Basic Information

Named for her mother, Lucy Gwynne Branham was born April 29th, 1892 in Kempsville, Virginia to passionate suffragist Lucy Fisher Gwynne Branham and assistant surgeon father Dr. John W. Branham. After facing familial hardship, the elder Lucy settled herself and her two children in Baltimore, Maryland.

A history major, the younger Lucy earned degrees from Washington College, and John Hopkins University before achieving a masters degree in the subject at Columbia University. She became a teacher before eventually joining the National Women’s Party (NWP) – her mother joined, as well, having always been supportive of feminism. Branham became a key organizer within the group, traveling across the country to advocate for equal rights (Santora, 2021).

Background Information

Just after the birth of their daughter in 1893, Dr. John W. Branham was called to Georgia to aid with an outbreak of yellow fever. Unfortunately, he contracted the illness himself and passed, leaving his widow and two children without many resources (Santora, 2021). Lucy Fisher Gwynne Branham remained unmarried, instead committing herself to enfranchisement for women.

Coming from a white southern based family, Branham and her mother received plenty of scrutiny when it came to their attendance of feminist demonstrations throughout First Wave (Library of Congress). However, that did not stop them from traveling across the country participating in the fight for their rights as women. Both Branham women joined the Nation Women’s Party – the junior Lucy proving even more active than her mother now. 

Seen as a radical, rebellious, and arguably unpatriotic organization, Branham is responsible for many of the NWP’s most effective movements towards women’s suffrage.

Contributions to the First Wave

From her initiation as one of 50,000 members of the NWP, Branham committed herself to being active in the effort towards women getting a vote. Proving pivotal in NWP’s history, Branham was a part of a group of women that called themselves the “silent sentinels.” Instead of their usual ruckus, they stood quietly outside of the White House, calling for their enfranchisement. They continued this strategy for two and a half years, marching everyday to protest against President Woodrow Wilson’s hypocritical position on suffrage. The group of suffragists held large signs, picketing for their rights, using silent visual aids instead of loud demonstration to object to the government that ruled them (Oregon Secretary of State).

Formed by Alice Paul, the ‘silent sentinels’ strived to continue the work of Inez Millholland Boissevain – recently deceased suffragist and labor lawyer. Boissevain rode a white horse, leading protestors in the Woman Suffrage Procession to the White House, though she was quite ill. Her perseverance and gumption for women’s rights over the years of her sickness was well respected even after the end of her life. Paul brought together the sentinels in honor of Boissevain, in the hopes to achieve enfranchisement (Reed, 2018).

Soon after the “silent sentinels” began their daily demonstrations, the United States entered into World War I. The NWP staunchly opposed the war efforts, leading to the resignation of few members – fearing they might be viewed as unfaithful to the United States. This was not the case for Branham, however. Branham continued to march on the White House everyday and maintain her sentinel position – calling out the government for their hypocrisy regarding World War I – believing it arbitrary to support democracy overseas and not for its own female citizens (Wagner, 2019. P. 439).

After the United States entered World War I, many suffragists suspended their efforts – believing that the government had a more important duty now overseeing the military. Seeing them as unpatriotic, swarms of angry Americans began attacking the ‘silent sentinels’ on June 22nd, 1917. As opposed to arresting members of the violent mob, Branham and 167 other NWP suffragists were arrested for obstructing sidewalk traffic and faced fines, which they refused to pay. Branham and her cohorts instead are put into small (and often overcrowded) prison cells  – stripped of all their rights. The facilities they were held in were unsanitary – dirty uniforms and bedding alike. Sick prisoners were held with healthy prisoners, often forced to share just one bar of soap (Reed, 2018).

Protesting their position as political prisoners, imprisoned members of the silent sentinels staged hunger strikes. These efforts were met with brutal force feedings through tubes. The fight for their rights did not falter, as Lucy Stone, a leader of the group, circulated a petition calling for proper treatment throughout the prison (Reed, 2018). The women added their names to the list demanding their rights from their cells.

The detained suffragists, including Branham, blamed Wilson for the radical behavior that got them detained – rightfully upset over the denial of their rights (Wagner, 2019. P 439). The brutality in the Occoquan Workhouse continued during what is known as the “Night of Terror,” where the superintendent of the prison ordered his guards to beat the women into submission, in the hopes of putting them back in their rightful place as inferior (Oregon Secretary of State).

