Harry T. Burn
Encyclopedia
Harry Thomas Burn, Sr. was a member of the Tennessee General Assembly
for McMinn County, Tennessee. Burn became the youngest member of the state legislature when he was elected at the age of twenty-two. He is best remembered for action taken to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment
during his first term in the legislature.
, Harry Burn graduated from Niota High School (1911) and later became a lawyer having been admitted to the Tennessee Bar (1923). Later (1951), Burn became President of the First National Bank and Trust in Rockwood, Tennessee
.
, 1918–1922; State Senate
, 1948–1952; state planning commission, 1952–1958; and as delegate for Roane County to the Constitutional Conventions of 1953, 1959, 1965
. Burn died in Niota.
, regarding female suffrage, was proposed by Congress
on June 14, 1919. The amendment could not become law without the ratificaton of a minimum thirty-six of the forty-eight states. By the summer of 1920, thirty-five of the forty-eight states had ratified the amendment, with a further four states called upon to hold legislative voting sessions on the issue. Three of the states refused to call special sessions, but Tennessee agreed to do so. This session was called to meet in August 1920.
Burn had originally made clear his intention to vote "nay" in any session. However, a letter from his mother asking him to vote in favor of the amendment helped to change his mind. Mrs. J. L. Burn (Febb Ensminger) of Niota, Tennessee, had written a long letter to her son, a copy of which he held during the voting session on August 18, 1920. The letter contained the following:
After much debating and argument, the result of the vote was 48-48. Burn's vote broke the tie in favor of ratifying the amendment. He asked to speak to the House the next day and told them he changed his vote because his mother asked him to and that she had always taught him that "a good boy always does what his mother asks him to do."
As anti-suffragists had been fighting and preparing for this moment over the summer, they became very enraged when they discovered the news of Burn's decision. There is an apocryphal story that after the vote was ratified, angry anti-suffragists chased Burn through the Tennessee Legislature Hall, and Burn was forced to conceal himself for a short time until the tense situation had been defused.
Tennessee General Assembly
The Tennessee General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional structure:According to the Tennessee State Constitution of 1870, the General Assembly is a bicameral legislature and consists of a Senate of thirty-three members and a House of Representatives of...
for McMinn County, Tennessee. Burn became the youngest member of the state legislature when he was elected at the age of twenty-two. He is best remembered for action taken to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
during his first term in the legislature.
Education
Born in Niota, TennesseeNiota, Tennessee
Niota is a city in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 781 at the 2000 census.- History :The community was originally called "Mouse Creek," but was renamed in 1897 to avoid confusion with a railroad stop in Jefferson City that was named "Mossy Creek." The name "Niota" was...
, Harry Burn graduated from Niota High School (1911) and later became a lawyer having been admitted to the Tennessee Bar (1923). Later (1951), Burn became President of the First National Bank and Trust in Rockwood, Tennessee
Rockwood, Tennessee
Rockwood is a city in Roane County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 5,774 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
.
Public career
Burn held public office for much of his adult life, including positions in the State House of RepresentativesTennessee House of Representatives
The Tennessee House of Representatives is the lower house of the Tennessee General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Tennessee.-Constitutional requirements:...
, 1918–1922; State Senate
Tennessee Senate
The Tennessee Senate is the upper house of the Tennessee state legislature, which is known formally as the Tennessee General Assembly.The Tennessee Senate, according to the state constitution of 1870, is composed of 33 members, one-third the size of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Senators...
, 1948–1952; state planning commission, 1952–1958; and as delegate for Roane County to the Constitutional Conventions of 1953, 1959, 1965
Constitutional convention (political meeting)
A constitutional convention is now a gathering for the purpose of writing a new constitution or revising an existing constitution. A general constitutional convention is called to create the first constitution of a political unit or to entirely replace an existing constitution...
. Burn died in Niota.
19th Amendment
The Nineteenth AmendmentNineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
, regarding female suffrage, was proposed by Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
on June 14, 1919. The amendment could not become law without the ratificaton of a minimum thirty-six of the forty-eight states. By the summer of 1920, thirty-five of the forty-eight states had ratified the amendment, with a further four states called upon to hold legislative voting sessions on the issue. Three of the states refused to call special sessions, but Tennessee agreed to do so. This session was called to meet in August 1920.
Burn had originally made clear his intention to vote "nay" in any session. However, a letter from his mother asking him to vote in favor of the amendment helped to change his mind. Mrs. J. L. Burn (Febb Ensminger) of Niota, Tennessee, had written a long letter to her son, a copy of which he held during the voting session on August 18, 1920. The letter contained the following:
Dear Son:
Hurrah and vote for suffrage! Don't keep them in doubt! I notice some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet. Don't forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. CattCarrie Chapman CattCarrie Chapman Catt was a women's suffrage leader who campaigned for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which gave U.S. women the right to vote in 1920...
put the "rat" in ratification.
Your mother
After much debating and argument, the result of the vote was 48-48. Burn's vote broke the tie in favor of ratifying the amendment. He asked to speak to the House the next day and told them he changed his vote because his mother asked him to and that she had always taught him that "a good boy always does what his mother asks him to do."
As anti-suffragists had been fighting and preparing for this moment over the summer, they became very enraged when they discovered the news of Burn's decision. There is an apocryphal story that after the vote was ratified, angry anti-suffragists chased Burn through the Tennessee Legislature Hall, and Burn was forced to conceal himself for a short time until the tense situation had been defused.
Sources
- Battle Began for Suffrage Many Years Ago. The Nashville Tennessean. 19 August 1920. Vol. 14: No. 100
- Suffrage Amendment Adopted by House. The Nashville Tennessean. 19 August 1920. Vol. 14: No. 100
- Tennessee Ratifies Amendment Giving Women of U.S. Vote. The Commercial Appeal. 19 August 1920. Vol. 104: No. 50.
- Heirs, Cheryl. “The Nineteenth Amendment and the War of the Roses. BlueShoe Nashville Guide. http://www.blueshoenashville.com/suffragehistory.html (8 August 2001).
- Decisive Action Taken Today in Suffrage Battle. The Nashville Tennessean. 21 August 1920. Vol. 14: No. 102
- Battle Began For Suffrage Many Years Ago. The Nashville Tennessean. 19 August 1920. Vol. 14: No. 100
- New Election Laws May Be Necessary. The Nashville Tennessean. 19 August 1920. Vol. 14: No. 100
- The Case of Harry T. Burn.” The Nashville Tennessean. 21 August 1920. Vol. 14: No. 102
- Word From Mother Won For Suffrage. The Nashville Tennessean. 20 August 1920. Vol. 14: No. 101
- Burn Changed vote on Advice of His Mother. The Commercial Appeal. 20 August 1920. pp. 1