWSA and its predecessors were integrated organizations and [[African-American women's suffrage movement|African American suffragists]] were key allies in Catt's campaign to secure the vote in New York.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gallagher|first=Julie A.|title=Black Women and Politics in New York City|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=2012|isbn=978-0-252-03696-5|location=Urbana|pages=11–44}}</ref> Moreover, Catt's Woman Suffrage Party, the leading pro-suffrage organization in the New York, actively sought immigrant support by publishing pro-suffrage literature in 26 languages; hosting rallies in Irish, Syrian, Italian, and Polish enclaves; and establishing committees to reach out to German and French communities.<ref>[[#Shuler|Catt and Shuler]], pp. 284–289.</ref> Similarly, in 1919, Catt supported the "Committee on One Hundred" in [[New York City]], which called upon Congress to enforce the [[Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|15th Amendment]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=April 12, 1919|title=Colored Citizens of New York Start Campaign to Get Ballot for the Race in the South|work=The New York Age|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/64629772/the-new-york-age/|access-date=December 5, 2020}}</ref> In the same year, at the founding of the League of Women Voters, Catt called upon the new organization to "To remove the remaining legal discriminations against women in the codes and constitutions of the several states in order that the feet of coming women may find these stumbling blocks removed."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=March 24, 1919|title=The Nation Calls|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2018/03/21/votes-for-all-nov-1917/|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref>

In 1920, the ''[[Miami Herald]]'' reported on a meeting by the "Woman Voter's League", where Miss Jefferson Bell who, the ''Herald'' reported, "stated that she, too, had been a worshipper at the shrine of Mrs. Catt until shortly after the ratification when one of her first acts was to appeal to the southern women to assist in seeing that negro women had the right to exercise the franchise."<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 16, 1920|title=Hot Discussion on Black Voter: Speaker at Woman's Club Rally Says Women Will Keep the South Democratic|work=The Miami Herald|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/616085645/?terms=hot%2Bdiscussion%2Bon%2Bblack%2Bvoter|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref> Similarly, [[Josephine Pearson|Josephine A. Pearson]], the leader of the [[Anti-suffragism|anti-suffrage]] lobby during the Tennessee debate, condemned Catt after Tennessee ratified the 19th Amendment, "...I am not sure that this new party  spells more serious menace to civilization than the picture, recently, of the great international suffrage leader, Mrs. Catt, marching through the streets of New York, with a negro woman on either side of her! Was she thus proclaiming her ideal of the supremacy of the negro-race that threatens the South, if Federal Suffrage should ever come to us?"<ref>Pearson, Josephine Anderson. President's Message: Retiring from Antisuffrage Leadership of Tennessee, September 30, 1920. in Marjorie Spruill Wheeler (ed. 1995.) ''Votes for Women! The Woman Suffrage Movement in Tennessee, the South, and the Nation''. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press; {{ISBN|0870498363}}. pp. 219–220.</ref>

Catt became more outspoken in her opposition to discrimination in the 1920s–1940s, when she was active in the peace movement. For instance, Catt defended Black troops against false charges that they were raping German women during [[World War I]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=March 5, 1921|title=The Truth About Black Troops on the Rhine|journal=The Woman Citizen|pages=2}}</ref> She also protested a [[Washington, D.C.]] hotel's policy of excluding African Americans, which precluded them from participating in a NCCCW conference,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Brandenburgh|first=Crystal|date=March 6, 2020|title=Carrie Chapman Catt: Suffrage and the Politics of Race|url=https://slcwhblog.com/2020/03/06/carrie-chapman-catt-suffrage-and-the-politics-of-race/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921132027/https://slcwhblog.com/2020/03/06/carrie-chapman-catt-suffrage-and-the-politics-of-race/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 21, 2020|access-date=July 31, 2020|website=Re/Visionist}}</ref> and spoke out about the plight of Jewish refugees escaping [[Nazi Germany]] in the 1930s.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 448–449.</ref>

== Death and legacy ==

On March 9, 1947, Catt died of a heart attack in her home in [[New Rochelle, New York]].<ref name=obit>{{cite news |title=Carrie C. Catt Dies of Heart Attack. Woman's Suffrage Pioneer, Long an Advocate of World Peace, Succumbs at 88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/03/10/archives/carrie-ccatt-dies-of-heart-attack-womans-suffrage-pioneer-long-an.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=March 10, 1947 }}</ref> She was buried at [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)|Woodlawn Cemetery]] in [[The Bronx]], New York City.<ref name="timeline">Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics. "[http://cattcenter.las.iastate.edu/about-us/carrie-chapman-catt/catt-timeline/ Timeline of Carrie Chapman Catt's Life] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130519025514/http://cattcenter.las.iastate.edu/about-us/carrie-chapman-catt/catt-timeline/ |date=May 19, 2013 }}".</ref> alongside her longtime companion, [[Mary Garrett Hay]], a fellow New York state suffragist, with whom she lived for more than 20 years.<ref name="catt.org"/><ref>Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons''. 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 7790–7791). McFarland & Company, Inc. Kindle Edition</ref>

African American suffragist Mary Church Terrell memorialized Catt in a telegram: 
"The whole world has lost a great, good, and gifted woman who, for many years, pleaded with it to deal justly with all human beings without regard to sex, race, or religion. Personally, I have lost a dear friend who for forty years has encouraged me by writing and speaking both publicly and privately."<ref>Telegram from Mary Church Terrell to Miss Alda Wison. March 10, 1947. Punctuation added for clarity.</ref> At her funeral, the Reverend Walter Van Kirk praised "the dignity and prestige with which she invested the womanhood of American and of every land."<ref>"Prayer offered by the Rev. Walter Van Kirk, D.D. at the funeral service of Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, March 11. 1947. Library of Congress Carrie Chapman Catt papers. Available: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss15404.mss15404-007_00191_00221/?sp=28&st=text&r=-0.009,-0.107,1.018,1.455,0</ref>
{| style="margin:auto"
|[[File:Grave of Carrie Chapman Catt in Woodlawn Cemetery.JPG|thumb|left|Carrie Chapman Catt grave in [[Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx)|Woodlawn Cemetery]]]]
|[[File:Historical marker for Carrie Lane Chapman Catt in Iowa.png|thumb|upright|Historical marker for Carrie Lane Chapman Catt, Iowa Welcome Center]]
|}

=== Honors ===
[[File:Progress of Women issue of 1948, 3c.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|U.S.[[commemorative stamp]] of 1948,  [[Seneca Falls Convention]] titled ''100 Years of Progress of Women: 1848–1948''. From left to right, [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]], Carrie Chapman Catt, [[Lucretia Mott]].]]

