Emma McHenry
John McHenry was born in North Carolina in 1809. Around 1820 the family moved to near Nashville, Tennessee. Their new neighbor had a plantation called "The Hermitage". That neighbor, Andrew Jackson, was the soon to be President of the United States. Even though there was a 40 year difference in their ages John and Andrew became good friends. It was Jackson that convinced McHenry to study law when he became an adult.
As was customary for young men of a good family in the South, John McHenry went to live at the home of Chief Justice Martin of New Orleans while studying law with him. François Xavier Martin's most well-known case in his decade as Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court was that of the freedom suit of Sally Miller in 1845. The court ruled to free Miller, a slave of obvious European descent, in part based on her appearance; the presumption was that she was "white" (European American), and the defendants had not sufficiently proved that she was enslaved. The decision was unpopular in the South and contributed to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention's abolishing the state Supreme Court in March 1846, ending Martin's career at the age of 84. The following day, the convention reinstated the court but did not reappoint Martin or his five colleagues. John then became judge of First District Municipal Court of New Orleans.
But, by 1848 the Louisiana Legislature was upset with the new Judge......
But, by 1848 the Louisiana Legislature was upset with the new Judge......
John, like his law teacher Judge Martin, had also ruled in favor of a group of enslaved petitioners who sought freedom on the basis of having touched free soil. These rulings directly contravened Louisiana state law, but McHenry reasoned that they were in keeping with higher sources of law: constitutional, federal, and international. You can read about his very unpopular decision at this website.....
John regained his seat on the bench, but in 1853 he "retired" and decided California might be a better place to live. Wealthy planters and others of position offered inducements for Judge McHenry to remain in Louisiana but it was no use. His removal to California was in almost lordly style. His agent was James Van Ness, who was later the Mayor of San Francisco. He was sent ahead overland with furniture, law books, wines, supplies of various kinds and other equipment. John, his wife and 2 young children went by ship to their new home near San Francisco.
The McHenry's next two children would be girls named Mary and Emma. And they would both become well known women.
Emma and Mary McHenry
Let's start with the older sister Mary. She was an American social justice advocate foremost. She is most known for her work leveraging women's rights through the passing of the Women's Vote in California (1911) and securing humane treatment of animals with the Humane Society and Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
As the first woman to graduate from Hastings Law School (University of California) in 1882, Mary's fluency of the law contributed to her public speaking and work with the Berkeley Political Equality Club. Shortly after graduating from Hastings Law School, Mary McHenry married the California landscape artist William Keith. During the time of their marriage the Keith house served as a meeting ground for social activists to gather.
In 1895, Mary organized the Woman's Congress (held in Berkeley) at which time she met Susan B. Anthony and began a regular correspondence about suffrage and women's rights. Mary’s leadership in Northern California provided a key role in securing the passage of Womens Voting rights in 1911 in California. The sixth state to do so. After the dismissal of the campaign in 1896, Mary revamped and re-targeted the movement; publicly speaking to the right and need for co-education, centralizing suffrage as a primary cause in women's organizations across the state, and integrating modern devices, such as cars and telephones as a way to reach and democratize rural areas. In 1912, Mary was elected president of California’s Equal Suffrage Association. In this role, she expanded her experience and suffrage support to other states, such work contributed to the 19th amendment's ratification in 1920.
As you can see Emma, the younger sister by 2 years, had a hard act to follow. And she was greatly influenced by Mary.
Emma was an artist at an early age. In San Francisco she was "discovered" by Harrison Eastman at age 11. Eastman was an artist, engraver, and illustrator whose "historically-important works rank him as one of California's most treasured pioneer artists. Eastman also became an accomplished watercolorist and illustrator, contributing to numerous local magazines. The year he arrived in California, 1849, he painted a portrait of James Marshall, who had discovered gold at Sutter's Mill and this painting was key to establishing Eastman's reputation as an artist. His watercolors at the 1857 Mechanics' Institute Fair won first prize. His partner was the artist William Keith who would become Emma's brother-in-law in 1883. Emma was Keith's first art student and would later become an art teacher. Although her paintings are rare, she was a competent painter of portraits and landscapes.
As the first woman to graduate from Hastings Law School (University of California) in 1882, Mary's fluency of the law contributed to her public speaking and work with the Berkeley Political Equality Club. Shortly after graduating from Hastings Law School, Mary McHenry married the California landscape artist William Keith. During the time of their marriage the Keith house served as a meeting ground for social activists to gather.
In 1895, Mary organized the Woman's Congress (held in Berkeley) at which time she met Susan B. Anthony and began a regular correspondence about suffrage and women's rights. Mary’s leadership in Northern California provided a key role in securing the passage of Womens Voting rights in 1911 in California. The sixth state to do so. After the dismissal of the campaign in 1896, Mary revamped and re-targeted the movement; publicly speaking to the right and need for co-education, centralizing suffrage as a primary cause in women's organizations across the state, and integrating modern devices, such as cars and telephones as a way to reach and democratize rural areas. In 1912, Mary was elected president of California’s Equal Suffrage Association. In this role, she expanded her experience and suffrage support to other states, such work contributed to the 19th amendment's ratification in 1920.
As you can see Emma, the younger sister by 2 years, had a hard act to follow. And she was greatly influenced by Mary.
Emma was an artist at an early age. In San Francisco she was "discovered" by Harrison Eastman at age 11. Eastman was an artist, engraver, and illustrator whose "historically-important works rank him as one of California's most treasured pioneer artists. Eastman also became an accomplished watercolorist and illustrator, contributing to numerous local magazines. The year he arrived in California, 1849, he painted a portrait of James Marshall, who had discovered gold at Sutter's Mill and this painting was key to establishing Eastman's reputation as an artist. His watercolors at the 1857 Mechanics' Institute Fair won first prize. His partner was the artist William Keith who would become Emma's brother-in-law in 1883. Emma was Keith's first art student and would later become an art teacher. Although her paintings are rare, she was a competent painter of portraits and landscapes.
