Helen Ring Robinson

Helen Ring Robinson
Helen Ring Robinson circa 1913

Colorado Senate
In office 1913–1916
Personal details
Born	Helen Ring 1878 Eastport, Maine, U.S.
Died	1923 (aged 44–45) Denver, Colorado
Resting place	Fairmount Cemetery, Denver, Colorado
Political party	Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Ewing Robinson (m. February 13, 1902)
Parents	Thomas Warren Ring and Mary Margaret (Thompson) Ring
Profession	Suffragist Writer Peace activist
Religion	Episcopalian

Helen Ring Robinson (1878–1923), was an American suffragist, writer, and political office holder. She was either the first^[1] or the second^[2] woman to serve as a state senator in the United States and the first in the Colorado State Senate. She was elected in 1913.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Biography

She was born in 1878 in Eastport, Maine.

By the turn of the century she was living in Denver, Colorado, and working in the newspaper industry there. She spent ten years as a literary critic and editorial writer for the Rocky Mountain News and the Denver Times.^[6]

After leading a crusade against Denver's poor water service, she was recruited to run for office. She was elected to the Colorado Senate for one four-year term in 1912, and took office in 1913. While in office, she was appointed chair of the Colorado State Senate Education Committee.^[6]

Among the progressive laws she passed were a minimum wage law for women and an abatement for property used for prostitution – both efforts to limit prostitution.

Women were not allowed to serve on juries at that time, although women had received the vote in Colorado in 1893. All of Robinson's bills on this issue failed. Consequently, women could not serve on juries in the state until 1944.

As a state senator, Robinson traveled the country making speeches on women's issues.^[6]

She died in 1923.^[1] Her body lay in state in the Capitol rotunda before her service. She was buried at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.

Publications

Preparing Women for Citizenship (1918)
Uncle Tom's Cabin for Children by Harriet Beecher Stowe; adapted by Helen Ring Robinson. From the Collections at the Library of Congress

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Helen Ring Robinson.

1 2 "Died". Time magazine. July 23, 1923. Retrieved 2008-12-10. Mrs. Helen Ring Robinson, 45, of Colorado, first woman State Senator in the United States, suffrage leader, writer, lecturer, member of the Ford "peace pilgrimage" in 1915, at Denver, after a long illness.
1 2 "Helen Ring Robinson". Political graveyard. Retrieved 2008-12-10. Robinson, Helen Ring (d. 1923) – of Denver, Colo. Democrat. Member of Colorado state senate, 1913–16. Female. First woman elected to Colorado Senate; second woman state senator in the United States. Author of a minimum wage law for women; also introduced a bill allowing women to serve as jurors. Died in 1923. Burial location unknown.
↑ "Senator Helen Ring Robinson Calls Herself the Housewives' Representative in Colorado.". New York Times. November 23, 1913. Retrieved 2008-12-10. " Every city in every State in the country is in need of motherliness," said Senator Helen Ring Robinson of Colorado before the League for Political Education at the Hudson Theatre yesterday morning in telling her audience that it was the womanly woman who was needed in politics, not a creature recreated in the image of man.
↑ "Helen Ring Robinson". Swarthmore College. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
↑ "Helen R. Robinson of Colorado Defends the Suffrage Cause.". New York Times. September 22, 1915. Retrieved 2008-12-10. Senator Helen Ring Robinson of Colorado was in New York City yesterday after having given a week to the suffrage campaign work in the upper part of the State and a week in New Jersey. Senator Robinson says that while she is helping the women here she is also trying to put down the incessant criticism of the suffrage States by Eastern people.
1 2 3 Weatherford, Doris. "Helen Ring Robinson (1878–1923)," Women in American Politics: History and Milestones (SAGE Publications, 2012), pp. 136–137.

1985	Archuleta, LenaLena Archuleta Bird, IsabellaIsabella Bird Bonfils, HelenHelen Bonfils Brown, MollyMolly Brown Chipeta Chase, Mary CoyleMary Coyle Chase Eisenhower, MamieMamie Eisenhower Ford, JustinaJustina Ford Griffith, EmilyEmily Griffith Jackson, Helen HuntHelen Hunt Jackson Lamm, DottieDottie Lamm Maxwell, MarthaMartha Maxwell Meir, GoldaGolda Meir Owl Woman Rippon, MaryMary Rippon Sabin, FlorenceFlorence Sabin Schmoll, HazelHazel Schmoll Schroeder, PatPat Schroeder Stanton, May BonfilsMay Bonfils Stanton Steinbeck, AnneAnne Steinbeck Stockton, RuthRuth Stockton Tabor, Baby DoeBaby Doe Tabor Wormington-Volk, MarieMarie Wormington-Volk Yancey, JeanJean Yancey

1986	Brico, AntoniaAntonia Brico Peterson, Helen WhiteHelen White Peterson Roche, JosephineJosephine Roche Smith, Eudochia BellEudochia Bell Smith

1987	Goldberg, MiriamMiriam Goldberg Jacobs, Frances WisebartFrances Wisebart Jacobs Lathrop, Mary FlorenceMary Florence Lathrop Walker, Lenore E.Lenore E. Walker

