Margaret Weissinger Castleman
Margaret Weissinger Castleman | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1880 Louisville, Kentucky, US |
| Died | 1945 |
| Burial place | Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse | Samuel Torbitt Castleman (m. 1910) |
| Children | 4 |
Margaret Weissinger Castleman (c. 1880–April 26, 1945) was an American suffragist and campaigner for the Democratic Party.[1]
Family
Weissinger was born in 1880 in Louisville, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Colonel Harry Weissinger, a tobacco industry businessman,[2] and Isabelle "Belle" Weissinger (née Muir).[3] Her father was from an old Kentucky family. She had five siblings[4] and was presented as a debutante in 1900.[5]
Activism
Weissinger began giving speeches in support of votes for women in 1909.[4] She rose to hold leadership positions in the suffrage movement, becoming president of the Louisville Woman Suffrage Association and second vice president of the Kentucky Equal Rights Association.[6][7]
At an annual benefit event for the Louisville Business Women's Club, she attended in a dress which showed her support for the enfranchisement of women. As the Courier-Journal reported: "around the hem of her skirt were the twelve names of the Western States which have suffrage, and across the back was written, 'Votes for Women.'"[5]
Weissinger became a member of Democratic Party and was elected to the Women's National Executive Committee of the Democratic National Committee in 1920.[5] In 1921, she was a speaker at a rally for W. Overton Harris, the Democratic candidate for Mayor,[5] and an excerpt of her speech appeared in African-American newspaper The Louisville Leader.[8]
Personal life
Weissinger married Samuel Torbitt Castleman in 1910.[9][10] They had four children.
Death
Castleman died of a heart attack in 1945[11] and was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery, Louisville, Kentucky.[1][4]
References
- ^ a b Mattingly, Carol et al. (2020) "Louisville Women and the Suffrage Movement 100 Years of the 19th Amendment" Archived February 28, 2025, at the Wayback Machine. . Cave Hill Heritage Foundation, the Louisville Metro Office for Women, the League of Women Voters, Frazier History Museum, and Filson Historical Society. p. 9.
- ^ Johnson, E. Polk (1912). A History of Kentucky and Kentuckians: The Leaders and Representative Men in Commerce, Industry and Modern Activities. Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 1007–1010.
- ^ History of Kentucky. S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. 1928. p. 211.
- ^ a b c Anderson, Dawn (October 2019). "Margaret Weissinger Castleman [1880-1945]". Remarkable Members, The Woman's Club of Louisville. Archived from the original on February 13, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Hollingsworth, Randolph (February 25, 2017). "Margaret Weissinger Castleman, Louisville Suffragist and Democratic Party Leader". H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online, Department of History, Michigan State University. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
- ^ Dawson, Kristen. "Twenty-Ninth Annual KERA Convention | H-Net". H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online, Department of History, Michigan State University. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ Hollingsworth, Randolph. "30th Convention Kentucky Equal Rights Association - Program". H-Net: Humanities & Social Sciences Online, Department of History, Michigan State University. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved February 10, 2025.
- ^ "W. Overton Harris and Mrs. Castleman Speak Before Thousands on Race Issue". The Louisville Leader. Vol. 4, no. 44. September 24, 1921. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Seekamp, Alwin; Burlingame, Roger (1912). Who's who in Louisville. Louisville Press Club.
- ^ Goan, Melanie Beals (November 12, 2020). A Simple Justice: Kentucky Women Fight for the Vote. University Press of Kentucky. p. 104. ISBN 978-0-8131-8019-9.
- ^ "Obituary Archived February 21, 2025, at the Wayback Machine". Courier-Journal. April 27, 1945.