In 1893 Mary C.C. Bradford (1862-1938) founded a women’s suffrage association in Leadville, where she worked as a teacher. Once in Denver, Bradford was a member of the Denver Women’s Press Club and the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Bradford was also very active in the Jane Jefferson Democratic Club, the oldest organized women’s political club in the nation. She helped found the Colorado chapter in 1902. In 1908 Bradford had the distinct honor of serving as the only female delegate from Colorado at the 1908 Democratic National Convention. She even carried the state banner at the opening session. Although her fellow members of the Jane Jefferson Democratic club chose not to push the suffrage question while hosting the convention, Bradford was unafraid to voice her strong support for women’s right to vote.
– Submitted by historian Andrea Malcomb