Catt attained recognition for her work both during and after her lifetime. In 1921, Catt became the first woman to receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Wyoming.<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 18, 1921|title=Women Not Yet Freed From Century-Old Conditions, Noted Suffrage Leader Declares|work=The Wyoming Weekly Review and Natrona County Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/347899059/?terms=catt%2Buniversity%2Bof%2Bwyoming|access-date=October 2, 2020}}</ref> In 1923, Catt was named one of the "12 Greatest Living American Women" by the League of Women Voters <ref>{{Cite news|date=May 13, 1923|title=Only One of America's 12 Famous Women is a Mother|work=The Boston Globe}}</ref> and in 1925, she received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Smith College.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Smith College|title=Honorary Degrees: Recipients|url=https://www.smith.edu/about-smith/smith-history/honorary-degrees|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> In 1926, she was featured on the cover of ''Time'' magazine <ref>{{Cite web|last=Carrie Chapman Catt June 14, 1926|title=Time|url=https://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19260614,00.html|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref> and, in 1930, she received the Pictorial Review Award for her international disarmament work.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Adams|first=Mildred|date=January 1931|title=Winner of Pictorial Review's $5,000 Achievement Award: Carrie Chapman Catt, Leader of Women—Pioneer for Peace.|work=Carrie Chapman Catt Papers, Library of Congress|url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss15404.mss15404-009_00498_00523/?sp=10|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref> In 1933, Catt received the American Hebrew Medal; in 1935, the Turkish government issued a stamp to honor her work,<ref>[https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss15404.mss15404-013_00255_00262/?sp=4&r=-0.042,0.026,0.988,0.562,0 Carrie Chapman Catt Papers: Subject File, 1848–1950; Turkish stamp honoring Catt]. Library of Congress.</ref> and in 1936, she was honored by President Franklin Roosevelt at the White House for her peace activism.<ref name=walker>{{Cite book|last=Walker|first=Lola Carolyn|title=The Speeches and Speaking of Carrie Chapman Catt|publisher=Northwestern University Dissertation|year=1950|location=Evanston, Illinois|page=55}}</ref> In 1940, Catt received an honorary doctor of laws degree from Moravian College for Women,<ref>{{Cite news|date=June 11, 1940|title=Dr. Hornell Hart of Duke Speaks at Moravian: Says Graduates Going from One Stage to Another --Carrie Chapman Catt Honored|work=The Morning Call (Allentown, PA)}}</ref> the American Women's Association's "Woman of the Year Award,<ref name=walker/> and the Gold Medal Pioneer Award from the General Federation of Women's Clubs.<ref name=walker/> In 1941, Catt received the Chi Omega award at the White House from her longtime friend [[Eleanor Roosevelt]].<ref name="cccc"/>

Catt's posthumous awards include a stamp that was issued in 1948 in remembrance of the [[Seneca Falls Convention]], featuring Catt, [[Elizabeth Cady Stanton]], and [[Lucretia Mott]]. In 1975, Catt became the first inductee into the [[Iowa Women's Hall of Fame]].<ref name="timeline" /> and in 1982, Catt was inducted into the [[National Women's Hall of Fame]]. In 1992, the Iowa Centennial Memorial Foundation presented her with The Iowa Award, the state's highest honor,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boller |first=Marty |title=The Iowa Award--1951 To Today |url=https://ouriowaheritage.com/our-iowa-heritage-the-iowa-award/ |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=Our Iowa Heritage|date=August 9, 2021 }}</ref> and named her one of the ten most important women of the century,<ref name="timeline" /> and in 2013, Catt was in the first class of women to be honored on the Women of Achievement Bridge in Des Moines, Iowa.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rood|first=Lee|date=August 29, 2018|title=Women of Achievement Bridge to Add Names for First Time Since 2013; Nominations being Accepted.|work=Des Moines Register|url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2018/08/29/iowa-women-achievement-bridge-2019-award-nominations-downtown-des-moines-principal-riverwalk/1134823002/|access-date=November 23, 2020}}</ref>

The League of Women Voters often honors Catt as its founder. In 1929, the League placed bronze tablets honoring her contributions to suffrage throughout the country.<ref name="walker" /> In 1947, the national League established the Carrie Chapman Catt Memorial Fund, which promoted suffrage aboard, voter education, and the responsibilities of citizenship.<ref>League of Women Voters. "A Living Memorial to Carrie Chapman Catt 1859-1947." Library of Congress Carrie Chapman Catt Collection. Available: https://www.loc.gov/resource/mss15404.mss15404-012_00103_00289/?sp=7&r=0.126,0.141,0.986,0.704,0.</ref> In the 1959, this fund was used to sponsor a "Government in Action" program at Syracuse University.<ref>Knapp, Betsy and Mary Ann Guyol. 1960. "Learning By Doing with the League of Women Voters." ''Journal of Social Issues'' 16(1): 57-65.</ref> A number of Leagues around the country present awards named for their founder. These include:

* The Ames/Story County (Iowa) League has bestowed its Carrie Chapman Catt Award, which recognizes a member's contribution to the community, since 1993.<ref>{{Cite web |last=League of Women Voters Ames/Story County |title=Catt Award |url=http://www.ameslwv.org/activities/cattaward/ |access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> 
* The League of Women Voters of Iowa also bestows a Carrie Chapman Catt Award annually, recognizing the significant accomplishments of one of its members.<ref>{{Cite web |date=Jun 9–10, 2023 |title=League of Women Voters of Iowa State Convention Program |url=https://lwvia.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Booklet-with-pages-for-pdf.pdf |access-date=August 4, 2023 |website=League of Women Voters of Iowa}}</ref> 
* Since 1997, the League of Women Voters of Saratoga County (New York) has recognized a member each year with their Carrie Chapman Catt Award for outstanding and long-standing service to the League.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Seebode |first=Monica |date=June 2024 |title=League of Women Voters of Saratoga County Award Winners |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b1ec58225bf0214c000f55f/t/66da1d8d94810e4e9108d638/1725570445897/Award+Winners.pdf |website=League of Women Voters of Saratoga County}}</ref>
* The League of Women Voters of Dane County, which includes Catt's birthplace of Ripon, Wisconsin, instituted its Carrie Chapman Catt Award in 2005<ref>{{Cite web |last=League of Women Voters of Dane County (WI) |title=Carrie Chapman Catt Award |url=https://www.lwvdanecounty.org/carrie-chapman-catt-award |access-date=November 18, 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> 
* The League of Women Voters of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff (Illinois) has presented its Carrie Chapman Catt Award since 2013.<ref>{{Cite web |last=League of Women Voters of Lake Forest/Lake Bluff (Illinois) |title=Home Page |url=https://www.lwv-lflb.org/ |access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref>

