Commemorating the 143rd anniversary of the birth of Minnie Fisher Cunningham.

89(R) HR 11 - Enrolled version - Bill Text

H.R. No. 11

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, March 19, 2025, marks the 143rd anniversary of the

birth of trailblazing activist Minnie Fisher Cunningham, who played

a vital role in securing women's suffrage; and

WHEREAS, The daughter of Horatio and Sallie Fisher, the

former Minnie Fisher was born on the family farm near New Waverly in

1882; she was one of the first women in the state to receive a

pharmacy degree but soon discovered that her untrained male

colleagues made twice her salary; following her marriage to Beverly

"Bill" Cunningham, she became active in social reform efforts in

Galveston; she chaired two Women's Health Protective Association

committees and was a founding member and then president of the

Galveston Equal Suffrage Association; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Cunningham was elected president of the Texas

Equal Suffrage Association in 1915; membership grew to 10,000 under

her leadership, and her formidable coalition-building and

negotiating skills resulted in a bill granting Texas women the

right to vote in state primary elections; the National American

Woman Suffrage Association recruited her to lobby Congress and

President Woodrow Wilson, and she eventually became the group's

congressional secretary; after passage of the 19th Amendment in

1919, she traveled across the Southwest to rally support for

ratification; her shrewdness and determination were instrumental

in making Texas the first southern state to ratify the amendment,

thwarting an attempt to create a regional bulwark against it; and

WHEREAS, A founder and officer of the National League of

Women Voters, Mrs. Cunningham successfully championed the nation's

first social welfare measure, the Sheppard-Towner Maternity and

Infancy Act; back in Texas, she became one of the first American

women to pursue a career in party politics, running for the

U.S. Senate in 1928 and the governorship in 1944; she was an early

inspiration to Eleanor Roosevelt and in turn energetically

supported the Roosevelt administration's New Deal initiatives in

numerous professional and volunteer capacities, including editor

for the Texas A&M University Agricultural Extension Service, senior

specialist in the Information Division of the federal Agricultural

Adjustment Administration, and acting head of the Women's Division

of the Democratic National Committee; and

WHEREAS, Mrs. Cunningham returned to New Waverly to run the

family farm but remained highly engaged in the progressive

movement; in 1954, she helped establish the
Texas Observer
, and six

years later, she managed the local headquarters of the

John F. Kennedy presidential campaign, which carried Walker

County; she died on December 9, 1964, at the age of 82; and

WHEREAS, Through her vision, resolve, and extraordinary

ability, Minnie Fisher Cunningham contributed enormously to the

empowerment of American women, and 60 years after her passing, her

accomplishments continue to resonate; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 89th Texas

Legislature hereby commemorate the 143rd anniversary of the birth

of Minnie Fisher Cunningham.

Morales of Harris

______________________________

Speaker of the House

I certify that H.R. No. 11 was adopted by the House on April

17, 2025, by the following vote: Yeas 131, Nays 10, 1 present, not

voting.

______________________________

Chief Clerk of the House