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Senator Sharon Carson has graciously agreed to provide the text of her remarks from the July 2011 graduation luncheon for the Fellows from the 2011 class. The text of her speech follows.
Good afternoon everyone,
I’d like to begin by saying thank you for inviting me to be your guest speaker for today’s program. It is truly an honor to be here and to see another group of Republican women ready to jump in to the political arena, if they haven’t already. I have been on the Board of Governor’s for the Vesta Roy program now for a few years and I believe we have a great program dedicated to the memory of Vesta Roy and all she accomplished. She set an example for how women can become a force in New Hampshire politics and I am proud to be a member of this distinguished program.
As I thought about the topic for today’s speech, I decided not to talk about national politics. We just had a terrific debate Monday evening with our Republican presidential candidates, so really, what could I add to the discussion that you haven’t already heard? For weeks, our local newspapers have discussed state politics, so again, nothing new there either. It was on my drive home one day that I noticed a slogan on a bumper sticker. It said, Well-behaved women rarely make history. How true is that?
So I searched for a New Hampshire woman who, during her time, was not so well behaved when it came to politics. I have to thank Virginia Drew, who works at the State House Visitor Center for giving me her name.
Born March 18th, 1840 Marilla Marks lived on a farm in New Durham. She could read by the age of four and preferred to climb trees rather than to play with dolls. Her father encouraged her to think independently and to always ask questions. He took her to town meetings and to the courts when they were in session. By the time she was 16, she was teaching school, challenging school committees and causing trouble by replacing the traditional daily bible readings with Emerson and other modern thinkers.
At the onset of the Civil War, she volunteered to join the nursing corps, but was denied because she did not have any experience in medicine. She then did what usual for young women of her age and her time. She married John Ricker in 1863, but he died a few years later leaving her a wealthy widow. We find her in 1868 attending the First National Women’s Suffrage Association Convention where she was challenged to work to make a difference in New Hampshire. The first thing she decided to do was to vote. Now, as we all know, women were not allowed, by law, to cast a ballot, but she felt that as a taxpayer and property owner, she had a right to vote. She declared, “ How could the word he include women in the laws regarding penalties but exclude women in laws regarding rights and privileges? So long as women are hanged under the laws, they should have a voice in making them.” For a number of years, she tried to cast her vote at ward 3 in the city of Dover, asserting her rights as a property owner, but was turned away from the polls.
Her next challenge began in 1882 when she became the first New Hampshire woman admitted to the practice of law. She was 42 years old and took the exam along side 18 men and she received the highest score. By now, she was living in Washington DC and spending her summers in New Hampshire. She joined an all woman law firm, becoming an advocate for the poor and for state prisoners working to pass legislation on their behalf.
She also became politically active. When one of her partners, Belva Lockwood, decided to run for President, Marilla worked on Lockwood’s presidential campaign. She headed the Equal Rights party here in New Hampshire, the only time she deviated from her self described stance as a staunch Republican. She spent years advocating for women’s rights and by 1910, we find her paying one hundred dollars at the secretary of state’s office and declaring herself to be a candidate for Governor, standing for equal rights for women. She was 70 years old. The Portsmouth Times reported, “we believe that Mrs. Ricker could fill the governor’s chair with credit to herself and honor to the granite state. Marilla is no joke!” She said, “ I’m running for Governor in order to get people into the habit of thinking of women as Governors.” Unfortunately, the attorney generals office ruled that women were disqualified to take an official part in the government of this state and her name did not appear on the ballot.
Marilla lived to see the ratification of the 19th amendment to the constitution, which gave women the right to vote, but there is no record of her casting a vote. She died later that year in 1920. She spent a lifetime trying to break new ground for women and is honored every year by the New Hampshire Women’s Bar Association.
In June of 1997, a bill was passed by the New Hampshire Legislature, which stated, “Marilla Ricker, with vision and the courage to persevere in the face of enormous odds, unjust laws, and unpopular public opinion, lived a life that changed the course of history of New Hampshire for the benefit of all people.” From a simple farm girl, to a teacher, to a lawyer and advocate, to gubernatorial candidate, Marilla Ricker, by the standards of her time, was not a well-behaved woman. She continually challenged conventional beliefs and questioned authority. She said that she was satisfied to open the doors for others, so I challenge all of today’s graduates to go through the doors she opened and become one of those women that history remembers.
Thank you.