Kate M. Dudden
The election for a trustee, district clerk and librarian, passed off very quietly, although there was a very large vote polled taking in consideration the fact that there was but one ticket in the field, namely; the ticket headed by Mr. Robert C. Haskell. The ladies were deeply interested and worked like beavers, they proved themselves to be quite able politicians, running carriages, and button holing voters, etc.
The whole number of votes cast was 283, of which Robt. C. Haskell, received 277 for trustee, Frank Mills 2, James Orr, 1, John M. Chambers for District clerk, 282, blank 1. Mrs. Kate M. Dudden, received 282 votes for librarian, blank 1. [Her husband Jacob Dudden had previously been the librarian; he would die December 29, 1882.]
—Mrs. Dudden has the honor of being the first lady ever elected to any office in the town of Lansingburgh.
Lansingburgh Courier. October 13, 1881: 3 col 2.
The school election in Lansingburgh yesterday was unparalleled in the history of the village. Heretofore such an election has been a tame affair, but yesterday 998 votes were cast, of which John G. O’Bryan received 500 and Charley H. Dauchy 496. The remainder of the ticket had no opposition, and James M. Snyder for district clerk and Mrs. Kate Dudden for librarian received the full vote cast. The friends of each side worked hard for their candidate. About 225 ladies voted. Either side challenged voters frequently, some of the ladies being among those whose right to vote was disputed—on the ground of non-residence, it being claimed that they were imported from Troy. A number of colored women were among those who voted. The excitement ran high during the entire four hours the polls were open, and several counts of the ballots cast were necessary to ascertain the correct result. Mr. O’Bryan was reelected.
Troy Daily Times. October 11, 1883: 3 col 1.
The election for school district officials in district number one was held on Wednesday last. John G. O’Bryan was re-elected trustee, James M. Snyder was elected district clerk and Mrs. Kate M. Dudden was re-elected librarian. For librarian and clerk there was no opposition, but the contest for trustee between Mr. O’Bryan and Charles H. Dauchy was the most exciting ever witnessed in Lansingburgh. The result was that 998 votes were polled during the four hours in which the election was held. Of these O’Bryan received 500 and Dauchy 498. Nearly 300 women voted on this occasion. Indeed, they were among the most active workers in the canvass.
Lansingburgh Courier. October 13, 1883: 3 col 2.
Caroline Gilkey Rogers gave a very interesting account of her work for School Suffrage in the village of Lansingburgh, N. Y. […]
At the third and last election nine hundred and ninety-eight votes were polled; two hundred and fifty-two women voted. We made it a gala-day, as usual. The parlors of our candidate, [Kate M. Dudden] being near [i.e. 649 1st Avenue], were made headquarters for women—windows thrown open and filled with flowers and young ladies. So from a male vote of about fifty we have in three years carried it up to one thousand, and both men and women seem now impressed with the propriety of mothers, wives and sisters having a voice in the question. In examining the tax books of the town I find women pay one-fourth of the taxes, and why should they not have a voice in the public interests they are taxed to support?
National Woman Suffrage Association. Report of the Sixteenth Annual Washington Convention, March 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, 1884. Rochester, NY: Charles Mann, 1884. 66-67.