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Grace Wilbur Trout
Grace Wilbur Trout was born in Iowa to two well-educated parents who taught her elocution, oratory, drama, music, and dance. Her father once told her “When you talk, say something!” That always stuck with Grace. In 1884, she met and married George William Trout. A few years later, they moved the family’s hardware business to Chicago. This was where Grace wrote her first book titled: A Mormon Wife. The book dealt with the issue of polygamy within the Mormon Church and because of her research, she was considered an expert by many on the subject and was often called to speak on it. In 1903, the Trout family moved to Oak Park and lived in a ten-room house on Forest Ave. By 1906, Grace had made many friends in Oak Park and Chicago and had decided to join two large civic and cultural clubs: the Chicago Women’s Club and the Nineteenth Century Woman’s Club. Both organizations were active in the women’s suffrage movement and she had an opportunity to reach women in both the city and the suburbs to educate them on the reasons why women should have the right to vote in America. Trout worked hard to organize campaigns, lectures, parades, and tours throughout Illinois and the whole United States. To help push her cause, she sought alliances with many political figures on the local, state and national levels. One of the highlights for Trout occurred in 1913 when she and others prepared a Suffrage Bill. On May 7, 1913, the Illinois Senate, by a vote of twenty-nine to fifteen, voted in favor of the bill. It later passed the Illinois House and Governor Dunne signed it into law. The second highlight for Trout came in 1920 when after a long struggle, 36 states ratified the 19th Amendment, which is known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, giving women the right to vote. Despite all of her hard work, Trout was able to balance her family, home, and her “business.” Many supported Grace and she fought for what she believed in and never gave up, even when times were rough. To find out more about Grace Wilbur Trout, please ask about the book The Woman Who Never Fails.
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