The Orator. The Morning Star. The “heart and soul” of the women’s rights movement. Lucy Stone’s contributions to the suffrage movement were immeasurable. She was an outspoken abolitionist and suffragist, specifically known for her powerful oratory skills. In 1847, she was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree, graduating from Oberlin College in Ohio.

An accomplished organizer, Stone helped found the National Women’s Rights Convention, Woman’s National Loyal League, and American Woman Suffrage Association. As Elizabeth Cady Stanton later wrote,

“Lucy Stone was the first person by whom the heart of the American public was deeply stirred on the woman question.”

Although she died before the ratification of the 19th Amendment, she was credited with laying the groundwork for women ultimately gaining the right to vote.

>> Click here to learn more about Stone’s substantial contributions as an abolitionist and suffragist.