Utah is one step closer to sending a new statue to Washington, D.C., to display at the U.S. Capitol. The Utah House on Wednesday agreed to send a statue of Martha Hughes Cannon, the nation’s first female state senator.
Cannon was a pioneer in more ways than one. The turn-of-the-century Utahn was a physician, a Mormon and a leader in the suffragette movement. In 1896, she ran for a state senate seat against her husband and beat him, becoming the country’s first female elected lawmaker.
Now, many lawmakers believe it’s time for Utah to honor Cannon. Under a resolution that easily passed the House, her statue would join the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall collection by 2020 to mark the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment.
“In the year 2020, there is no better person than Martha Hughes Cannon, she is the right person to be honoring at the right time," said Rep. Becky Edwards, the House sponsor.
Only three House members voted against the proposal, preferring to keep early television inventor Philo Farnsworth at the Capitol alongside Brigham Young. Those are the two statues currently on display from Utah — each state gets just two.
Many women, young and old, sat in the gallery to watch the vote, wearing buttons and t-shirts that said #SendMartha.
Lisa Halverson, an adjunct professor at BYU, dressed up as a turn-of-the-century suffragette with a long black skirt, grey hat and sash that said “Votes for Women.”
“It just gives me hope and excitement for the future,” she said after the vote. “So many of our young, teenage girls were involved in the #SendMartha campaign, and I’m excited that they could feel proud for their efforts.”
Supporters said Wednesday’s vote was especially symbolic: It was the 140th anniversary of the first ballot ever cast by a Utah woman, Seraph Young, in 1871.
Editor's Note: A version of this story that aired incorrectly stated Utah was the first to extend women the right to vote. That distinction belongs to Wyoming; Utah was a close second.
