Ella St. Clair Thompson

Ella St. Clair Thompson (1870-1944) was an American suffragist.

Ella St. Clair Thompson
Born
Ella Bogue Clapp

(1870-01-10)January 10, 1870
Bakersville, North Carolina
DiedDecember 17, 1944(1944-12-17) (aged 74)
Asheville, North Carolina
NationalityAmerican
OccupationSuffragist
Spouse(s)
Edwin St. Clair Thompson
​
​
(m. 1908; died in 1918)​

Life

Thompson née Clapp was born on January 10, 1870 in Bakersville, North Carolina. In 1908 she married Edwin St. Clair Thompson. The couple settled in Washington, D.C.[1]

Thompson was an active suffragist. She was a member of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (CUWS), where she served as the North Carolina Field Secretary. In 1915 she traveled to the western states of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas.[1] In New Mexico, Thompson worked with Adelina Otero-Warren to recruit members for a new chapter of the CUWS.[2] The women made a particular effort to recruit Hispanic women to the cause, printing leaflets in Spanish as well as English.[3] In 1916 she traveled to Missouri campaigning for Republican Charles Evans Hughes' failed presidential candidacy. Hughes supported suffrage on a federal level, as an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In 1917 Thompson traveled with Alice Paul to work on setting up a new branch of the National Woman's Party (NWP).[1]

Thompson was a member of the National Woman's Party, serving as the North Carolina Chair.[4]

In 1918 the Thompsons moved to New York City. Edwin died the same year. The following year, 1919, Ella was arrested outside of the Metropolitan Opera House, demonstrating against Woodrow Wilson.

Thompson died in Asheville, North Carolina on December 17, 1944.[1]

See also

References
  1. Carrick, Anna. "Biographical Sketch of Ella Clapp (Mrs Ella St. Clair Thompson)". Biographical Database of Militant Woman Suffragists, 1913-1920. Alexander Street Documents. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  2. "Adelina Otero-Warren (1881-1965), Suffragist". America Comes Alive. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  3. Otero, Nina. "Womens Suffrage Movement-1915". New Mexico History. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  4. Gosper, Joan (2 November 2012). "Ella St. Clair Thompson, Spruce Pine, N.C. Suffragette". Rural North Carolina History. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
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