The first known person buried on the property that eventually became Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) was a woman. Since the early decades of ANC’s establishment as a military cemetery, women have been buried here — either alongside their military spouses or because of their own military service. This tour highlights some women you may be surprised to find buried at the nation’s preeminent military cemetery, since they themselves did not serve in the military.As civilians, however, these women made important contributions to American society and women’s long struggle for equality. Examples include: Seraph Young Ford (STOP 7), believed to be the first woman to vote in the United States after Utah passed an equal suffrage law in 1870 Elizebeth Smith Friedman (STOP 12), a pioneer in the field of military cryptology Marguerite Higgins (STOP 3), who earned the Pulitzer Prize for her frontline reporting during the Korean War Zitkála-Ša (STOP 4), a leading American Indian activist and writer.These stories represent only a tiny fraction of those that could be told. Women buried at ANC broke gender barriers, served their nation on and off the battlefield, created new roles for women in military and civic life, and contributed to the ongoing struggle for women’s equality.As you explore the cemetery on this tour, consider the women whose names have not been traditionally remembered or honored in the historical record. Their service in support of the nation’s ongoing quest for equality mattered too.
Explore: How Do We Define Women's Rights?
When you hear the phrase "women’s rights,” what do you imagine? You may think of historical rights, such as the women’s suffrage movement at the turn of the 20th century, or the fight against sex discrimination in the workplace in the mid-20th century. Or perhaps you thought of more recent women’s rights issues, such as the 2017 Women’s March or the Department of Defense integrating women into all combat positions in the 2010s.Historically, as women gained rights, they also gained new opportunities. And as their opportunities and roles — in the home, in the workplace, in society — expanded, so too did their need for additional rights. As you visit these pioneering women’s gravesites, consider: What rights (economic, legal, social, etc.) did each woman possess at the time? What rights did she seek? What rights did she not seek? How did the advocacy of women who came before her shape her life and opportunities? How did her own advocacy expand future women’s rights and opportunities? How did women have different rights based on their race, ethnicity, religion, immigration status, or socioeconomic background? How are “rights” defined in American society? By the Constitution? By legislation? By everyday practice? Who decides the meanings of rights?Each of the women featured on this tour worked to expand women’s roles in society. They fought for the right to vote, the right to hold particular occupations, and the opportunity to live freely and independently, to name just a few things these women supported. They may not have agreed on what rights women should hold, which women should hold those rights, and how those rights should be attained. But they all sought improved social, legal, and economic circumstances for themselves and for those who came after them.
1
Helen Herron "Nellie" Taft
First Lady of the United States from 1909-1913. As First Lady, she implemented safety and sanitary standards for federal workplaces, opened the White House to a wider range of visitors, and began the tradition of the first lady riding in the inaugural parade. She was influential in the project to plant more than 3,000 cherry trees around Washington, D.C.'s Tidal Basin.
Explore: First Ladies' Roles & Influence
Before women were allowed to vote, their political power often lay in their ability to convince men to support their interests. As the woman closest to the president, this gave the First Lady perhaps the most power in the country. Today, women often do not have to gain their power or career through their connections to men, but first ladies are still celebrated and scrutinized as public figures, and they can influence American culture in numerous special ways.
2
Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ginsburg was the second woman to serve as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. While teaching at Columbia University, she became the first female law professor to earn tenure. During her law career, she was known for arguing cases that challenged gender inequalities.
3
Marguerite Higgins Hall
Higgins was a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who covered World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Higgins was one of the first reporters — and the only female reporter — on the front lines of the fighting.
4
Zitkála-Ša (Gertrude Simmons Bonnin)
Zitkála-Ša was a prominent activist for American Indian and women's rights. She co-founded the National Council of American Indians to advance American Indian suffrage, and served as the organization's president from 1926-1938. Zitkála-Ša wrote many books and articles about American Indians, as well the first American Indian opera.
Suffragists
On August 18, 1920, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, American women finally obtained the right to vote. For over half a century, the women’s suffrage movement had advocated for this foundational citizenship right. While many are familiar with suffrage leaders like Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Alva Belmont, thousands of lesser-known American women devoted themselves to the suffrage cause. This determined group marched in cities, lobbied politicians, wrote letters to editors, gave speeches, and practiced civil disobedience. Several of these brave, trailblazing women are buried here at Arlington National Cemetery.
5
Alice Thornton Jenkins
Jenkins played an active role in the suffrage movement, serving as director of the D.C Woman Suffrage Association, auditor for the State Equal Suffrage Association, and delegate to three National American Woman Suffrage Association conventions. She organized and motivated women in the Washington, D.C. region to show up for and donate money to the national suffrage cause.
