Mother and Son Suffrage Heroes Honored

On June 9, 2018 a statue honoring woman suffrage hero Harry Burn and his mother, Febb, was unveiled in Knoxville, Tennessee, thus honoring two heroes who fought the final battle for ratification of the 19th Amendment.

Twenty-four year old Harry Burn was a freshman in the Tennessee legislature in August of 1920. The 19th Amendment was in the process of ratification, and all hopes were pinned on Tennessee, the last state to vote. Until then Harry was against the Amendment, but at the last minute changed his mind and voted “Aye,” thus ending seventy-two years of struggle and finally enfranchising all women in the United States.

When asked to explain his change of heart Harry cited a note he had received just that morning from his mother, Febb, asking him to “be a good boy” and vote for suffrage. “I knew that a mother’s advice is always safest for a boy to follow,” he said, thus becoming a hero to twenty-seven million American women.

Fund raising for the $400,000 project had been in the works since 2016; the statue will play an important role in Tennessee’s celebration of the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 2020. For further information click on http://suffragecoalition.org

 

 

 

 

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