The Wide Awakes are one of the least known but most influential groups to have had a part of the election of 1860, and Libertyville is lucky enough to claim a part in their story. The presidential election of 1860 was a very contested election. Four candidates held widely different stands on the hot button issues of the…
In our March 23 post, “Man at washtub, wife votes: an election year retrospective,” we learned about Clara Averill Colby, Libertyville resident and the first women to vote in the state of Illinois after the passing of the 1913 Illinois Municipal Voting Act granting Illinois women the right to vote for Presidential electors, all local offices not…
On June 26, 1913, Illinois Governor Dunne signed the Illinois Municipal Voting Act granting Illinois women the right to vote for Presidential electors, all local offices not specifically named in the Illinois Constitution and on any “local option” issues. Clara Colby of Libertyville became the first woman in Illinois to cast a ballot under the…
Shelf Life 