One of Emma's Landscapes
By 1880 Emma had met, and married, a young Navy Ensign that was stationed in San Francisco. His name was Charles Fremont Pond. Charles had joined the Naval Academy at age 15 and had graduated in 1876. He was serving aboard the U. S. Coast & Geodetic Survey Vessel Hassler when he met Emma.
Hassler
Between 1881 and 1883 the Hassler was sailing from San Francisco to Southeastern Alaska during the summers to do coastal surveys. Pond Bay, Alaska, was named by Lieutenant Commander Nichols, the ship's captain, for his shipmate Ensign Pond. While the Ensign was away on these trips Emma was helping her sister with supporting the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Emma even wrote the famous inventor Thomas A. Edison for information about electrocution as a humane method of slaughtering animals. Such organizations at this time were generally concerned with the painless destruction of injured, ill, or suffering animals. Unfortunately, his response to this letter does not still exist.
As Pond's career continued he and Emma traveled a lot. His duty stations included New York, Hawaii and eventually Mare Island, California. During Pond's time at Mare Island the family purchased a home in nearby Berkley. Their next door neighbor was Emma's sister Mary. Now Emma could become a more active Suffragette and help her sister get the law changed in California so women could vote. An earlier attempt to enfranchise women had been rejected by California voters in 1896, but in 1911 California the law finally passed.
What had helped win the vote was the use of technology. On September 1, 1911, Mrs. Mary McHenry Keith and Mrs. Elizabeth Watson were reported as being the first women to use the new "wireless telephone" technology of radio to broadcast a pro-suffrage message to listeners up to 450 miles away from the National Wireless Telephone and Telegraph Company offices in San Francisco.
While Emma and Mary were making history in 1911 so was Lieutenant-Commander Pond. Pond was now captain of the U. S. S. Pennsylvania and had his ship modified for an aircraft to land on and take-off from. This had never been done before. In January Eugene Burton Ely, a civilian pilot, attempted to become the first person to do this. Pond offered to take the ship to sea in order that Ely would have the advantage of a head wind down the flight deck, but as winds in the bay were 10 to 15 miles per hour, Ely elected to have the ship remain anchored. It was a success and aircraft carriers would soon be added to the U. S. Navy's inventory.
Emma even wrote the famous inventor Thomas A. Edison for information about electrocution as a humane method of slaughtering animals. Such organizations at this time were generally concerned with the painless destruction of injured, ill, or suffering animals. Unfortunately, his response to this letter does not still exist.
As Pond's career continued he and Emma traveled a lot. His duty stations included New York, Hawaii and eventually Mare Island, California. During Pond's time at Mare Island the family purchased a home in nearby Berkley. Their next door neighbor was Emma's sister Mary. Now Emma could become a more active Suffragette and help her sister get the law changed in California so women could vote. An earlier attempt to enfranchise women had been rejected by California voters in 1896, but in 1911 California the law finally passed.
What had helped win the vote was the use of technology. On September 1, 1911, Mrs. Mary McHenry Keith and Mrs. Elizabeth Watson were reported as being the first women to use the new "wireless telephone" technology of radio to broadcast a pro-suffrage message to listeners up to 450 miles away from the National Wireless Telephone and Telegraph Company offices in San Francisco.
While Emma and Mary were making history in 1911 so was Lieutenant-Commander Pond. Pond was now captain of the U. S. S. Pennsylvania and had his ship modified for an aircraft to land on and take-off from. This had never been done before. In January Eugene Burton Ely, a civilian pilot, attempted to become the first person to do this. Pond offered to take the ship to sea in order that Ely would have the advantage of a head wind down the flight deck, but as winds in the bay were 10 to 15 miles per hour, Ely elected to have the ship remain anchored. It was a success and aircraft carriers would soon be added to the U. S. Navy's inventory.
The next year Charles Fremont Pond would be promoted to Rear Admiral.
Now that the work in California was done Emma and Mary concentrated on the national level. More states needed to change their laws and an amendment to the Constitution needed to be added. By 1916 Arizona, Kansas, Oregon, Montana and Nevada had joined the ranks for women voters. But not one state east of Kansas had guaranteed the vote for women. It was time to find a way to educate the women of the East to help change the laws. And Emma had an idea how to do it. A card game.
In 1911 Molly Elliot Seawell wrote a now forgotten book called "The Ladies' Battle". Seawell was widely read in her time and, at the beginning of the 20th century, was included in standard reference works on American writers. She was clearly not a Suffragette and in her book she takes the movement, and women in general, to task about their lack of knowledge of the Constitution and the way government works. She even ends the book stating "...I believe women Suffrage to be an unmixed evil."
Emma also believed the women of the country need to be better educated on how the system worked and her game would show them. She named her game "Constitution". Though it focused on elections and the electoral vote for each state it had a decided suffrage message. Cards of the 11 states where women were allowed to vote counted for double their electoral vote. Pond had waited until the outcome of the ballot initiative in California in 1911 because she wanted to include it's thirteen electoral votes in the suffrage camp. Thirteen was a "magical number" in the card game. The deck consists of 61 cards (48 state cards plus 13 Honor cards). It is played by 4 players representing 2 Democrats and 2 Republicans. The Honor cards representing Martha Washington, The Chief Justice, Secretary of War, Lady Adams and such are used to affect the voting outcome. It is definitely a thinking game.
Within the next 2 years, twelve states east of Kansas ratified changes to their laws to allow women to vote. Approved by the Senate on June 4, 1919, and ratified in August 1920 the 19th amendment was passed to allow women the right to vote.