In 1992, the Charles City, Iowa school district named its alternative high school "Carrie Lane High School" in honor of Catt.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Pieper |first=Mary |date=February 12, 2012 |title=Twenty Years Changing Lives: Carrie Lane High School Offers Alternatives |pages=A1-2 |work=The (Mason City) Globe-Gazette}}</ref> In 2019, Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced the Carrie Chapman Catt Award, which it awards to every Iowa high school that registers to vote at least 90 percent of its eligible student body.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iowa Secretary of State |date=2020 |title=Carrie Chapman Catt Award |url=https://sos.iowa.gov/youth/carriechapmancattaward.html |access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> Finally, Catt was posthumously named a "Valiant Woman of the Vote" by the [[National Women's History Alliance]] in 2020.<ref name="NWHA">{{cite web |title=2020 Honorees |url=https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/2020-honorees/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115050016/https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/2020-honorees/ |archive-date=January 15, 2020 |access-date=January 8, 2020 |website=National Women's History Alliance}}</ref>

'''Museum, Monuments, and Historical Markers'''

Catt's childhood home in Charles City, Iowa has been restored, listed on the National Register of Historic Places,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iowa All Over: Carrie Chapman Catt Home in Charles City |url=https://www.thegazette.com/life/iowa-all-over-carrie-chapman-catt-home-in-charles-city/ |access-date=July 9, 2024 |website=www.thegazette.com |language=en-US}}</ref> and is now a museum dedicated to her life and legacy as well as the history of the women's suffrage movement. It is managed by the nonprofit organization, the National Nineteenth Amendment Society.<ref>{{Cite web |last=National Nineteenth Amendment Society |title=Home |url=http://catt.org/girlhood.html. |access-date=July 29, 2020}}</ref> In 2020 it was added as a site on the National Women's Suffrage Trail. The marker was dedicated in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Erb |first=Cheryl |date=September 29, 2021 |title=Votes for Women Trail Marker at the Girlhood Home of Carrie Chapman Catt |url=https://ncwhs.org/trail/votes-for-women-trail-marker-at-the-girlhood-home-of-carrie-chapman-catt/ |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=National Collaborative for Women's History Sites}}</ref>

On August 26, 2016 ([[Women's Equality Day]]), a monument commissioned by Tennessee Suffrage Monument, Inc.<ref>{{cite web |title=Too Few Statues of Women |url=http://tnsuffragemonument.org/too-few-statues-of-women/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410200952/http://tnsuffragemonument.org/too-few-statues-of-women/ |archive-date=April 10, 2020 |access-date=August 28, 2016 |website=Tennessee Suffrage Monument, Inc.}}</ref> and sculpted by [[Alan LeQuire]] was unveiled in [[Centennial Park (Nashville)|Centennial Park in Nashville]], featuring depictions of Catt, [[Anne Dallas Dudley]], [[Abby Crawford Milton]], [[Juno Frankie Pierce]], and [[Sue Shelton White]].<ref>{{cite web |date=August 26, 2016 |title=Women's Suffrage Monument Unveiled – Story |url=http://www.newschannel5.com/news/womens-suffrage-monument-unveiled |access-date=August 27, 2016 |publisher=Newschannel5.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=August 25, 2016 |title=Nashville's Newest Monument Celebrates State's Role in Women's Winning The Right To Vote |url=http://nashvillepublicradio.org/post/nashvilles-newest-monument-celebrates-states-role-womens-winning-right-vote |access-date=August 27, 2016 |publisher=Nashville Public Radio}}</ref>  Catt is one of three suffragists memorialized with a statue at the Turning Point Suffrage Memorial in Lorton, Virginia, which was dedicated on May 16, 2021.<ref>The Turning Point Suffrage Memorial. https://suffragistmemorial.org/.</ref>

Catt is also honored in the following historical markers:

* Charlestown, IN: Marker to honor [[Mary Garrett Hay]], which mentions also mentions Catt, dedicated in October 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |last=McAfee |first=Brooke |date=October 21, 2021 |title=Historical Market to Honor Suffragette from Charlestown |work=The (Jefferson, IN) News and Tribune |url=https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/historical-marker-to-honor-suffragette-from-charlestown/article_f558ed7e-31e9-11ec-9f86-133bd64c04c7.html |access-date=October 29, 2021}}</ref> 
* Flint, Michigan's Sitdowners Memorial Park: Plaque dedicated to Catt.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lambrou |first=J.T. |date=March 26, 2023 |title=Carrie Chapman Catt 1859-1947 |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=218745 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=The Historical Marker Database}}</ref>
* Huntsville, AL: Mentioned on a marker memorializing suffragist Alberta Chapman Taylor.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Marsteller |first1=Duane |last2=Marsteller |first2=Tracy |date=November 22, 2020 |title=Huntsville's Pioneer Suffragists |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=160637 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=The Historical Marker Database}}</ref>
* Iowa Welcome Center on Interstate 35: Historical marker erected by the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Iowa State Historical Society, dedicated in 1977.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 29, 2023 |title=Historic Northern Iowa/Carrie Lane Chapman Catt - (1859-1947) |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=224584 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=The Historical Marker Database}}</ref>
* Louisville, KY: Marker at the First Unitarian Church, which mentions that Carrie Chapman Catt and Susan B. Anthony spoke there on their 1895 Southern Tour.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Herrick |first=Michael |date=February 12, 2023 |title=First Unitarian Church |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=104729 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=The Historical Marker Database}}</ref>
* Memphis, TN: Markers memorializing suffragist Lide Smith Meriwether, which mentions that she traveled with Catt and Anthony;<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Masler |first=Steve |date=February 7, 2023 |title=Lide Smith Meriwether 1829-1913. |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=204206 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=The Historical Marker Database}}</ref> suffragist Mary Church Terrell, founder of the [[National Association of Colored Women]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Masler |first=Steve |date=February 7, 2023 |title=Mary Church Terrell 1863-1954 |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=213321 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=The Historical Marker Database}}</ref> and Joseph Hanover, one of Catt's allies on the Tennessee state legislature in 1920.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Masler |first=Steve |date=February 7, 2023 |title=Joseph Hanover 1888-1984 |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=204807 |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=The Historical Marker Database}}</ref> All three were erected by the Memphis Suffrage Monument Committee in 2022.<ref name=":1" /> 
* New Rochelle, NY: The New Rochelle Historical Society and the League of Women Voters of New Rochelle placed a marker on the street where she lived.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rosen |first=Gay E. |date=November 10, 2014 |title=Historic New Rochelle--Carrie (Lane) Chapman Catt |url=https://larchmontandnewrochellenews.com/2014/11/10/historic-new-rochelle-carrie-lane-chapman-catt/ |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=Larchmont and New Rochelle News/The Rosen Reports}}</ref>
* Ripon, WI: Catt's birthplace, erected by the Wisconsin Historical Society in 1977.<ref>Wisconsin Historical Markers. [http://www.wisconsinhistoricalmarkers.com/2012/09/marker-273-carrie-chapman-catt.html Marker 273: Carrie Chapman Catt] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726185840/http://www.wisconsinhistoricalmarkers.com/2012/09/marker-273-carrie-chapman-catt.html|date=July 26, 2020}}.</ref>

