Radical Women | Stories of Suffrage in the Sunflower State

Kansas was a progressive leader within the national women’s suffrage movement. In 1886, the Kansas legislature passed a bill granting women the right to vote in municipal elections. The following year, The Municipal Suffrage Law was signed by the Governor. Also in 1887, Susanna M. Salter (1860 - 1961) became the first woman mayor in the United States. By the end of the century, Kansas had more women officeholders than any other state. In 1912, Kansas recognized the right of women to vote in national elections. Because of its leading role in promoting women’s suffrage, the state’s flower, the Wild Sunflower, was co-opted and incorporated into the imagery and material culture associated with the national women’s suffrage movement.