Ella Kohlhepp -- Suffragist in Arizona

Fred and Ella moved to Mesa, Arizona at the end of 1911. As per usual, Ella kept herself busy after settling down. This included fighting for women's suffrage (the right to vote) in Arizona. An article entitled "The Suffrage Meeting" in the Arizona Republican was published on September 22, 1912. It states:

"The meeting of the Mesa suffragists at the Mesa opera house Friday evening, is said to have been quite harmonious. The ladies perfected a local organi[z]ation by the election of the following officers:
President, Mrs. John T. Vance
Vice-president, Mrs. Dwight E. Huston
Recording secretary, Mrs. Ella Kohlhepp
Treasurer, Mrs. L. E. Irwin
The next meeting will be held Thursday afternoon, September 26, at 2 o'clock at the Vance auditorium."

This snippet is interesting in showing Ella's political activities. The states she'd lived in prior had already secured for women the right to vote -- Utah while she was a child (1870), and in Idaho nearly 2 decades before while she was living there (1895). She was only continuing that expectation in Arizona. At the time of this article, the initiative had already qualified for the ballot on July 5, 1912. When voting occurred in November, roughly two months subsequent to this recorded meeting, voters overwhelming approved the initiative, making Arizona the ninth state to give women the right to vote.

That Ella is voted in (a certain irony in voting for officers for an initiative that focuses on voting) as the recording secretary speaks to her capabilities and presence. She was seen as educated enough at this Mesa chapter to be fit to fulfill these responsibilities.

Beyond this, it's interesting that in this article the other officers choose to be noted by their husband's names, and yet Ella does not have this for her. She is not Mrs. Frederick Kohlhepp.