George H. Allan

Allan was a prominent supporter of women's suffrage and either introduced or drafted bills to the Maine Legislature in support of women's suffrage on three occasions. In 1903, during his second term in office, he introduced a bill to give women taxpayers suffrage in state elections, which was defeated. In 1913, while out of office, Allan drafted a resolve in favor of full suffrage, which was introduced by Sen. Ira G. Hersey. This measure passed both the House and Senate but failed to garner the necessary two-thirds support to be sent to the voters for ratification. In 1919, Allan, then in his fourth term, prepared a law granting full suffrage in presidential election passed both the House and Senate later that month. Anti-suffragists organized a people's veto petition drive which forced a statewide vote on the measure. However, in August 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed granting women the right to vote nationwide which was ratified by Maine in November 1919. However, the petition drive had previously been deemed constitutional by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and a vote was held on Maine's amendment in 1920, which, with women now enfranchised, passed overwhelmingly.^[3][4]