1988	Churchill, CarolineCaroline Churchill Crain, OletaOleta Crain Orullian, LaRaeLaRae Orullian Stone, Elizabeth Hickok RobbinsElizabeth Hickok Robbins Stone

1989	Brown, ClaraClara Brown Fallis, Edwina HumeEdwina Hume Fallis Hennessy, SumikoSumiko Hennessy Robinson, Cleo ParkerCleo Parker Robinson

1990–1999

1990	Bancroft, CarolineCaroline Bancroft Cantwell, HendrikaHendrika Cantwell Platt-Decker, SarahSarah Platt-Decker Ries, Jane SilversteinJane Silverstein Ries

1991	Black, Helen MarieHelen Marie Black Fiore, GenevieveGenevieve Fiore Tabor, AugustaAugusta Tabor Webb, WilmaWilma Webb

1996	Van Derbur, MarilynMarilyn Van Derbur Birkland, JoanJoan Birkland Boulding, Elise M.Elise M. Boulding Crawford, Dana HudkinsDana Hudkins Crawford Curry, MargaretMargaret Curry Finkel, Terri H.Terri H. Finkel Gilfoyle, Elnora M.Elnora M. Gilfoyle Long, Mary Hauck ElitchMary Hauck Elitch Long McConnell-Mills, FrancesFrances McConnell-Mills Noel, Rachel BassetteRachel Bassette Noel Walter, Mildred PittsMildred Pitts Walter

1997	Anderson, SusanSusan Anderson Archuleta, EppieEppie Archuleta Barry, CealCeal Barry Bourdas, JuanaJuana Bourdas Hunt, SwaneeSwanee Hunt Muse, ReyneldaReynelda Muse Tobin, Mary LukeMary Luke Tobin

2000–2009

2000	Baca, PollyPolly Baca Burns, JoyJoy Burns Heath, JosieJosie Heath Lincoln, J. VirginiaJ. Virginia Lincoln Robinson, Pauline ShortPauline Short Robinson Urioste, Martha M.Martha M. Urioste Weinshienk, ZitaZita Weinshienk Alvarado, LindaLinda Alvarado Fraser, VirginiaVirginia Fraser

2002	Gaskill, GudrunGudrun Gaskill Joselyn, Jo Ann CramJo Ann Cram Joselyn Miller, MaryMary Miller Miller, SueSue Miller Tanner, GloriaGloria Tanner Warner, Emily HowellEmily Howell Warner

2004	Anna Lee AldredAnna Lee Aldred Boyd, Louie CroftLouie Croft Boyd Chambers, MerleMerle Chambers Gabow, PatriciaPatricia Gabow LaNier, CarlottaCarlotta LaNier Perry, AntoinetteAntoinette Perry Perry, CharlotteCharlotte Perry and Mansfield, PortiaPortia Mansfield Taylor, Arie ParksArie Parks Taylor

2006	Allen, StephanieStephanie Allen Collins, JudyJudy Collins Downs, MarionMarion Downs Estés, Clarissa PinkolaClarissa Pinkola Estés Hirschfeld, ArleneArlene Hirschfeld Jones, JeanJean Jones Lorber, FannieFannie Lorber Solomon, SusanSusan Solomon Spencer, CarolineCaroline Spencer Spitz, VivienVivien Spitz

2008	Anschutz-Rodgers, SueSue Anschutz-Rodgers Alicia Cuarón, AliciaAlicia Alicia Cuarón Dennis, EvieEvie Dennis Dubofsky, JeanJean Dubofsky Makepeace, Mary LouMary Lou Makepeace Nie, LilyLily Nie Petteys, AnnaAnna Petteys Routt, ElizaEliza Routt Woltman, RheaRhea Woltman Zaharias, Mildred DidriksonMildred Didrikson Zaharias

2010–2019

2010	Albright, MadeleineMadeleine Albright Greenberg, ElinorElinor Greenberg Guajardo, MariaMaria Guajardo Marrack, PhilippaPhilippa Marrack Martinez, RamonaRamona Martinez McDaniel, HattieHattie McDaniel O'Brien, SusanSusan O'Brien Scott, Bartley MarieBartley Marie Scott Taylor, Alice BemisAlice Bemis Taylor Tietjen, JillJill Tietjen

2012	Anseth, Kristi S.Kristi S. Anseth Bonnema, Janet PetraJanet Petra Bonnema Duncan, Fannie MaeFannie Mae Duncan Ford, Loretta C.Loretta C. Ford Gallegos, Erinea GarciaErinea Garcia Gallegos Gilpin, LauraLaura Gilpin Grandin, TempleTemple Grandin Hsu, Ding-WenDing-Wen Hsu Kerwin, Mary AnnMary Ann Kerwin Mullarkey, Mary J.Mary J. Mullarkey

2014	Julia Archibald Holmes Elizabeth Wright Ingraham Christine Arguello Lauren Young Casteel Penny Hamilton Kristina Johnson Diana Wall Joanne M. Maguire Elizabeth Morley Cowles Helen Ring Robinson

2015	Anna Jo Haynes Arlene Vigil Kramer Lydia Peña Sandra I. Rothenberg Shari Shink Judith Wagner Anne Evans Minnie Harding Laura Ann Hershey Elizabeth Pellet

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Helen Ring Robinson

Biography

See also

Publications

References

Further reading