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Friday, September 14, 2012

September 27 - 30 1912: NAWSA President Anna Howard Shaw Visits Portland and Suffrage Colleague Esther Pohl Lovejoy

One of the major events in Esther Pohl Lovejoy's 1912 suffrage year was her successful facilitation of the Oregon tour of National American Woman Suffrage Association president Anna Howard Shaw. Shaw and Pohl had become suffrage colleagues in Oregon's 1906 votes for women campaign and Shaw was supporting Pohl Lovejoy, Sarah Evans and others in the Portland Woman's Club Suffrage Campaign Committee with a $200 a month donation to the Oregon cause. Shaw was also battling the negative views of Abigail Scott Duniway.

Shaw arrived in Pendleton in time for the Round-up and then came to Portland for a series of speaking engagments, luncheons, and strategy meetings through September 30, when she toured the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon.

The Oregonian published this photo of suffragists greeting Shaw at the Union Depot in Portland on September 28, 2012. Esther Pohl Lovejoy is front and center. The caption gives some of the names of the women with her. We'll live with this grainy photo from the paper, but if you know of a copy of this image in better condition please let me know!



"Snapshot of Suffragists Greeting Dr. Anna Shaw on Arrival at Union Depot," Oregonian, September 29, 1912, 16.
Caption: "Starting with Third From the Left the Names of the Committee and Visitors Are: [Elizabeth] Mrs. F. Eggert, Rev. Anna Howard Shaw, Mrs. Sarah A. Evans, Dr. Esther C. Pohl Lovejoy, Mrs. [sic] Lucy Anthony, Niece of the Late Susan B. Anthony, Who Accompanies Miss Shaw; La Reine Helen Baker. On the Extreme Right of the Picture is Dr. Mary Thompson, 87 Years "Young," as She Says, Who Waited for Two Hours for the Arrival of the Distinguished Visitor."