Description: This photograph of Representative Adelaide Sterling Ott was taken around 1923 or 1924. Adelaide Sterling Ott served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 1922 to 1928. She was one of only two women from Mahoning County to serve in the House in the twentieth century. During World War I, Ott worked for the Red Cross and the American Legion. She also was president of the Women's Division of the First Baptist Church in Youngstown. The photograph measures 6" x 4" (15.24 x 10.16 cm). View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3104_3675559_001
Subjects: Ohio Government; Ohio Women; Politicians; Women legislators
Places: Youngstown (Ohio); Mahoning County (Ohio)
 

Description: Portrait of Mary B. Grossman of Cleveland, Ohio. Grossman (1879-1977) was included on the "Ohio State Honor Roll" from the League of Women Voters of Ohio, ca. 1930, which listed prominent Ohio women involved in the suffrage movement. Her brief biography from the Honor Roll reads: "Mary Grossman was a member of the American Woman's Suffrage Association, the Cleveland Woman's Suffrage Party, of which she was treasurer for a time, the Wage-Earner's Suffrage League, and the League of Women Voters. An able speaker, she was a successful campaigner for suffrage. She was elected a Judge of the Municipal Court in Cleveland, the first woman to hold this position there. She was re-elected last fall on her record. She has been devoted and continuously interested in removing discriminations against women." This photograph comes from the League of Women Voters of Ohio Collection. The League of Women Voters was first formed at the national level in early 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt, President of the National Woman Suffrage Association. Soon, additional leagues began to form at the state and local level, with the League of Women Voters of Ohio being organized in May 1920 in Columbus. The League was first formed to empower women to use their newfound right to vote, and today its primary purpose remains citizen education. To this goal, it supports voter registration efforts, provides information on candidates and issues, sponsors debates and offers publications on public policy and voter engagement topics. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS354_B10_LWVO_MaryGrossman
Subjects: Women--Suffrage; Social movements; League of Women Voters of Ohio; Suffragists; Activism; Judges -- Ohio; Women legislators;
Places: Cleveland (Ohio); Cuyahoga County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph showing Democratic Ohio legislator Charleta Tavares, taken by photographer Allen Zak for publication in the Columbus Free Press newspaper. Tavares was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives representing the 22nd district from 1993-1998. In 1996, she was elected Minority Whip--the first African American woman to hold a leadership position in the state legislature. She later went on to serve in the Ohio Senate, as the representative for the 15th district from 2011 to 2018. The Columbus Free Press began as a bi-weekly publication in Columbus, Ohio, in 1970. An underground newspaper, it replaced the Ohio State University publication The People, Yes. The earliest known issue of the newspaper appeared on January 4, 1971. The newspaper underwent a series of name changes over the decades, with titles including the Columbus Free Press & Cowtown Times (1972-1976), the Columbus Freepress (1976-1992) and The Free Press (1992-1995). The paper, which covered many liberal and progressive causes, was an alternative to mainstream news sources in central Ohio with the slogan “The Other Side of the News.” In 1995, the paper ceased publication briefly before reemerging as a website in early 1996, and returning as a print publication under the Free Press title in the form of a quarterly journal in 1998. Published under various frequencies during the first part of the 21st century, the Free Press again became a nonprofit monthly publication in 2017 with both a print and web presence, published by the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism and operated by a volunteer staff and board. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1301AV_B03F07_01
Subjects: Legislators--Ohio; Ohio Women; African American Ohioans; Democratic Party;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)