HJR 1 – AS INTRODUCED
2013 SESSION
13-0497
01/10
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 1
A RESOLUTION directing the joint legislative historical committee to acquire and display a portrait of suffragist Marilla Marks Ricker.
SPONSORS: Rep. Cushing, Rock 21; Rep. Emerson-Brown, Rock 27; Rep. Kopka, Hills 28; Rep. Gale, Hills 28; Rep. Campbell, Hills 33; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21
COMMITTEE: Legislative Administration
This bill directs the joint legislative historical committee to acquire and display a portrait of suffragist Marilla Marks Ricker.
13-0497
01/10
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Thirteen
A RESOLUTION directing the joint legislative historical committee to acquire and display a portrait of suffragist Marilla Marks Ricker.
Whereas, Marilla Marks Ricker was an early suffragist who appeared before the Dover selectmen in 1870 to demand the right to vote, stating “I come before you to declare that my sex is entitled to the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness...I ask the right to pursue happiness by having a voice in that government to which I am accountable;” and
Whereas, after being denied the right to vote by the Dover selectmen, Marilla Marks Ricker cast a vote in the 1871 municipal election and, though the ballot was not counted, it is known as the first to be cast by a woman in the United States; and
Whereas, Marilla Marks Ricker studied law and passed the bar exam in Washington, D.C. in 1882, and was one of the first women admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court; and
Whereas, in 1890, after being denied the right to practice law in New Hampshire because of her gender, Marilla Marks Ricker petitioned the New Hampshire supreme court for the right of women to practice law and, in 1891, became the first woman admitted to the New Hampshire Bar; and
Whereas, in 1910 at the age of 70, Marilla Marks Ricker submitted her name to the secretary of state demanding that she be put on the ballot as the Republican candidate for governor of the state of New Hampshire and, in doing so, became the first woman in New Hampshire history to file for that office; and
Whereas, Marilla Marks Ricker, with vision and the courage to persevere in the face of enormous odds, unjust law, and unpopular public opinion, lived a life that changed the course of history of New Hampshire for the benefit of all people; and
Whereas, nearly a century after her death in 1920, the year woman gained the right to vote, it is the “daughters of Marilla Marks Ricker” who now lead our state, with New Hampshire having the first all-woman United States congressional delegation, a woman governor, a chief justice of the supreme court, woman speaker of the house, woman senate minority leader, woman state treasurer, and scores of other women leadership positions in our state, county and local governments; and
Whereas, Marilla Marks Ricker is an individual whose life is an example and inspiration for the people of this state, today and for all time, someone whose legacy should be cherished and honored; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
That the joint legislative historical committee is hereby directed to acquire a portrait of Marilla Marks Ricker; and
That the joint legislative historical committee shall oversee the hanging of the portrait of Marilla Marks Ricker in a place of honor in the state house complex befitting a heroine of historical stature in the granite state; and
That the joint legislative historical committee shall complete the acquisition and installation of the Marilla Marks Ricker within a year of the date of passage of this resolution.