=== Women's voting rights ===
As President of the nation's largest women's suffrage organization when the 19th Amendment was ratified, women's voting rights are part of Catt's legacy. The 19th Amendment enfranchised approximately 27 million American women. The amendment extended to women of all races who were not disenfranchised for other reasons. It remains the largest single extension of suffrage in American history.<ref>See United States Census records for 1870, 1920, 1960, and 1970. www.census.gov.</ref> This included three million African American women of voting age, approximately 500,000 of whom lived in the 34 states outside the Deep South. By 1960, the last Census before the Voting Rights Act was passed, more than two million African American women in these 34 states were enfranchised.<ref>United States Census, 1920 and 1960. www.census.gov.</ref>

In addition, some African American women living in the South were able to register and vote in 1920. According to historian Roslyn Terborg-Penn, "...Black female participation in the elective process during 1920 was extensive enough to occasion a prediction from Georgia State Representative Thomas M. Bell that the Nineteenth Amendment would destroy white supremacy in Georgia since the amendment had enfranchised enough women."<ref>[[#Terborg-Penn|Terborg-Penn]], p. 152.</ref> In South Carolina, African American women "apparently took the white male registrars by surprise, and no plan to disqualify them was in effect. Many Black women reported to the registrar's office, but the only discrimination was that whites were registered first."<ref>[[#Terborg-Penn|Terborg-Penn]], p. 153.</ref>

The 19th Amendment did not prohibit other forms of discrimination against women voters. For instance, no women were allowed to vote in Georgia or Mississippi in 1920 because state legislatures were not called into special session to pass the enabling legislation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wheeler|first=Marjorie Spruill|title=New Women of the New South|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1993|location=New York|pages=181}}</ref> Similarly, by the end of the decade, African American women in the South were again disenfranchised by discriminatory laws and practices.<ref>[[#Terborg-Penn|Terborg-Penn]], pp. 156–157.</ref> Puerto Rican women were not fully enfranchised until 1935.<ref>{{Cite web|last=National Park Service|date=August 23, 2019|title=Puerto Rico and the 19th Amendment|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/puerto-rico-women-s-history.htm|access-date=July 31, 2020}}</ref> Likewise, Native American women who did not renounce their tribal citizenship were not eligible to vote in 1920<ref>{{Cite web|last=Little|first=Becky|date=August 20, 2019|title=Native Americans Weren't Guaranteed the Right to Vote in Every State Until 1962|url=https://www.history.com/news/native-american-voting-rights-citizenship|access-date=July 31, 2020|website=The History Channel}}</ref> and Chinese American women were not eligible to vote because of the [[Chinese Exclusion Act]], which kept Chinese Americans from becoming citizens. This law was in place until 1943.<ref>{{Cite web|last=National Park Service|date=March 5, 2020|title=Dr. Mabel Ping-Hua Lee|url=https://www.nps.gov/people/mabel-lee.htm|access-date=July 31, 2020}}</ref> Finally, women of color, especially African American women, continued to experience discrimination until the [[Twenty-fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution|24th Amendment]], which prohibited poll taxes, and [[Voting Rights Act of 1965|Voting Rights Act]] were enacted in 1964 and 1965, respectively.

Women's voter turnout was approximately 38 percent in 1920, compared to over 65 percent for men.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Wolbrecht, Christina and|first=J. Kevin Corder|title=A Century of Votes for Women: American Elections Since Suffrage|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2020|location=New York}}</ref> Women's voter turnout rates lagged behind men's, but gradually rose over time. Women became the numerical majority of voters in 1968 and began to vote at higher rates than men in 1980. By 2016, women's voter turnout was 63 percent compared to 53 percent for men, a difference of 10 million voters.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Center for American Women and Politics|date=September 16, 2019|title=Gender Differences in Voter Turnout|url=https://cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/genderdiff.pdf|access-date=July 31, 2020|archive-date=July 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200718174835/http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/genderdiff.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Also starting in 1980, men and women's vote choices began to diverge, with women being more likely to vote for Democratic candidates and to express support for the Democratic Party.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Center for American Women in Politics|date=June 2014|title=The Gender Gap: Party Identification and Presidential Performance Ratings|url=https://cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/ggprtyid.pdf|access-date=July 31, 2020}}</ref> This gender gap is now a durable fixture in American politics, present at the presidential level and in many down ballot races. The largest gender gap was in 2020 with a 12 percentage point advantage to the Democratic nominee, [[Joe Biden]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 19, 2023 |title=Gender Gap: Voting Choices in Presidential Elections |url=https://cawp.rutgers.edu/gender-gap-voting-choices-presidential-elections |access-date=June 19, 2023 |website=Center for American Women and Politics}}</ref>  The smallest was four percentage points in 1992, when the Democratic nominee Bill Clinton faced [[George H. W. Bush|President George H.W. Bush]] (R) and Independent [[Ross Perot]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Center for American Women and Politics|date=January 2017|title=The Gender Gap: Voting Choices in Presidential Elections|url=https://cawp.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/resources/ggpresvote.pdf|access-date=July 31, 2020}}</ref>

=== At Iowa State University ===
In 1921, Catt became the first woman to deliver a commencement address at [[Iowa State University]] when she also received an honorary doctor of laws degree.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Catt|first=Carrie Chapman|date=June 15, 1921|title=Commencement Address at Iowa State|url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/2017/03/21/commencement-address-june-151921/|access-date=July 29, 2020|website=Archives of Women's Political Communication}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Iowa State University|title=Past Honorary Degree Recipients|url=https://www.graduation.iastate.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/programs/PastHonoraryDeg.pdf|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> She was invited to speak again in 1930 <ref name="cccc"/> and in 1933, received the Iowa State Alumni Association Merit Award for Distinguished Service.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Iowa State University Alumni Association|title=Alumni Humanitarian Award (Formerly the Merit Award)|url=https://www.isualum.org/s/565/17/interior.aspx?sid=565&gid=1&pgid=2453|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref>

