USA Sherpa
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The first major project of the Wyoming State Historical Society is Esther Hobart Morris’ statue in the Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C.
The July 2, 1864 law creating National Statuary Hall reads, in part:
“The States to provide and furnish statues, in marble or bronze, not exceeding two in number for each state, of deceased persons, who have been citizens thereof, and illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military service as each State may deem worthy of this national commemoration.”
Esther Hobart McQuigg was an equal rights leader who was born in Tioga Country, New York on August 8, 1812.
To promote the idea of giving women the right to vote, Morris was said to have organized a tea party for the electors and candidates for the first territorial legislature. However, her role in promoting suffrage legislation in the territory has been disputed. In any case, Wyoming became the first U.S. territory to give women the right to vote, and Esther Morris is commonly regarded as one of the heroines of the women’s suffrage movement.