After her detainment, Branham found herself immediately back on the front lines of suffrage demonstrations – playing a key role in another major move towards the vote for women at Lafayette Park in December of 1918. Along with her mother and three thousand other NWP members, Branham burned the speeches about democracy by President Wilson, proclaiming “We want action, not words!” Again, criticizing his duplicity of opinion during what is known as the “Watchfires of Freedom Protest.” During this event, both Branham women were arrested.

Drawing on the cruelty she experienced while incarcerated, Branham took to the road on a “Prison Special” tour in 1919 with twenty six other formerly incarcerated suffragists. They organized events petitioning Woodrow Wilson for suffrage that also informed increasingly larger audiences about the treatment of themselves as political prisoners. The women spoke of their being force fed, beaten, and kept in violent and inhumane conditions (Santora, 2021). Branham preached to the crowd dressed in her prison uniform in the hopes that her powerful words would sway them towards women’s rights. Ending in March of 1920, this tour was extremely successful in spreading awareness across the country about the importance of the vote for women.

Lucy Gwynne Branham continued to verbosely support the NWP and participate in ‘silent sentinel’ protests until the 19th amendment was finally ratified in August of 1919.

We want actions, not words.

~Lucy Gwynne Branham (Library of Congress)

Analysis and Conclusion

Spawned by her mother’s own suffragist ideologies, Lucy Gwynne Branham never loosened her grip on the metaphorical ballot she knew should be available to all women. Branham was sure that women were capable of more than just being the property of man. A remarkably smart woman, she was an advocate for suffrage all her life – as well as an effective educator.

She was involved in multiple pivotal demonstrations that advanced the women’s suffrage movement, continuing the legacy her mother started. She delivered her message strategically – and meaningfully – to the masses. Often seen as radical, Branham stood by her beliefs at a time when others wavered, supporting the movement at the risk of her own health and safety. The efforts she helped to organize and lead in the NWP were essential to the success of enfranchisement for women in the  White House.

After the induction of the 19th amendment, Branham focused on running the Inez Millholland Memorial Fund Committee which created ongoing funds for the NWP. For a short time, she taught at Columbia University and then went on to work with the World Women’s Party, lobbying for equal rights issues in Geneva (Library of Congress). Lucy Gwynne Branham and her mother lived together in the Sewall-Belmont House, the headquarters for the National Women’s Party, where they continued to campaign for equal rights. Here, the junior Lucy served on the NWP’s Congressional committee for equal rights, continuing her humanitarian efforts.

The elder Lucy died in the 1950s – though the exact date is not known. After which Branham is said to have suffered a nervous breakdown caused by the loss, requiring hospitalization for years until her July 1966 death near her home in Delaware. 

References

Harris & Ewing. (1917) Lucy Branham. United States Washington D.C. Maryland Delaware Baltimore, 1917. [Oct.-Nov] [Photograph] Retrieved February 7th, 2022 from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/mnwp000009/

Library of Congress. (1919) Lucy Branham in Occoquan prison dress. United States, 1919.     [Photograph] Retrieved February 7, 2022 from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/mnwp000304/.

Lucy Gwynne Branham (1892 – 1966). Turning Point Suffragist Memorial. (1970, June 18). Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://suffragistmemorial.org/lucy-gwynne-branham-1892-1966/

Officers and national organizers:  selected leaders of the National Woman’s Party . The Library of Congress. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/selected-leaders-of-the-national-womans-party/officers-and-national-organizers/

Reed, J. (2018). 1917 suite: Silent Sentinels and the Night of Terror: Blackbird 17(1). https://blackbird.vcu.edu/v17n1/gallery/1917-suffrage/intro-page-night-of-terror.shtml

Santora, K. (2021, April 5). Lucy Gwynne Branham (1892-1966). Maryland Women’s Heritage Center. Retrieved February 3, 2022, from https://mdwomensheritagecenter.org/directory-suffragebios/listing/lucy-gwynne-branham-1892-1966/ 

Silent Sentinels Picket the White House. Oregon Secretary of State. (n.d.). Retrieved February 14, 2022, from https://sos.oregon.gov/archives/exhibits/suffrage/Pages/events/sentinels.aspx

Tactics and techniques of the National Woman’s Party. Library of Congress. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2022, from https://www.loc.gov/static/collections/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf 

Wagner, S. R. (2019). The Women’s Suffrage Movement. New York: Penguin Books.