WYOMING – The Wyoming Office of Tourism (WOT) has declared 2019 the “Year of Wyoming Women” as the state celebrates the 150 year anniversary of women’s suffrage. In fact, it was December 10, 1869 that Wyoming Territory passed the first law in United States history granting women the right to vote and hold public office—more than 50 years prior to the US ratification of the 19th amendment.
“To this day the ladies of Wyoming continue a strong legacy of female empowerment and leadership, pushing boundaries to live out their dreams,” WOT states on its website.
Though lovingly referred to as the “Cowboy State,” Wyoming’s true nickname is the “Equality State.” And for good reason. Wyoming is home to many firsts for women throughout history.
The first female to cast a vote in the world did so in Wyoming’s small town of Laramie. The first female governor was elected in Wyoming, and the nation’s first woman to be appointed to public office was done so in South Pass City, Wyoming.
In addition, the Equality State is also the home to the first female jurors, the world’s first female bailiff, and the first town that was governed entirely by women: Jackson.
When invited to join the Union only if women’s suffrage was revoked, Wyoming’s legislature stood firm, saying, “We will remain out of the Union one hundred years rather than come in without the women.”
In 1890, Wyoming became the 44th state—women and all!