When George Catt died in 1905, he left a donation to Iowa State in his will. However, New York state attorneys determined that the donation was not permissible, since under New York law, bequests could only be awarded to an individual or an incorporated entity. Iowa State, at the time, did not qualify. Consequently, Catt signed over $100,000 in bonds (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|100000|1905}}}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars) to the university to honor George Catt's wishes.<ref>"Ames is Given $100,000 Fund by Mrs. Catt." ''Des Moines Register''. October 8, 1922. p. 1.</ref> The George W. Catt Endowment continues to award scholarships to several students in different fields of study each year. Selection is based on academic achievement and financial need.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Iowa State University|title=George W. Catt Endowment Scholarship|url=https://iastate.academicworks.com/opportunities/24061|access-date=July 25, 2020}}</ref> A few years after her husband's death, Catt donated another $22,500 to Iowa State and in 1926, donated $6,000 to her sorority, Pi Beta Phi, equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|6000|1926|fmt=c|r=-3}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars.<ref>Carrie Chapman Catt Papers, Box 2. Iowa State University Special Collections.</ref> She also left her personal library of over 1,000 volumes, many on the subject of peace, to the university, along with some furniture and other personal belongings.<ref>"Last Will and Testament of Carrie Chapman Catt. March 21, 1945." Parks Library Special Collections. Iowa State University.</ref>

[[File:ISU Catt Hall.jpg|thumb|Carrie Chapman [[Catt Hall]] at [[Iowa State University]] from the south]]
Iowa State University named a street, Carrie Lane Court, in Catt's honor.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Craft |first1=David |last2=Jones |first2=Steve |last3=University Archives |date=2003 |title=For Whom It Is Named |url=https://digital.lib.iastate.edu/online-exhibits/iowa-state-sesquicentennial/campus-buildings/for-whom-it-is-named/campus-streets |access-date=June 30, 2023 |website=Iowa State University}}</ref>  As early as 1974, the Government of the Student Body passed a resolution requesting that the new physical education building be named for Catt.<ref>Senate of the [Iowa State University] Government of the Student Body, Senate Resolution #14. "Resolution to Name the New Women's PE Building after Carrie Chapman Catt." November 18, 1974.</ref> The naming committee chair opposed the idea, stating he did not want a "Catt House" on campus.<ref>Lex, Louise. "Catt in Respect to Lagomarcino." ''Iowa State Daily''. July 16, 2020. Available: https://www.iowastatedaily.com/opinion/letters/opinion-letter-louise-lex-catt-in-respect-to-lagomarcino/article_2d3345a6-c79b-11ea-b2b0-130e3bd95bd9.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826182159/https://www.iowastatedaily.com/opinion/letters/opinion-letter-louise-lex-catt-in-respect-to-lagomarcino/article_2d3345a6-c79b-11ea-b2b0-130e3bd95bd9.html |date=August 26, 2021 }}</ref> In 1990, the university announced that it was renaming the Old Botany Building as Carrie Chapman [[Catt Hall]]<ref>{{Cite news|last=Krapfel|first=Mike|date=June 13, 1990|title=Building to Honor Suffragist|work=Ames Tribune, p. A1}}</ref> and the building was dedicated in 1995<ref>"Carrie Chapman Catt Hall Dedication, Sunday October 1, Saturday, October 7, 1995" Program in Carrie Chapman Catt Center archives</ref> after a $5 million renovation.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Bruner|first=Jeffrey|date=June 7, 1993|title=Regents OK Renovations|work=Ames Tribune, p. A1}}</ref> Naming the building after Catt engendered controversy, with some in the university community objecting to the naming because they said Catt was a racist.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 1995|title=The Catt's Out of the Bag. Was She Racist? Racism in the Suffrage Movement|work=Uhuru|url=http://cdm16001.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16001coll49/id/175|access-date=July 29, 2020}}</ref> In March 2021, the university announced the formation of the Committee on the Consideration of Removing Names from University Property that was considering the renaming of Carrie Chapman Catt Hall.<ref>Meyer, Brian. "Standing committee named for review of requests to rename university property." ''Inside Iowa State''. March 4, 2021. Available: https://www.inside.iastate.edu/article/2021/03/04/renaming.</ref> On August 31, 2023, the Committee issued its [https://ou.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?job=232206&tz=GMT-05%3A00&tzname=America%2FChicago&fbclid=IwAR13XNanQeI9-3nP62Gc9vLFuZiyb5Ps8ixKAym4GMGZqw_0wIYIugw15OY draft report] and initial vote. The committee initially recommended retaining the name of the building.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Meyer |first=Brian |date=August 31, 2023 |title=Initial Vote Supports Catt's Name on Building |work=Inside Iowa State |url=https://www.inside.iastate.edu/article/2023/08/31/catt |access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref> After a sixty-day public comment period, university president [[Wendy Wintersteen]] formally accepted the recommendation that the name of Carrie Chapman Catt Hall not be changed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Meyer |first1=Brian |title=Wintersteen accepts committee's Catt Hall recommendation |url=https://www.inside.iastate.edu/article/2023/11/09/catt |access-date=November 13, 2023 |publisher=Iowa State University |date=November 9, 2023}}</ref>

In 1992, Iowa State University established the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics. The Catt Center conducts research on women in politics, with a special emphasis on Iowa, and promotes civic engagement on campus and in the community.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics|title=About Us|url=https://cattcenter.iastate.edu/about-us/|access-date=November 23, 2020|website=Iowa State University}}</ref> The Catt Center instituted its Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics in 1995<ref>{{Cite web|last=Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics|title=Carrie Chapman Catt Prize for Research on Women and Politics|url=https://cattcenter.iastate.edu/research/catt-prize/|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref> and in 2006 the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences added the Carrie Chapman Catt Public Engagement Award to its roster of alumni awards.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Iowa State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences|title=Carrie Chapman Catt Public Engagement Award|url=https://alumni.las.iastate.edu/awards/carrie-chapman-catt-public-engagement-award/|access-date=November 18, 2020}}</ref>

=== Nineteenth Amendment centennial ===
2020 marked the 100th anniversary of the [[League of Women Voters]] and the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The League – which includes the national organization founded by Catt on February 14, 1920, as well as more than 700 state and local leagues throughout the United States –  is a respected, nonpartisan political organization that continues to educate citizens on key issues of the day and advocates for expansion of access to the ballot for all U.S. citizens.<ref>[https://www.lwv.org/ League of Women Voters].</ref>

As part of the centennial celebration of the Nineteenth Amendment in 2020, Catt was featured in newspaper and magazine articles; recent books, such as Elaine Weiss's ''The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote'' (2018),<ref name="Weiss"/> which is being made into a film with [[Hillary Clinton|Hillary Rodham Clinton]] as the executive producer; the PBS American Experience two-part documentary ''The Vote''; and the Iowa PBS documentary, ''Carrie Chapman Catt: Warrior for Women.''

