Glen Cove, a ‘Woman Suffrage City’ for August

Posted Monday, August 17, 2020 12:00 am

In 2017, the City of Glen Cove and the Long Island Woman Suffrage Association had dedicated a Woman Suffrage historic marker on Dosoris Lane to commemorate the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in the state of New York and the contribution of Glen Cove Suffragists.

Herald File Photo

G.C. Councilwoman weigh in on the meaning of “Woman Suffrage City”

Councilwoman Dr. Eve Lupenko Ferrante

“As a woman, I take advantage of the fact that I have the right to vote in the United States of America by participating in the election process year after year. Not only do I get out and vote, but I also used my status as a registered voter in Glen Cove to be able to run for councilwoman and win.

I’m honored to have the opportunity to more formally appreciate the strong, dedicated, passionate women who had the foresight to fight for the right to give women the vote 100 years ago, a movement that was also fought locally in Glen Cove by the Pratt sisters-in-law and their fellow suffragists. City Council has the male and female balance that was probably just seen as a dream back then.”

Councilwoman Marsha Silverman

“I’m excited that we officially adopted this important recognition of women’s suffrage. As a female elected official, it is with great pride that I stand on the shoulders of those women who came before me and fought for the right to participate in our democracy.”

Councilwoman Danielle Fugazy Scagliola

“I am so proud that we adopted the resolution to be a woman suffrage city. We’ve obviously come a long way as a nation and I am glad that Glen Cove recognizes that. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today without women who blazed the trail. I appreciate all their hard work. I look forward to continuing to create a world where there is equality for all.”

Glen Cove Suffragists Helen Sherman Pratt and Florence Gibb Pratt

In addition to her suffrage work, Helen Sherman Pratt was one of the founders of the Lincoln Settlement House, which served the needs of the African-American community in Glen Cove. She was also the member of the Women’s Trade Union League and later, The League of Women Voters. On June 20, 1920, Sherman Pratt hosted the Long Island Convention of the League of Women Voters at Killenworth.

Florence Gibb Pratt married Herbert Lee Pratt in 1897, lived in Manhattan and later built their Glen Cove summer home near other Pratt family members in 1906. She contributed to the founding of Nassau Hospital in Mineola, now Winthrop Hospital, and was the first woman to be elected to the New York State Board of Regents.

She and Katrina Ely Tiffany were part of a delegation that met with then President Woodrow Wilson on Oct. 25, 1917 to discuss the suffrage cause. In December of 1917, Gibb Pratt held the post of treasurer of the Woman Suffrage Party of New York City as well as third vice-chairman of the Manhattan Borough. That same month she joined a group of delegates from New York and again traveled to Washington D.C. for the convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

By Jennifer Corr and Danielle Agoglia

The plight for women’s voting rights is currently being in the city. This comes after the Glen Cove City Council voted on July 28 in favor of designating Glen Cove as a “Woman Suffrage City” for the month of August.

Because of the efforts of suffragists’ like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, who organized the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., a national movement began to gain stamina towards equality for women, along with the right for women to vote.

New York passed a referendum granting women the right to vote on Nov. 6, 1917. And nationally, women across the states were granted the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th Amendment on Aug. 18, 1920.

“It acknowledges the struggle that women had to fight for the right to vote and it’s really a ceremonial acknowledgement of that,” City of Glen Cove Mayor Tim Tenke said.

“Mayor Tenke is proud to recognize the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment,” City of Glen Cove Public Relations Officer Shannon Vulin said. “This milestone of democracy is still relevant to equal rights today.”

Antonia Petrash, the founder of the Long Island Woman Suffrage Association, had suggested to Councilman Gaitley Stevenson-Mathews that, in remembrance of the 100th anniversary of women receiving the right to vote, Glen Cove become a “Woman Suffrage City” for the month of August.

“The idea is that it’s not only important for our nation, but also certainly here in Glen Cove where the Pratt sisters lived who were very much involved with that,” Stevenson-Mathews said during the July 28 City Council meeting.

Petrash is also the author of “Long Island and the Woman Suffrage Movement” and it was through her research for her book that she discovered the important role of Glen Cove Suffragists Helen Sherman Pratt and Florence Gibb Pratt [see sidebar].

“I think it’s important for people to know the history of Women’s Suffrage and how long and hard women had to fight to get the vote,” Petrash said in 2017. “It’s important for the women for all the work they did.”

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Glen Cove, a ‘Woman Suffrage City’ for August

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