Explore: The 1913 D.C. Suffrage Procession
On March 3, 1913, the day before President Woodrow Wilson’s presidential inauguration, about 8,000 women marched from the U.S. Capitol to the White House in a national parade for women’s suffrage. At least three women who are buried at ANC marched in the parade: Alice Thornton Jenkins, Anna Kelton Wiley, and Jane Delano.
6
Anna Kelton Wiley
Wiley was a prominent suffragist, serving as the Hospitatlity Committee Chairman for the 1913 Washington, D.C. Suffrage Procession, and two terms as president of the National Woman's Party. She met with President Woodrow Wilson to encourage him to support a constitutional amendment. She was arrested in 1918 for picketing the White House in support of women's suffrage.
7
Seraph Young Ford
Ford was the first woman to cast a ballot in the United States under a law that gave women equal suffrage rights as men. She voted in a Salt Lake City election two days after the territory of Utah granted women the right to vote.
8
Female Astronauts: Resnik, McAuliffe, Chawla, & Clark
Women’s rights also included the effort to gain expanded professional opportunities, including new frontiers such as space exploration. Victories won by women through suffrage paved the way for women to have careers unimaginable to many suffragists 50 years earlier.During the first two decades of the space program, NASA accepted no female astronauts. When NASA began selecting candidates for astronaut training in 1959, it asked the service branches to provide lists of personnel who met certain strict criteria; candidates had to be qualified jet pilots and graduates of test pilot school, with a minimum of 1,500 hours of flying time. Thus, during NASA's first two decades, those selected to become astronauts tended to be current or former military pilots. The military background required of early astronauts explains why many of them are buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Since women were not permitted to serve as military pilots until the 1970s, this also explains why there were no female astronauts until 1983, when Sally Ride became the first American woman in space.As of March 2023, 72 women, across nationalities, have flown in space. Four of these female astronauts are buried at ANC: Dr. Judith A. Resnik Christa McAuliffe Dr. Kalpana Chawla Capt. Laurel Blair Salton Clark, M.D., U.S. Navy (Section 46, Grave 1180-2)These four women all helped pave the way for future female astronauts and expand women’s opportunities in space exploration, science, and research.
9
"Vinnie" Ream Hoxie
Lavinia "Vinnie" Ream was the youngest artist, and first woman artist to receive a commission from the U.S. government. Her statue of President Abraham Lincoln stands in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. She sculpted statues of multiple famous Americans, which can be found around the Washington, D.C. area.
10
Helen Hamilton Gardener
Gardener was a writer, intellectual, and political activitist who fought for women's suffrage and employment. In 1920, she was appointed to the U.S. Civil Service Commission and became the highest-ranking and highest-paid female federal employee.
11
Sojourner Truth
Truth was a prominent abolitionist and activist for African American and women's rights. She was a popular speaker on lecture tours around the country, advocating for equal rights. Truth lived and worked on the Arlington property in 1864, serving the residents of Freedman's Village.
Explore: Sojourner Truth & Freedman's Village
The Civil War marked the start of an important transitional era for Black Americans. Following the Emancipation Proclamation and the prohibition of slavery in the District of Columbia in 1862, many enslaved African Americans from the Confederacy fled to Washington, D.C., seeking their freedom. Newly freed enslaved people from Confederate states often settled in Army freedman’s camps throughout the city and its vicinity. These men, women, and children were refugees, having fled the only homes and communities they knew in search of a new and better life as free people. The camps were established not only to help integrate newly freed Black Americans into society, but also to prevent them from creating permanent, integrated communities in racially segregated Washington, D.C. However, as more people arrived, the camps quickly became overcrowded, and conditions deteriorated.In May 1863, the military chose the Arlington Estate as the site for a new camp called Freedman’s Village, which was intended to serve as a model community for freed people. The village was designed as a place where newly freed slaves could temporarily live while they learned trade skills and earned some money before moving on to permanent homes.
12
Elizebeth Smith Friedman
Friedman has been called "America's first female cryptanalyst." During the Prohibition era, she decoded messages sent by smugglers. Between 1927 and 1930, she is estimated to have solved over 12,000 messages in hundreds of different code systems. During World War II, she led the civilian team that broke codes generated by the German Enigma machine.
13
Mary Baird Bryan
Bryan was a leader in the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and National American Woman Suffrage Association. She was an important supporter of her husband William Jennings Bryan's political career and legacy.
Conclusion
You've reached the end of the Women’s Rights Tour. We hope you enjoyed your time exploring the cemetery and learning about the lives of these pioneering women!You can explore additional content and resources on the Arlington National Cemetery Education Program website, or find more tours through Arlington National Cemetery's STQRY.
Tour Overview
This tour contains three types of stops: HONOR stops mark the gravesites of specific individuals. REMEMBER stops commemorate events, ideas, or groups of people. EXPLORE stops invite you to discover what this history means to you.
