Ella Riegel, ca. 1918.

Ella Riegel (1867 - January 20, 1937) was an American suffragist and women's rights activist. Riegel was a graduate of the first class of Bryn Mawr College and would remain associated with the college the rest of her life.

Biography

Regel was born in 1866 in Pennsylvania.[1] Riegel was part of the first class of Bryn Mawr College and graduated in 1889.[2][3] She became interested in anthropology and archaeology.[1] Riegel was also good with finances and made money through investing in stocks.[1]

Riegel promoted the cause of women's suffrage in many different ways. She was first part of the Congressional Union for Woman's Suffrage, where she served on their finance committee.[1] Later, she joined the National Woman's Party (NWP).[1] In 1916, she was part of the "Suffrage Special," a group of more than twenty suffragists who traveled to the West to promote woman's suffrage.[1][4][5] Riegel served as the business manager for the Suffrage Special.[6] Along with Mrs. Charles Wister Ruschenberger, she sent photographs of a "women's liberty bell" to each United States Senator.[7] The bell had a chained tongue, so it could not ring.[7] In 1919, Riegel met with James P. Goodrich, Governor of Indiana, to urge him to call a special legislative session to ratify the woman's suffrage amendment.[8]

In a 75-woman protest carried out on February 9, 1919, Riegel was arrested.[9] The protest was part of a series of "watch fires" carried out by the NWP due to the failure of the Senate to pass the 19th amendment.[9] Riegel carried a suffrage banner and was one of 47 women arrested.[9] She later helped organize the Prison Special to raise awareness about the imprisonment of activists and the inhumane treatment they received in jail.[1]

After women won suffrage rights, Riegel continued to fight for expanding rights in Pennsylvania, where she served as the chair of the state NWP.[10] Riegel also fought for women's independent citizenship and full guardianship of their own children.[11][12] Riegel was the woman's party delegate to the Hague conference for the Codification of International Law in 1930.[13] She traveled through Europe and Latin America and worked with the Women's Consultative Committee of the League of Nations.[1]

Riegel died in her apartment on Bryn Mawr campus on January 20, 1937.[3] She left $100,000 from her estate to Bryn Mawr, and an archaeology scholarship was created in her name.[14] In 1940, an archaeological museum named for Riegel was opened in the Bryn Mawr library.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ahmed, April. "Biography of Ella Riegel, 1866-1936". Biographical Database of Militant Woman Suffragists, 1913-1920 – via Alexander Street.
  2. ↑ "Ella Riegel, Women's Votes Leader, Dies at 70 Years". Chicago Tribune. 1937-01-22. p. 31. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 "Miss Ella Riegel Called by Death". The Morning Call. 1937-01-22. p. 32. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Was Center for Women". Arkansas City Daily Traveler. 1916-04-12. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Woman is Named Suffrage Delegate". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 1916-03-28. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Congressional Side to be Argued". The Butte Miner. 1916-04-24. p. 3. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "Senators Get Women's Bill". Evening Star. 1918-03-03. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Pennsylvania Woman Urges Special Indiana Assembly". The Indianapolis Star. 1919-09-16. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 3 "Suffragists Burn Effigy of President". New-York Tribune. 1919-02-10. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com. and "Suffragists Burn Effigy of President". New-York Tribune. 10 February 1919. p. 18. Retrieved 16 January 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Reports From the Woman's Party". The Miami News. 1923-06-07. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "Entertains for Sponsor of Guardianship Bill". The Evening News. 1925-04-14. p. 13. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Bredbenner, Candice Lewis (2018-04-20). A Nationality of Her Own: Women, Marriage, and the Law of Citizenship. Univ of California Press. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-520-30108-5.
  13. ↑ "Independent Women Will Meet Friday". The Tribune. 1931-05-05. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Bryn Mawr College to Get $100,000 Legacy". The Plain Speaker. 1937-01-28. p. 7. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Bryn Mawr to Open Library". The Windsor Star. 1940-10-16. p. 30. Retrieved 2020-01-17 – via Newspapers.com.
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