== Personal life ==
[[File:Catt_and_hay_voting_1920.png|thumb|Carrie Chapman Catt and Mary Garrett Hay receive ballots to cast their first votes for president in 1920.]]
In March 1883, the month Carrie Lane was promoted to superintendent of schools in [[Mason City, Iowa]],  Leo Chapman purchased and began to publish the weekly Mason City Republican newspaper. A supporter of women's suffrage, he and Lane became engaged and were married at the Lane family home on February 12, 1885. The two began publishing the weekly newspaper as co-editors. In May 1886, having sold the newspaper due to a libel suit, Leo left for San Francisco to find a job in a newspaper while Carrie stayed in Iowa and lived with her parents until he sent word that he had found work and a home for them. In August 1886, Carrie received a telegram that Leo was very ill with typhoid fever and she should come at once. By the time she reached San Francisco on the train, he was dead.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 39–43</ref>

While in San Francisco, she happened to meet George Catt, who was walking behind her on a downtown street. The two had been in college together, and he was about to become the chief engineer for a San Francisco bridge-building firm. In August 1887, Chapman moved back to Iowa, but the two kept in touch. In spring 1890, Chapman took the train to Seattle, Washington, where Catt now lived. On June 10, 1890, the two were married.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 58–61</ref>

Theirs was the deep love of two mature and committed people, each of whom respected the other's talents. The newly named Carrie Chapman Catt even told of the arrangement they made before they married, "We made a team to work for the cause. My husband used to say that he was as much a reformer as I, but that he couldn't work at reforming and earn a living at the same time; but what he could do was earn living enough for two and free me from all economic burden, and thus I could reform for two. That was our bargain and we happily understood each other."<ref>Catt, Carrie Chapman (September 6, 1923) ''The Woman Citizen''</ref>  Both traveled extensively for their work, but also found time to travel together. On October 8, 1905, George Catt died from a perforated ulcer at the age of 45.<ref>[[#Peck|Peck]], pp. 144–146</ref><ref>[[#Voris|Van Voris]], pp. 64–65</ref> George Catt had been a successful engineer and his estate left Catt financially independent for the rest of her life.<ref>[[#Fowler|Fowler]], p. 25</ref>

Catt resided at [[Carrie Chapman Catt House|Juniper Ledge]] in the [[Westchester County]], [[New York (state)|New York]] community of [[Briarcliff Manor, New York|Briarcliff Manor]] from 1919 through 1928<ref name="nrhpinv_ny">{{cite web|author=Peter D. Shaver|date=October 2003|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration:Carrie Chapman Catt House|url=http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=101787|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140817023137/http://www.oprhp.state.ny.us/hpimaging/hp_view.asp?GroupView=101787|archive-date=August 17, 2014|access-date=December 24, 2010|publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]]}}</ref> when she settled in nearby [[New Rochelle, New York|New Rochelle]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. After George Catt's death, Carrie Chapman Catt lived with [[Mary Garrett Hay|Mary "Mollie" Garrett Hay]], a suffragist leader from New York.<ref name="rupp">Rupp, Leila J. "Sexuality and Politics in the Early Twentieth Century: The Case of the International Women's Movement". ''Feminist Studies'', vol. 23, no. 3 (Fall 1997): 577–605.</ref> Hay was not a part of the international circle of elites that Catt aligned herself with; however, it was understood that they had a special relationship. Catt requested burial alongside Hay, rather than her first husband. Her second husband's body was donated to science, according to his wishes.<ref name="rupp" /> When Hay died in 1928, [[Alda Heaton Wilson|Alda Wilson]] moved in with Catt and remained as her secretary until Catt's death.<ref>{{cite book|last=Keller|first=Kristin Thoennes|title=Carrie Chapman Catt: A Voice for Women|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hYDRKp-HzY0C&pg=PA92|year=2006|publisher=Capstone|page=92|location=Minneapolis, Minnesota|isbn=978-0-7565-0991-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Radke-Moss|first=Andrea G. |title=Bright Epoch: Women and Coeducation in the American West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c4qPWpfAsGYC&pg=PA286|year=2008|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|page=286|location=Lincoln, Nebraska|isbn=978-0-8032-1942-7}}</ref> Wilson was Catt's companion<ref>{{cite news|last1=Morris|first1=Ruth|title=Possible Need of New War Seen by Pacifist Leader|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zjAiAAAAIBAJ&pg=961%2C1117789|access-date=October 11, 2016|publisher=Berkeley Daily Gazette|date=January 13, 1934|location=Berkeley, California|page=2}}</ref> and eventual estate executor, donating six volumes of photographs and memorabilia from Catt's estate to Bryn Mawr College.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Grubb|first1=Barbara Ward|title=Carrie Chapman Catt Digital Image Collection|journal=Mirabile Dictu|date=Fall 2004|issue=8|pages=14–16|url=http://www.brynmawr.edu/library/mirabile/MirabileDictu8.pdf|access-date=October 11, 2016|publisher=Friends of the Bryn Mawr College Library|location=Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania}}</ref>

