[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 99 (Thursday, June 13, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E769-E770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY'S CELEBRATION OF TEXAS' CENTENNIAL 
                   RATIFICATION OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 13, 2019

  Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Texas 
Woman's University centennial celebration marking Texas' ratification 
of the 19th Amendment.
   On June 28, 1919, Texas became the ninth state in the nation to 
ratify the 19th Amendment, which granted women the constitutional right 
to vote. First introduced in the U.S. Congress in 1878, the 19th 
Amendment prohibits the restriction of voting rights based on gender. 
Texas was the first state in the south to ratify the amendment, which 
was adopted nationally in 1920.
   From its inception, Texas Woman's University (TWU) has sought to 
educate women from Texas and across the country. The university opened 
in Denton, Texas in 1902 as an all-girls school, and was primarily 
attended by young women from rural areas seeking vocational training. 
For more than a century, TWU has led significant advances in education, 
pioneering multiple academic programs for women entering the workforce. 
In 1994, TWU became fully co-educational, yet continues to focus on 
women's education.
   Historically, TWU has been long connected to the women's suffrage 
movement in Texas.

[[Page E770]]

Mary Eleanor Brackenridge served as an early regent for the College of 
Industrial Arts, now known as TWU. A pioneer for women's rights, Ms. 
Brackenridge helped form the Texas Women's Suffrage Association in 1913 
and served as its president. Additionally, Eliza ``Birdie'' Johnson and 
Hellen Stoddard, both members of the Texas Women's Suffrage 
Association, were instrumental leaders in the women's suffrage movement 
who played significant roles in the founding and governing of TWU.
   In honor of this shared history, today TWU will celebrate the 100th 
anniversary of Texas' ratification of the 19th Amendment and the role 
TWU played in the women's suffrage movement. As we mark this milestone, 
I am grateful to the leaders of TWU--past and present--who have made 
indelible contributions to the North Texas community.

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