Louisa Ann Swain

Louisa Ann Swain (née Gardner; 1801 – January 25, 1880) was the first woman in the United States to vote in a general election after the repeal of women's suffrage in New Jersey in 1807. She cast her ballot on September 6, 1870, in Laramie, Wyoming.

Biography

Born Louisa Ann Gardner, her father was lost at sea when she was 7 years old. Her mother then returned to her hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, but also died soon after.

Voting Stories differ on Swain's movements on September 6, 1870, before she voted in that year's primary election. A widely-circulated story is that she arose early, put on her apron, shawl and bonnet, and walked downtown with a tin pail to purchase yeast from a merchant. In 1919, The Meeteetse News reported that Swain was on her way to buy groceries. Another story is that Swain was allowed to vote first among a group of women that were at the polling place by being the oldest. She was described by a Laramie newspaper as "a gentle white-haired housewife, Quakerish in appearance". Judge M.C. Brown, the first mayor of Laramie, personally witnessed Swain voting. 92 other women in Wyoming voted that day.

Legacy

The Louisa Swain Foundation was established in 2001 (as the Laramie Foundation) and is dedicated to preserving and celebrating Swain's heritage and history and "fostering education in the areas of democracy, human rights and suffrage". The Foundation runs the Wyoming House for Historic Women (also known as the Wyoming Women's History House) in Laramie, Wyoming, which celebrates thirteen women, including Swain. A statue of her in her honor was dedicated in front of the museum in 2005.

Congress recognized September 6, 2008, as Louisa Swain Day via House Concurrent Resolution 378.

In 2022, Congress named the federal office building at 308 W. 21st Street in Cheyenne, Wyoming, the Louisa Swain Federal Office Building.