==In popular culture==
Carrie Chapman Catt is the subject of Barbara Robison's ''Victory with Valor: A Novel'', a fictionalized account of her life, published in 2020.<ref>{{cite book |author=Robison |first=Barbara |title=Victory with Valor |publisher=Independently published |year=2020 |isbn=979-8673926192}}</ref> Catt is also the primary subject in three children's books: ''Carrie Chapman Catt: A Voice for Women'' by Kristen Thoennes Keller, published in 2005;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Keller |first=Kristin Thoennes |title=Carrie Chapman Catt: A Voice for Women |publisher=Compass Point Books |year=2005 |isbn=978-0756509910 |language=English}}</ref> ''Carrie Chapman Catt: A Life of Leadership'' by Nate Levin, published in 2006;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Levin |first=Nate |title=Carrie Chapman Catt: A Life of Leadership |publisher=BookSurge Publishing |year=2006 |isbn=978-1419638244 |language=English}}</ref> and ''Dare to Question: Carrie Chapman Catt's Voice for the Vote'', by Jasmine A. Stirling and illustrated by Udayana Lugo, published in 2023.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stirling |first=Jasmine A. |title=Dare to Question: Carrie Chapman Catt's Voice for the Vote |publisher=Union Square Kids |year=2023 |isbn=978-1454934578 |language=English}}</ref> Catt is also a character in ''The Hope Chest'' by Karen Schwabach, published in 2010.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schwabach |first=Karen |title=The Hope Chest |publisher=Yearling |year=2010 |isbn=978-0375840968 |edition=Illustrated |language=English}}</ref> In addition, Elaine Weiss's ''The Woman's Hour'' was adapted for young readers. This version was published in 2020.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Weiss |first=Elaine |title=The Woman's Hour |publisher=Random House Books for Young Readers |year=2020 |isbn=978-0593125182 |edition=Illustrated |language=English}}</ref>

Catt has appeared as a character within multiple theatrical projects on the subject of the women's suffrage movement. She is portrayed by [[Jenn Colella|Jenn Collela]] in the musical ''[[Suffs]]'' with book, music, and lyrics by [[Shaina Taub]]. ''Suffs'' premiered off-Broadway at [[The Public Theater|The Public Theatre]] in March 2022<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russo |first=Gillian |date=November 16, 2021 |title='Suffs' announces Off-Broadway cast including Jenn Colella, Phillipa Soo, Nikki M. James |url=https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatre-news/news/suffs-announces-off-broadway-cast-including-jenn-colella-phillipa-soo-shaina-taub |access-date=April 14, 2024 |website=New York Theatre Guide |language=en}}</ref> and has since begun an open-ended run on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in March 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wild |first=Stephi |title=Photos: Inside SUFFS First Preview on Broadway |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photos-Inside-SUFFS-First-Preview-on-Broadway-20240329 |access-date=April 14, 2024 |website=BroadwayWorld.com |language=en}}</ref> The musical is produced in-part by [[Hillary Clinton]] and [[Malala Yousafzai]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Paulson |first=Michael |date=October 18, 2023 |title='Suffs' Heads to Broadway With Hillary Clinton as a Producer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/18/theater/suffs-broadway-hillary-clinton-malala.html |access-date=April 14, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Catt is also the subject of a one-woman play, ''The Yellow Rose of Suffrage'', by Jane Cox, professor emerita of theatre at Iowa State University. First performed in 1993 by Cox, the play was performed extensively throughout 1995, including at the [[Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts]],<ref>Letter from Mary Ann Tetreault to Barbara Miller, October 10, 1994.</ref> and has been performed ever since in over 20 states.

Additional theatre projects include ''19: The Musical'', conceived and performed by Through the 4th Wall across the Washington, D.C. area in 2019,<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Enoch|first=Jessica|date=August 6, 2020|title=The Feminist Lesson of 19: The Musical|journal=Quarterly Journal of Speech|volume=106|pages=242–252|doi=10.1080/00335630.2020.1785632|s2cid=221057983|doi-access=free}}</ref> ''The Suffragist'' by Nancy Cobb and Cavan Hallman,<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 16, 2021 |title=World Premiere Of "The Suffragist" Opens Friday In Cedar Falls |url=https://www.iowapublicradio.org/ipr-music/2021-07-16/world-premiere-of-the-suffragist-opens-friday-in-cedar-falls |access-date=April 14, 2024 |website=Iowa Public Radio |language=en}}</ref> and ''Crusading Mrs. Catt,'' a one-woman play written and performed by Lisa Hayes.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hayes|first=Lisa|title=Crusading Mrs. Catt: Carrie Chapman Catt and the fight for Women's Suffrage|url=https://crusadingmrscatt.com/|access-date=December 4, 2020}}</ref>

Catt was portrayed by [[Anjelica Huston]] in the film ''[[Iron Jawed Angels]]'' (2004) and is featured in the PBS documentaries ''One Woman, One Vote'' (1995)<ref>{{Cite web|title=One Woman One Vote|url=http://suffrageandthemedia.org/source/one-woman-one-vote-pbs-documentary/|work=PBS|year=1995}}</ref> and ''The Vote,'' Part 2 (2020)<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Vote|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/vote/|work=PBS|date=July 7, 2020}}</ref> and in Iowa PBS's ''Carrie Chapman Catt: Warrior for Women'' (2020),<ref>{{Cite web|title=Carrie Chapman Catt: Warrior for Women|url=http://www.iowapbs.org/catt|access-date=July 25, 2020|website=Iowa PBS|date=December 10, 2019}}</ref> which received a regional Emmy Award.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iowa PBS Receives Four Upper Midwest Emmy Awards|url=http://www.iowapbs.org/about/news/iowa-pbs-receives-four-upper-midwest-emmy%C2%AE-awards|access-date=November 19, 2020|website=Iowa PBS|archive-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119154225/http://www.iowapbs.org/about/news/iowa-pbs-receives-four-upper-midwest-emmy%C2%AE-awards|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, Catt was featured in an art exhibit "Imposter Files for the Recovery of the Memory and History of Peruvian Women".<ref name=":0" />

Catt herself appeared in the pro-suffrage film ''The Ruling Power'', produced by the New York Woman Suffrage Party.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Finnegan|first=Margaret Mary|title=Selling Suffrage: Consumer Culture and Votes for Women|publisher=Columbia University Press.|year=1999|isbn=0-231-10738-2|location=New York|pages=90}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*[[International Women Suffrage Alliance]]
*[[National American Woman Suffrage Association]]
*[[League of Women Voters]]
*[[List of suffragists and suffragettes]]
*[[List of women's rights activists]]
*[[Timeline of women's suffrage]]
*[[Open Christmas Letter]]
*[[List of suffragists and suffragettes#Major suffrage organizations|Women's suffrage organizations]]
*[[List of civil rights leaders]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Cited sources==
*{{Cite book|ref=Shuler|author1=Catt, Carrie Chapman |author2=Shuler, Nettie Rogers |title=Woman Suffrage and Politics: The Inner Story of the Suffrage Movement|publisher=Dover|year=2020|orig-year=1923|isbn=978-0-486-84205-9|location=Mineola, NY}}
*{{Cite book|ref=Fowler|last=Fowler|first=Robert Booth|title=Carrie Catt: Feminist Politician|publisher=Northeastern University Press|year=1986|isbn=0-930350-86-3|location=Boston}}
*{{Cite book|ref=Peck|last=Peck|first=Mary Gray|title=Carrie Chapman Catt: A Biography|publisher=HW Wilson Company|year=1944|isbn=978-1-258-18321-9|location=New York}}
*{{cite book|ref=Terborg-Penn|author=Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn |title=African American Women in the Struggle for the Vote, 1850–1920|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U6o0ttZqgtUC|year=1998|publisher=Indiana University Press|isbn=0-253-21176-X}}
*{{Cite book|ref=Voris|last=Van Voris|first=Jacqueline|title=Carrie Chapman Catt: A Public Life|publisher=The Feminist Press, CUNY|year=1987|isbn=1-55861-139-8|location=New York}}
*{{Cite book|ref=Weiss|last=Weiss|first=Elaine|title=The Woman's Hour|publisher=Penguin|year=2018|isbn=978-0-525-42972-2|location=New York}}

