[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 196 (Monday, December 9, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6899-S6900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                      Wyoming Women's Suffrage Day

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, today I would like to speak on a topic very 
important to my wife Diana, to me, and, for that matter, to all of 
Wyoming, and it should be important to all of America. It is a topic of 
great importance in Wyoming. It is a topic at the core of what makes 
Wyoming the Equality State. It is Wyoming Women's Suffrage Day 
tomorrow.
  I recently had the pleasure of introducing and, along with my friend 
Senator Barrasso, passing S. Res. 430, which recognizes tomorrow, 
December 10, 2019, as Wyoming Women's Suffrage Day.
  Wyoming Women's Suffrage Day celebrates the contribution of women to 
our great State and Wyoming's place in history as the trailblazer for 
women's suffrage. One hundred and fifty years ago, on December 10, 
1869, the Wyoming territory approved the first law in legislative 
history recognizing women's inherent right to vote and to hold public 
office--50 years before the enactment of the 19th Amendment to the 
Constitution in 1920.
  This historic step even preceded Wyoming statehood. The young 
territory granted women the right to vote 20 years before becoming the 
44th State admitted to the Union.
  In fact, when Congress invited Wyoming to join the Union, they 
demanded that women's suffrage be revoked, and the Wyoming 
legislature--an all-men's legislature--said: ``We will remain out of 
the Union 100 years rather than come in without the women.'' This 
pioneering spirit is truly remarkable and something I keep in front of 
my mind every day as I continue my work in the Senate.
  Wyoming was not going to allow the acknowledgement of women's right 
to vote to be ceremonial or artificial. In fact, 1 short year after 
recognizing women's right to vote, women began holding public office 
throughout Wyoming, serving as the first women in the United States to 
do so.
  In 1870, Esther Hobart Morris became the first female justice of the 
peace, serving in South Pass City, WY. That year, Wyoming also saw the 
country's first all-female jury and the first woman bailiff in the 
room, Martha Symon Boies. Later, in 1894, Estelle Reel Meyer became 
Wyoming's superintendent of public instruction--the first female in the 
country to be elected to a statewide position. From 1920 to 1921, 
Jackson, WY, was the first town in the United States governed 
completely by women. These trailblazing women embodied the cowboy 
values we hold dear and showed that Wyoming truly has earned its title 
as an Equality State.

  Just as they did in 1869, women's voices and their votes continue to 
help build our economy and guide our democracy. Throughout history, 
Wyoming has been home to many remarkable women and today still 
recognizes how important women are to the success of the State. This 
continued dedication to being the Equality State has made Wyoming home 
to trailblazing women's organizations, such as the Wyoming Women's 
Legislative Caucus, a nonpartisan caucus that advocates for the support 
and leadership of women in all levels of government, and Climb Wyoming, 
which helps single mothers transition to long-term self-sufficiency 
through better paying jobs, including nontraditional jobs. That is the 
key to Wyoming's economy. Climb Wyoming does this through innovative 
programming that goes far beyond just job training. The Wyoming Women's 
Business Center supports aspiring female entrepreneurs and business 
owners through educational tools to help them plan, start, and grow 
successful businesses. As a former small business owner myself, I know 
how important these businesses are to the fabric of our great State.
  Wyoming Women's Suffrage Day is a testament to the contributions 
women make and have made and will continue to make in Wyoming and the 
values that make our State stand out as an example to the rest of the 
country. I look forward to working with Senator Barrasso and 
Congresswoman Cheney to ensure Wyoming continues to do things the 
cowboy way, striving to

[[Page S6900]]

hold the tradition of excellence and equity and equality well into the 
future.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mrs. Blackburn). The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BURR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Boozman). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.