Henrietta Wells Livermore: A Trailblazer’s Legacy

As citizens in Yonkers and nationwide prepare for the 2024 presidential election, it is hard to forget the efforts of local suffragette Henrietta Wells Livermore. More than 100 years ago, the Yonkers resident was a key figure in the local, state, and national movement seeking to establish women’s right to vote. From her upbringing in a politically-minded family to her own career in government, Livermore played a pivotal role in raising the profile of the suffragette cause at the turn of the 19^th century.

Born in San Francisco in 1864, Livermore was the daughter of Henry J. and Maria Goodnow Wells. Her early education was spent in Massachusetts at the Cambridge Latin School and Harvard Grammar School. For her undergraduate studies, she attended Wellesley, a progressive liberal arts college with a proud history of promoting women’s education and leadership. She achieved her Bachelor’s Degree in 1887 and Master’s in 1893.

During her time in college, progressive ideals were streaming across the Atlantic as the women’s liberation movement gained traction in Britain. By the time she married her husband, Arthur L. Livermore, in 1890, the Western world was on the cusp of change, and women’s place in both the home and society was shifting. As she and her husband settled in Yonkers, her commitment to the suffragette cause became clear.

It Happened One Night

The first major event of Livermore’s career occurred on Valentine’s Day, 1910 when she hosted 11 women in her home to strategize the suffragette movement in Yonkers and throughout New York state. Momentum from the meeting led to the founding of the Women’s National Republican Club in 1921, still the longest-standing private club for republican women in the U.S.

From there she became vice president and executive board member of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association before serving as president of the Yonkers Suffrage Association. In 1916, she became manager of the National American Women’s Suffrage Association’s (NAWSA) Suffrage Schools, educational bodies that trained suffragettes on how to collectively advocate for the constitutional amendment allowing women the right to vote.

From Grassroots to Political Prominence

Livermore was elected to NAWSA’s Board of Directors in 1917 and was selected to be one of the directors leading the organization’s merger with the League of Women Voters two years later. In 1919, she became the first woman to hold a position as a vice-chair of the New York Republican State Committee. Her political career continued through the 1920s when she earned an appointment to be vice-chair the Westchester County Republican committee and was a member of the County Executive Committee.

As her notoriety and influence continued to motivate and inspire countless women in Yonkers, NY state, and across the country, Livermore held several leadership positions including founder and president of the Women’s National Republican Club. She also contributed to the presidential campaigns of candidates Calvin Coolidge, Warren G. Harding, and Herbert Hoover. Livermore was instrumental in founding progressive institutions designed to train women to hold leadership positions within the political sphere.

Livermore also had the conviction to see beyond her own political career to inspire and support the potential of other women in government. In a 1929 interview, she stated:

I look upon women as a vast undeveloped reservoir of power […] Before they can realize their potential power, they must think independently and stand firmly on the principles which they see clearly.

Her Lasting Connection to Yonkers

In addition to her service as president of the Yonkers Suffrage Association, Livermore solidified her connection with the city as chair of Yonkers Civic League’s educational committee. She further showed her dedication to the mothers and children of her community as president of the Yonkers Child Study Club and Yonkers Fairview Garden Club, an organization that provided small plots of earth for young boys and girls to plant their own gardens.

After the 19^th amendment to the U.S. Constitution became official on August 26, 1920, women gained the right to vote in the United States—largely due to Livermore’s efforts to support and empower women to fight for their right to equal representation. Today, we celebrate that milestone as Women’s Equality Day. After spending more than 40 years advocating for women in her community and beyond, Henrietta Wells Livermore passed away at her home on October 14, 1933. She is remembered in Yonkers as an ardent political voice instrumental to the national suffragette movement.