Aloysius Larch-Miller | |
|---|---|
 Larch-Miller in 1918 | |
| Born | September 27, 1886 Tennessee |
| Died | February 2, 1920 (aged 33) |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Aloysius Larchmiller |
| Occupation(s) | social worker, suffragette |
| Years active | 1917–1920 |
| Notable work | debate on Ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment |
Aloysius Larch-Miller (1886–1920, also known as Aloysius Larchmiller) was a suffragette and women's rights advocate from Oklahoma. She was most known for a debate speech made days before her death which resulted in passage of a proposal to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. She was posthumously inducted into the inaugural group of women honored by the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame.
Aloysius Larch-Miller was born on September 27, 1886,[1] in Tennessee[2] to Ellen (née Burke)[3] and George Larch-Miller. The family moved to Oklahoma Territory after the 1900 census,[2] but prior to Larch-Miller's sister, Genevieve's marriage in 1905, taking up residence in Shawnee, Pottawatomie County.[3]
Larch-Miller became involved in the work of the Red Cross[4] during the First World War.[5] She was secretary of the county Red Cross organization and county chairman for the Third Liberty Loan. Larch-Miller worked with the Oklahoma suffrage movement, calling the first mass meeting of suffragettes in Oklahoma and served as chair of women's petitions.[6] In 1919, she was authorized by the State Board of Education to supervise the addition of nursing training to the state normal schools.[7]
Oklahoma voters passed a suffrage bill in November 1918, prior to the vote on the federal amendment,[8] but a provision of the state law prohibited women from holding state office. When the US congress passed the voting amendment, Governor Robertson agreed to hold a special session to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, if the women could get the attendants to come to the session at their own expense.[9] In October, 1919, Larch-Miller, who was heading the ratification committee, and a delegation of suffragists secured a majority of support and attempted to meet with the governor to have him call the special session. He refused to meet with them to accept their list of supporters.[10]
In February, 1920, Larch-Miller, though sick with influenza, attended a county convention debate over ratification. She succeeded in defeating her rival's arguments and secured the convention's agreement to adopt the resolution by a 2 to 1 margin; however, she succumbed to her illness and died the following day.[11] She died on February 2, 1920[1] and was buried on February 3 in the St. Benedict's Catholic Cemetery[12] (now Calvary Cemetery) at Shawnee, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma.[1]
Posthumously, Oklahoma ratified the Nineteenth Amendment on February 27, 1920.[13] In 1982, Larch-Miller was inducted into the Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame as one of the inaugural inductees.[14]