==Further reading==
* Amidon, Kevin. "[https://www.jstor.org/stable/30136020 Carrie Chapman Catt and the Evolutionary Politics of Sex and Race, 1885–1940]. ''Journal of the History of Ideas'', vol. 68 no. 2, pp. 305–328. (April 2007).
<!--s2cid=143829134|doi=10.1353/jhi.2007.0009-->
* Behn, Beth. ''[https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1503&context=open_access_dissertations Woodrow Wilson's Conversion Experience: The President and the Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment]''. (2012). Open Access Dissertations, 511.
*Catt, Carrie Chapman, collected speeches and selected writings. [https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/carrie-chapman-catt/ Archives of Women's Political Communication.]
*Clevenger, Ima Fuchs. ''Invention and Arrangement in the Public Address of Carrie Chapman Catt''. (1955). Dissertation. University of Oklahoma. 
*Daniels, Doris. "Building a Winning Coalition: The Suffrage Fight in New York State." (1979). ''New York History''. 60 (1): 58–80. 
* Gerber, Matthew. "Agitation in Amsterdam: The International Dimension of Carrie Chapman Catt's Suffrage Rhetoric." (2016). ''Speaker & Gavel'' 53(1): 27–41. 
*''[http://iowahistoryjournal.com/carrie-chapman-catt/ Iowa History Journal]''. Three part series on Carrie Chapman Catt. (2020). March/April, May/June, and July/August.  
*Katz, David Howard. ''Carrie Chapman Catt and the Struggle for Peace''. (1973). Dissertation. Syracuse University.  
*Marilley, Suzanne M. ''Woman Suffrage and the Origins of Liberal Feminism in the United States, 1820–1920.'' (1996). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. {{ISBN|0674954653}}. 
* Miller, Helen Hill. ''Carrie Chapman Catt: The Power of an Idea''. Carrie Chapman Catt Memorial Fund, Washington, DC. 1958.
*Noun, Louise R. ''Strong-Minded Women: The Emergence of the Woman-Suffrage Movement in Iowa''. (1969). Iowa State University Press. {{ISBN|0813816025}}.
*Noun, Louise R. "[https://pubs.lib.uiowa.edu/palimpsest/article/id/22481/ Carrie Chapman Catt and Her Mason City Experience]". ''The Palimpsest.'' 74: 130–145. (1993).

==External links==
{{commons category|Carrie Chapman Catt}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{Collier's poster|Catt, Carrie Lane Chapman|Carrie Chapman Catt}}
* [http://www.catt.org The Carrie Chapman Catt Girlhood Home and Museum]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120308074728/http://pbskids.org/wayback/civilrights/features_suffrage.html PBS Kids: Women and the Vote]
* Information from the Library of Congress: [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jan11.html] [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/naw/cattbio.html]
* [https://www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/coll/043.html The Carrie Chapman Catt Collection] From the [https://www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/ Rare Book and Special Collections Division] at the [[Library of Congress]]
* [http://archives.nypl.org/mss/498 Carrie Chapman Catt papers, 1887–1947], held by the Manuscripts and Archives Division, [[New York Public Library]]
* {{cite archive|collection=Carrie Chapman Catt Memorial Fund Collected Records|collection-url=https://archives.tricolib.brynmawr.edu/resources/scpc-cdg-a-carrie_chapman_catt_memorial_fund|repository=Peace Collection CDG-A|location=Swarthmore PA|institution=Swarthmore College}}
* {{cite archive|collection=Carrie Chapman Catt Papers|collection-url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/carrie-chapman-catt-papers/about-this-collection/|institution=Library of Congress|location=Washington DC|date=1848–1950|access-date=August 19, 2022}}
* [https://findingaids.smith.edu/repositories/2/resources/483 Carrie Chapman Catt papers], at the [[Sophia Smith Collection]], Smith College Special Collections
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/naw/cattbio.html American Memory biography of Carrie Chapman Catt]
* [https://cattcenter.iastate.edu/home/about-us/carrie-chapman-catt/ Iowa State University Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics]
* [https://www.biography.com/activists/carrie-chapman-catt Biography.com page on Catt]
* {{Gutenberg author | id=34778| name=Carrie Chapman Catt}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Carrie Chapman Catt}}
* {{Librivox author |id=15470}}
* Michals, Debra.  [https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/carrie-chapman-catt "Carrie Chapman Catt"].  National Women's History Museum. 2015.

{{IAW Presidents}}
{{Suffrage}}
{{Liberal feminism}}
{{Iowa Women's Hall of Fame}}
{{National Women's Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catt, Carrie Chapman}}
[[Category:Carrie Chapman Catt| ]]
[[Category:1859 births]]
[[Category:1947 deaths]]
[[Category:Iowa State University alumni]]
[[Category:History of New Rochelle, New York]]
[[Category:People from Ripon, Wisconsin]]
[[Category:People from Charles City, Iowa]]
[[Category:Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York)]]
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:Female candidates for President of the United States]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Land Party (United States) politicians]]
[[Category:International Alliance of Women people]]
[[Category:People from Mason City, Iowa]]
[[Category:Progressive Era in the United States]]
[[Category:American temperance activists]]
[[Category:American anti-war activists]]
[[Category:People from Briarcliff Manor, New York]]
[[Category:Activists from New Rochelle, New York]]
[[Category:20th-century American women politicians]]
[[Category:Members of the League of Women Voters]]
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[[Category:Suffragists from Iowa]]
[[Category:School superintendents in Iowa]]
[[Category:Woman's Journal people]]
[[Category:Suffragists from New York (state)]]
[[Category:American women founders]]
[[Category:American founders]]