Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 3.djvu/316

 of these two parties has ever nominated a woman for a State office. In 1877 the State Prohibition party, by resolution demanded suffrage for women and again in 1879 the State Convention of the same party approved suffrage for women. In 1881 the Greenback State Convention nominated Adeline M. Swain of Fort Dodge for Superintendent of Public Instruction. At the election she received 26,794 votes. In 1883 the Greenback party in State Convention again indorsed woman suffrage and nominated Abbie O. Canfield of Burlington for Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 1884 Mrs. H. J. Ballangee of Des Moines and Mrs. A. M. Swain of Fort Dodge were among the delegates elected by the Greenback State Convention to represent that party in the National Convention to nominate a candidate for President. They were received by the National Convention with great courtesy and participated in its deliberations. The Populist party in National Convention indorsed woman suffrage.

Among the political and temperance speakers of note may be mentioned J. Ellen Foster, Matilda Fletcher, Adeline M. Swain, Mrs. W. R. Cole and Mary J. Aldrich. The first woman minister in Iowa was Rev. Augusta Chapin, Universalist and Rev. Mary A. Safford was one of the Pioneer Unitarian ministers of the State.

In 1874 Mary B. Welch was appointed lecturer on Domestic Economy at the State Agricultural College and was subsequently elected to a full professorship in charge of that department which has from that time been presided over by women professors. Miss Phœbe Ludlow was appointed professor of English literature in the State University. In all of the professions, law, medicine, journalism and divinity, Iowa women have become numerous, taking as high rank as men. As dentists, stenographers, telegraph operators, bankers, farmers, merchants, librarians, insurance solicitors and officers, bookkeepers, cashiers, photographers, newspaper reporters,