Jessie Jack Hooper

Jessie Annette Jack Hooper (November 9, 1865 – May 7, 1935) was an American peace activist and suffragist, who was the first president of the Wisconsin League of Women Voters. She became involved in women's suffrage as an empowerment for women's civic clubs. In 1922, she ran against incumbent Robert M. La Follette for election to the United States Senate, a campaign which inspired her to organize women's groups to call for world disarmament.

Early life She was born November 9, 1865, in Winneshiek County, Iowa to wealthy businessman David Jack, and tutored by a governess. In later life, she would recall her father's fortitude during a business financial crisis, "If ever I feel discouraged, my father's indomitable qualities come to mind and shame me."

Women's suffrage In 1888, she married Oshkosh, Wisconsin attorney Ben Hooper, who encouraged her civic interests. When Hooper and her young daughter attended the World's Congress of Representative Women, held as part of the Chicago World's Fair in 1893, they listened to a speech by Susan B. Anthony. It was not until 1908 that Hooper held an elected position with any civic organization, and even then attempted to shy away from the responsibility when her husband encouraged her nomination to fill a vacancy within the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In spite of her reluctance, she won the election handily and subsequently held many positions in what were considered "women's clubs" of the day. Her earliest efforts were concentrated on improving healthcare options and facilities where none existed. She found such endeavors to be uphill efforts, with men becoming involved only after her efforts saw success. After ratification of the Amendment in 1920, NAWSA became the League of Women Voters. In Wisconsin the league's chapter carried the maxim "every woman an intelligent voter", and Hooper served two terms as its first president.

U.S. Senate campaign The state Democratic Party nominated Hooper in 1922 to run for the United States Senate against the Republican incumbent Robert M. La Follette Sr. Her campaign was run by two women, Livia Peshkova and Gertrude Watkins, bolstered by women in the press, and often hosted in family living rooms. The campaign rallying cry became "Whoop for Hooper." Her election platform championed the League of Nations, veterans compensation, and world peace. By this point in time, she was a grandmother and paid secretary and partner in her husband's business. He was one of only two men who donated any money to her campaign. Hooper invited 115 women nationwide to a 1924 brainstorming session, which eventually created the Conference on the Cause and Cure of War, a group that subsequently convened for several years.

Her granddaughter was civil rights activist Lois Van Valkenburgh.