May Arkwright
Encyclopedia
May Hutton née Arkwright (July 21, 1860 – October 6, 1915) was a suffrage
leader in the early history of the Pacific Northwest
of the United States
.
Hutton, who has been described as an orphan by some sources and is now often believed to have been illegitimate. She was raised by her paternal grandfather, Aza, in Ohio. Aza, who was blind, enjoyed political meetings and May often accompanied him.
In 1883, as an adult, she moved to Idaho
. There, she owned and operated a boarding house in Kellogg, Idaho
. In 1887 she married Levi Hutton (one of her customers) and they moved to Wallace, Idaho
where she oversaw the dining hall of the Wallace Hotel. Her husband "Al" Hutton worked for the Northern Pacific railroad, and both she and her husband were active in the associated labor movements. When miners dynamited the Bunker Hill and Sullivan's mine concentrator in Wardner, Idaho
, Al was the engineer of the train used to deliver the dynamite. She wrote a book about the horrible treatment of the miners at the hands of the mine owners, and the treatment of her husband at the hands of the sheriff/mine owners in her book The Coeur d'Alenes: or, A tale of the modern inquisition in Idaho. In later life, she bought all of the copies she could back
She was a supporter of the women's suffrage movement in Idaho, which achieved the vote in 1896. In 1897, the Huttons, along with August Paulsen
, Harry Day, teamster
Harry Orchard, butcher F. M. Rothrock, lawyer Henry F. Samuels and C. H. Reeves, invested in the Hercules silver mine. The mine would make all of them millionaires by June 1901.
In 1903 when President Teddy Roosevelt visited the Northwest, May and her husband served him coffee in their home when he toured Wallace.. She also hosted Clarence Darrow
and noted suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt
. May Hutton was a candidate for the Idaho State Senate in 1904, but was defeated.
In 1906 May and Al moved to Spokane, Washington
, and she became a member of the Spokane Equal Suffrage Club and first vice-president of the Washington Equal Suffrage Association. She became a well-known suffrage leader, but her outspoken style and unconventional behavior contrasted sharply with that of Emma DeVoe, a national suffrage organizer who was active in Seattle. There was a great deal of conflict between the two, but they achieved their goal in 1910. May attended the Democratic National Convention
in 1912.
The last year of her life she was ill with Bright's disease
. She was known to travel in her chauffeured Thomas Flyer
to farm communities, meeting farmers and trying to make matches to keep single mothers and their children together.
In her memory, Levi Hutton started the Hutton Settlement orphanage in the Spokane Valley.
Suffrage
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
leader in the early history of the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Hutton, who has been described as an orphan by some sources and is now often believed to have been illegitimate. She was raised by her paternal grandfather, Aza, in Ohio. Aza, who was blind, enjoyed political meetings and May often accompanied him.
In 1883, as an adult, she moved to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. There, she owned and operated a boarding house in Kellogg, Idaho
Kellogg, Idaho
Kellogg is a city in the Silver Valley of Shoshone County, Idaho, United States, in the Idaho Panhandle region. The city lies near the Coeur d'Alene National Forest and about east-southeast of Coeur d'Alene along Interstate 90...
. In 1887 she married Levi Hutton (one of her customers) and they moved to Wallace, Idaho
Wallace, Idaho
Wallace is a historic city in the Panhandle region of the U.S. state of Idaho and the county seat of Shoshone County in the Silver Valley mining district...
where she oversaw the dining hall of the Wallace Hotel. Her husband "Al" Hutton worked for the Northern Pacific railroad, and both she and her husband were active in the associated labor movements. When miners dynamited the Bunker Hill and Sullivan's mine concentrator in Wardner, Idaho
Wardner, Idaho
Wardner is a city in Shoshone County, Idaho, United States. The population was 188 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wardner is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all the land....
, Al was the engineer of the train used to deliver the dynamite. She wrote a book about the horrible treatment of the miners at the hands of the mine owners, and the treatment of her husband at the hands of the sheriff/mine owners in her book The Coeur d'Alenes: or, A tale of the modern inquisition in Idaho. In later life, she bought all of the copies she could back
She was a supporter of the women's suffrage movement in Idaho, which achieved the vote in 1896. In 1897, the Huttons, along with August Paulsen
August Paulsen
August Paulsen was a Danish-American businessman noted for his philanthropy in the states of Washington and Idaho.-Background:August Paulsen was a Danish immigrant, who arrived in America at the age of nineteen...
, Harry Day, teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
Harry Orchard, butcher F. M. Rothrock, lawyer Henry F. Samuels and C. H. Reeves, invested in the Hercules silver mine. The mine would make all of them millionaires by June 1901.
In 1903 when President Teddy Roosevelt visited the Northwest, May and her husband served him coffee in their home when he toured Wallace.. She also hosted Clarence Darrow
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow was an American lawyer and leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, best known for defending teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb in their trial for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks and defending John T...
and noted suffragist Carrie Chapman Catt
Carrie Chapman Catt
Carrie 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...
. May Hutton was a candidate for the Idaho State Senate in 1904, but was defeated.
In 1906 May and Al moved to Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
, and she became a member of the Spokane Equal Suffrage Club and first vice-president of the Washington Equal Suffrage Association. She became a well-known suffrage leader, but her outspoken style and unconventional behavior contrasted sharply with that of Emma DeVoe, a national suffrage organizer who was active in Seattle. There was a great deal of conflict between the two, but they achieved their goal in 1910. May attended the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
in 1912.
The last year of her life she was ill with Bright's disease
Bright's disease
Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that would be described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. The term is no longer used, as diseases are now classified according to their more fully understood causes....
. She was known to travel in her chauffeured Thomas Flyer
Thomas Motor Company
E. R. Thomas Motor Company was a manufacturer of motorized bicycles, motorized tricycles, motorcycles, and automobiles in Buffalo, New York between 1900 and 1919.-Motorized Bicycles, Tricycles, and Motorcycles:...
to farm communities, meeting farmers and trying to make matches to keep single mothers and their children together.
In her memory, Levi Hutton started the Hutton Settlement orphanage in the Spokane Valley.
External links
- The Hutton Settlement
- HistoryLinkHutton, May Arkwright (1860-1915)